July – 2008

From your Board of Directors                 

There is nothing like the Michigan Sting Hockey Club…

  Anywhere!

Here’s what some of our members have to say:

“Opportunity comes in many different forms.  The Michigan Sting Hockey Club is a great opportunity for all of us who enjoy playing the sport we love.  The Michigan Sting is a well-run organization that produces champions at the national level and allows for recreational hockey for the many of us more mature skaters at the local level.  Well-organized, high energy, championships, recreation, commitment, but most of all fun, this is what defines Michigan Sting Hockey.”

"The Michigan Sting Hockey Organization:  Who else provides senior (over 50) hockey players the opportunity to play at all skill levels (league / pick up / tournaments), in prime time, with great facilities, at an economical cost.  This is all accomplished thru a dedicated leadership team that set high objectives for the organization and manages all aspects of the organization with the highest degree of integrity.”

“New and old friends and family being able to be involved is high on my list.  The idea seeing the enjoyment of players competing in tournaments, both new and old associations is a very special thing.  The program is something that gives us all something to look forward to every week and beyond.  It is something that can’t be replaced in my life.”

“I’ve met many new players with the Michigan Sting, to put in a better way, players who have become friends.  It’s a great program across the board from the format and programs to the consistency and times, these things are simply not available elsewhere.”

“The program is very well organized and has good leadership.  I’ve recommended many players to join, because it’s a much better experience than I’ve had anywhere else.”

“The Michigan Sting organization is not only the premium hockey environment in the area but in the entire country.  Good facilities, great ice times, great organization, and many new friends.  I am proud to be a member of the Michigan Sting.”

From our Vice President, John DeBrincat who has been with this from the beginning..

“It doesn’t get much better than this… In the year 2000 the Michigan Sting Hockey Club did not even exist.  Today its membership count goes well beyond 300 players.

It started out from some general conversation amongst a few Monday Night skaters at the Onyx in Rochester.  They wanted to go to the 2002 National Senior Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.  Today the group skates out of Troy, 3 times per week, on several sheets of ice while committing to year round opportunities for members to skate. 

Whether you want to play in a league, go to tournaments or just participate in open skates, the opportunities are there.  It’s fun, it’s exciting, it’s healthy and you get to meet a lot of nice people.

As we get older I can’t think of a better way to keep the body parts moving……..No, it really doesn’t get much better than this.”

Our club has emerged internationally as a highly visible, well structured, very competitive, senior hockey club with significant accomplishments.  It is also quite likely that our structure, network and critical mass of players, are unmatched as an organization anywhere in the world.  And the truth is these words do not say it all.

We have many things to report, but prior to that we will share what’s new with our program going into the 2008-09 season.  For the last few years our goals have included securing a relationship with our home rink for the long-term, to benefit both our players as well as the Troy Sports Center.  Scheduling has its difficulties in an ever changing ice arena environment and that normally prohibits long-term commitments by most rinks.  We have the good fortune to report that our ice structure has been secured for the future.  We have a long-term understanding in place at Troy.

Our specific goals have been to have ice 52 weeks and programs running on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday ongoing.  That has now been accomplished.  Basically the template we have in place during the spring-summer programs will carry forward into the 08-09 season with the leagues having 4 teams each.  We have plans for expanding the leagues as the rink schedule allows. 

Here’s how our new fall ice schedule looks!

Sunday Two Pads – A & R 1.5 Hr. Each 8:45 AM and 9:00 AM

Tuesday          R league 4:45 PM / A Drop-in 1.5 Hr. 5:00 PM

Thursday         A league 4:45 PM / R Drop-in 1.5 Hr. 5:00 PM

Our Unique Programs…

Drop-in - Although little time is spent focusing on the uniqueness of our programs, we have a great menu and uniqueness in our programs.  Our late afternoon drop-in skates alone give players an array of choices and flexibility.  Player’s may choose from a host of selections including skill level (A skilled, R recreational), in how frequently they participate and to what extent they will choose to be involved in each session.  For those involved, this is old news.  But being able to choose a prepaid package allows for different levels of participation in the number of actual skates.  Players can apply the skates as they choose throughout the season and receive a discount on top of it all.  It is simply a great way to do hockey.  Our players can choose to participate in these drop-in skates on Sundays, or Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday.  Packages can also be applied to substitutions in either league.  Players register weekly to claim their position and show up with their Sting-assigned practice jerseys and are assigned to a predetermined team either black or white.  It works well and our drop-ins are at the core of our success.  Phil Parrinello leads our drop-ins with his organizational prowess and Rich Anderson is the program director. 

Leagues - Our dual league play early afternoon on Tuesday-Thursday also has two distinct skill levels and an age range of 40-65 for seniors.  Each year the higher end of that range changes.  When this program was first piloted, the real question was who could make the early times.  Apparently most have figured out that these times are a simply a great opportunity to fit in ice hockey and still maintain other duties and family responsibilities.  Before our leagues the idea of games back-to-back were simply not heard of.  The idea of playing a league game and then playing one right behind it is something most everyone has come to really enjoy.  The comments on this feature have been great.  It holds especially true when interviewing subs for the league.  Our feedback is often that a substitute doesn’t want to show up for just one game.  Our leagues are designed to allow for our older lesser skilled group to have a safe harbor-venue for their hockey needs.  Creating a place where we can come to know our fellow players, as we all become older hockey participants.  Our younger-more skilled group, sets into motion an opportunity for better players to enjoy a higher level game and to be a pool to feed our future programs including higher level tournaments. 

Tournaments – It is timely to introduce our most recently appointed director, Mr. Bob Mudloff.  Bob has thrown his hat in the ring to become our Tournament Director-Organizer.  With the help of many others, we hope and trust our tournament process will improve greatly to give all of our players an opportunity to participate in a greater number of tournaments. 

Each year our goal will be to have the group’s targeted tournaments for the upcoming year posted on the web and available for distribution in August.  Each tournament team will have a point person identified.  Should a player visit the website, you will find the master list of tournaments and an opportunity to get more information on each one.  Additionally, you will have the point person’s name an e-mail and phone contact information and also be able to sign up as an interested participant at that time.  Many tournaments will be organized on invitation only basis.  However, we intend to organize many more recreational events than in the past.  In those cases it will allow for a broader participation level of players.  We are hopeful these changes to our processes will help make the tournament aspect of our program a stronger part of what we do. 

Our Good Citizen Program

Our Troy Sports Center partners have cooperated with our group in a way that should be deeply respected and coveted.  It is our place to be good citizens and to help promote this wonderful facility in any way we can.  As a club, our organization has created a unique support program for the rink known as the Michigan Sting Hockey Club Rink Improvement Program.  This program has provided several donations to co-support other senior and youth hockey programs, as well as various needs of the rink.  Two years ago we donated the first ever difibullators and training for the rink.  Last year, our initiative included several support matters.  This year we are underwriting the cost of the all new “Point Streak” scoring system for the benefit of all ice hockey players.  These considerations contribute to our part of being a good partner for the Troy Sports Center. 

A reminder of what and why…

Our club is truly unique.  Our program is a players program.  We have over 400 registered players ranging in age from 25 to 75 and at all skill levels.  Our unique structure, network and critical mass of players give us many advantages in securing our long-term purpose.  That purpose is to create a regional program that outlasts its originators and succeeds long into the future.  Organized and formed around the ideas of fun, friendship, family, competition, community and good health.  We’re also organized to leverage our regional ice hockey talent.

In staying with our spirit of community, we have continued to build our fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester.  Our group has supported both youth and senior ice hockey programs and many other charitable causes.  One such program includes the Michigan based Winning Futures program.  Our donations to Winning Futures help’s support the various youth and mentoring programs of Winning Futures.  www.winningfutures.org            

Directors, Officers and Executive Board

With significant appreciation the Officers and incoming Board of Directors would like to thank the Directors leaving the Board with expiring terms in 2008.  They are: Mike Prentice and Ken Schaeffler.

The efforts of these men have contributed to the growth and development of our club in significant way.  We again thank you both again. 

New Director Appointments:  Rich Anderson, Robert Mudloff and, Dave Vorhes.  These players will be appointed for two years with the term expiring in 2010.

Executive Foundation Board

Terry Boyette, Chairman

Sam Cupp, John DeBrincat and Bill McCauley

2008-09 Board of Directors

Terry Boyette, President, Director-Founder

John DeBrincat, Vice President, Director-Founder

Ron Hingst, Secretary Director - 2009 Term Expiration  

Sam Cupp, Treasure Director-Founder

Rich Anderson, Director – STT Program Director – 2010 Term**

Bill McCauley, Director-Founder

Mike Prentice, Director – 2008 Term Expiration*

Robert Mudloff, Director – Tournament Coordinator - 2010 Term**

Ken Schaeffler, Director – 2008 Term Expiration*  

Dave Vorhes, Director – 2010 Term**

Phil Parrinello, Lifetime Director-Founder***

Brian Pettit, Lifetime Director-Founder***

*Expiring Term **New Member Term  ***Lifetime Director-Founder

Members who have been asked to be Board Observers

Rex Baker, BO

Mark Balanski, BO

Dave LaCrosse, BO

Bill Mack, BO

John Schroder, BO

Accomplishments

In some circles people use the phrase “we’ve saved the best for last.”  Although in some ways that is true, with our scale of our accomplishments we have found that what we are doing, is much more than what we have done. 

Accomplishments are a product of what we are building with our program.  Additionally, there is a general consensus, that the development of new and ongoing friendships and related fellowship, and being able to partake in the sport we love are all a part of what we are doing and that rings as more important to all of us in the big picture.  Of even greater importance though, is the further development of our program, which will continue to support senior ice hockey long into the future.  Our competitive structure will dictate ours to be a model for the future in southeastern Michigan, perhaps even beyond. 

We have earned some hardware too!

The fact that our club in the last twelve months has produced two gold medals at the National Senior Olympics (50 & 60 age groups) is a major feat.  This accomplishment culminates having won 6 gold medals in the last 5 years.

To some however, our back-to-back World Cup Championships in 2004 and 2008 could likely be the height of our competitive accomplishments.  And we should take pride in having been the largest contingent of players at the World Cup in Quebec City, with three teams and over 50 people.

Certainly, however success is defined by our members, Our group is uniquely positioned, to continue producing the things that create those successes.

Off ice is important also!

We have many things for our membership to take note of and frankly take pride in.  Our website has continued to develop and has become a very important tool to our growth and communication. 

Our Michigan Sting Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater Rochester has grown considerably.  This fund has been built with the idea of helping perpetuate our program long into the future.  Although that is one purpose of the fund, with our year to year goals it helps support current programs including tournaments, ice costs and our rink improvement program.  Also each year we have supported various charities. 

Thank you to all of our members who willingly help support all that we do.