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MAHA announces new John Stansik Association of the Year Award

MiHockey Staff
Photo from MAHA
Photo from MAHA

 

By @MichaelCaples –

The Michigan Amateur Hockey Association has announced a new award that will remember one prominent member of the youth hockey community we lost in 2016.

The new John Stansik Association of the Year Award will be presented annually to a MAHA Member Association for outstanding contributions to the sport, in honor of Stansik, the founder of the Victory Honda hockey program and part of the ownership group behind the Arctic arenas (Arctic Pond, Arctic Coliseum and Arctic Edge).

“We wanted to find a way to remember John Stansik, who was a very influential member of our youth hockey community as a director, a parent and a friend,” said MAHA president George Atkinson. “This award will honor associations working to grow our game – something John did as a passion and as a service to youth hockey for such a long time.”

From the MAHA release:

In 1998, Stansik turned a bowling alley into Plymouth’s Arctic Pond, which led to the creation of the Michigan Nationals, the Ice Dogs and eventually the Victory Honda organization. Stansik’s ownership group also built the Arctic Coliseum in Chelsea and the Arctic Edge in Canton. He was also a founding member and vice president of Hockey Has Heart, a charitable organization with the mission of helping members of the hockey community in need.

The John Stansik Association of the Year will be presented to the association that best exemplifies these qualities and accomplishments:

  • Makes outstanding contributions to the growth of the hockey community in Michigan
  • Supports MAHA and USA Hockey initiatives, programs and strategies designed to grow the game
  • Invests to grow the game and provide more children the opportunity to play hockey in their local area
  • Uses/develops creative and effective programs or methods to recruit and retain players at the 8U age category
  • Demonstrates a strong commitment to the overall development of its players, emphasizes skill development and teaches the fundamentals of the game

To apply, the association is asked to provide a brief description that outlines the association’s efforts in meeting the above criteria, describes their efforts and contributions to grow the game and provides age-appropriate development for the players in their association.

A trophy that will be passed from association to association will be created for the new award, and the winning association will receive a reward of $2,500 to use for further growth and development initiatives.

Applications need to be submitted to Awards Committee Chairperson Larry Johnson (yarrlelad@aol.com) by April 15, 2017.