When David Hartle began doing street hockey pop-ups in Columbus, Georgia, he figured he would top out at about ten or twenty youngsters.
“We thought we’d get just enough to be able to play some hockey and do our thing,” Hartle stated. ” And ten to fifteen minutes before the start of our first event, we were already approaching thirty to forty people. It truly astounded us.”
After more than a year, Columbus Street Hockey is still going strong, drawing both boys and girls and introducing them to a sport they might not have otherwise had the opportunity to play.
Hartle is the 2024 NHL Stick Tap for Service winner because of this, which is being sponsored by Navy Federal Credit Union.
Hockey fans and military personnel are recognized for their exceptional community contribution through the Stick Tap for contribution program. Hartle is a Staff Sergeant in the Army who is based at Fort Moore in Georgia. He served as an infantryman and completed missions in South Korea, Afghanistan, and Bulgaria.
Hartle receives a two-person trip to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final as well as a $30,000 donation to Columbus Street Hockey in his honor.
With four girls and two boys, Hartle described his situation as “surreal.” “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in, to be honest.”
Raised in Woodstock, Georgia, Hartle was first intrigued to hockey because of the Atlanta Thrashers. When the team moved and changed their name to the Winnipeg Jets in 2011, he stopped following the game.
While stationed in South Korea in 2018, he rekindled his passion for sports and developed into an ardent supporter of the Vegas Golden Knights.
“They would play on the Armed Forces Network over there,” Hartle stated. ” In their inaugural season, they were on the field almost every day. I thought, ‘It’s extremely fun to watch hockey.'”
Hartle, who serves as the Chattahoochee Warriors program’s treasurer and assistant captain, wanted to spread his passion for hockey throughout Columbus but understood that most families couldn’t afford it.
” We started it in April 2023 with a group of buddies and hockey players who had previously served,” he said. ” To simply introduce a sport that children could play was our primary objective.” The two main sports practiced in Columbus are baseball and football, while there are also a lot of males who play hockey. “We wanted to develop something that had a very cheap entry cost since we had some hockey at a nearby rink, but the greatest problem with hockey was the cost of playing,” he said. “We supply the balls, sticks, and other items. All you have to do is turn up prepared to play hockey, wearing your tennis shoes.”
The director of the youth hockey program at the neighborhood rink in LaGrange, Georgia, the proprietor of a neighboring pro shop, and others gave money to Hartle and his buddies.
Players and coaches from the Federal Professional Ice Hockey League’s Columbus River Dragons also contributed by stepping up to offer advice.
” Since the River Dragons are huge celebrities in our community, the kids adore seeing them when they’re out there,” he said.
From pop-ups across town to sessions on the tennis courts of Columbus’ Frank Chester Recreation Center, the program has flourished.
Columbus Street Hockey, in Hartle’s opinion, should go beyond tennis courts.
” We’re working to build a street hockey facility here, in the same location where we conduct our seasons, both short- and long-term,” he said. “With adult leagues and other related activities, we would be delighted to assist.” We hope to keep expanding and maintaining this in the Columbus area for the foreseeable future.”
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