Posted by Willy Franzen on March 24, 2012. Positions below updated every five minutes.
I think I saw one of the best hockey games I’ll ever see in my life last night. I made the drive from Chicago up to Green Bay, WI to see the heroic Cornell Big Red take on the evil University of Michigan Wolverines in the first round of the Division I NCAA Tournament. I was devastated when Michigan scored two goals in the first minute and thirty three seconds and relieved when the second goal was called off after the officials viewed the replay. In addition to the overturned goal, there was a shorthanded goal, a missed penalty shot, a 5 minute major, a prolonged 5×3 that didn’t lead to a goal, a game tying goal late in the 3rd period (for the bad guys), and an overtime game winning goal for the good guys. I woke up with no voice and an inability to think about anything but hockey, which is why we’re going to take a look at Colorado Springs, CO based USA Hockey today. It was founded in 1936 and has been “the National Governing Body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States” since. In addition to that, USA Hockey does everything that it can to “promote the growth of hockey in America and provide the best possible experience for all participants by encouraging, developing, advancing and administering the sport.”
Hockey is a great sport. The only problem is that it’s not something you can just pick up. It takes years of development, lots of expensive equipment, and ice time (which is scarce in a lot of places). That’s why one of USA Hockey’s biggest initiatives is focused on supporting and developing “grassroots hockey programs.” They do this through affiliate associations who help grow the sport on a local level. There is a lot more to what USA Hockey does, so I highly recommend that you read over their About page and Annual Reports to get a more in-depth look at their work, and also take some time to browse the rest of their website–there’s a ton of content. If you love hockey, then a position with USA Hockey may be just what you’re looking for. Right now their Jobs page shows a Program Services Manager position. They do ask for “three to five years of sports-related experience, preferably in ice hockey,” but I could definitely see the right recent grad having that. There are also some event based (not full-time) jobs with the Women’s National Team including Equipment Manager, Video Coordinator, and Team Leader. You may want to take a look at those too. I need to go try to get my voice back for tonight. LET’S GO RED!
Links to Help You Begin Your Research
Who’s your favorite hockey team?
