Welcome to the 2022-2023 hockey season! My name is Ryan Bullis and I’m the new President of the Hudson Hockey Association. I’m honored to help lead our association and look forward to seeing everyone at the rinks again this season.
It’s hard to believe we are celebrating our 50th anniversary. Starting in 1972 on an outdoor rink at Burton Field, eventually transitioning to a teflon bubble where the post office currently sits, to building, owning and operating our two arenas is something very special. Hudson Hockey is in our blood, it’s part of who we are, and has offered thousands of Hudson’s youth the opportunity to play this great game. Not only do we have success on the ice, we also help create community leaders. We are carrying out the vision of generations before us. Here’s to celebrating the next 50 years!
The past few months have been busy preparing for the season. The Hudson hockey board and numerous committees have worked diligently to ensure everything is in order for the start of the year. We just wrapped up an incredibly successful “Try Hockey for Free” program (84 participants), registered nearly 400 skaters (a number we haven’t seen in 10 years), upgraded our association website and communication platforms, offered preseason clinics and the 4v4 league, onboarded and trained more than 115 coaches and 23 managers all in time to start the season. I can’t thank my fellow board members and our countless volunteers enough for their time and dedication in setting us up for a successful season.
Our association is volunteer run and it’s vital we all do our part to help. Please be generous with your time this season. There’s a variety of ways to earn your hours, and by volunteering we can help keep our costs lower. Your team manager can assist with learning DIBS, our online volunteer site, if needed.
You may have noticed our rinks are under an exciting renovation. A dream and a plan that’s been years in the making is now becoming a reality. Thank you to our Capital Campaign committee, our Building Committee and thank you in advance for your patience as the project will no doubt cause disruption to our normal hockey routines. We will continue to do our best to communicate updates and photos in our weekly eBlast and on our website. While the construction work is underway, we still need your support. Every dollar matters, please consider giving so we can run to the finish line and complete this soon to be amazing facility for our players, families, and community.
I wish you the best of luck this hockey season! Thank you for your dedication to our association, to your player, and to ensuring Hudson Hockey continues its long storied tradition.