Huskies Hockey Club - Our Club - History

History

our history

1969

1977

1986

Late 90s

1999

2006

2016

2018

2019

our beginings

The Huskies Hockey Club originally started playing out of the Elmhurst YMCA outdoor ice rink in 1969. Some of our club's earliest members were former NHL players Tony Granato and Brett Hull.

The Move to Downers Grove

The Huskies merged with the Downers Grove Royals in 1977 and started playing their games out of the Downers Grove Ice Arena. Many former Huskies have fond memories of playing at this rink, where chainlink fences were used instead of glass.

State Champs!

Cammi Granato has spent her career breaking barriers, which all started with the Huskies in the early 80s. Cammi led her team to a Bantam State Championship behind the leadership of Coach Greg Lopatka and a group of fine young men who protected her from the bullying she faced from other teams the entire season. Check out the complete list of all our State Championships below.

A new home in Darien

As the program grew, the Huskies needed more ice, so they rented ice at the newly built Darien Sportsplex. The facility allowed the program to become one of the largest in the area.

Forming a New League

The Huskies were one of the founding members of the Central States Developmental Hockey League, which was started to help Chicago area hockey clubs seek a higher level of competition for youth players.

Building a new future

In 2006, the Huskies moved into a new rink in Romeoville, Illinois. At the time, the rink, known as the International Ice Centre, was home to as many as 38 Huskies hockey teams. Since then, the rink has been purchased and is now run by Canlan Sports (a Canadian-based company).

A new/old look

With the expansion of other local clubs, the move to Romeoville was met with mixed results, and the number of Huskies teams started to wane. In an effort to spark some life back into the program, the club decided to celebrate the history by bringing back a version of the colors from the club’s origin: navy and cream.

A New Hockey Director

Coach Chad Green was named the new Hockey Director of the club and brought new ideas that helped to improve the youth hockey experience. His focus on the development of all players at every level has built a culture that has created success on and off the ice.

50th Anniversary

The Huskies Celebrate its 50th Anniversary with a commemorative helmet sticker. As one of the first youth hockey clubs in Illinois, we also became one of the first to turn the big 5-0.

State Championships

1984 Squirt A

1984 PeeWee A

1986 Bantam AA

1990 Bantam AA

1994 Midget A

1995 Mite A

1997 Squirt A

1997 Squirt AA

1998 Squirt A

2001 Squirt B

2001 PeeWee AA

2001 PeeWee A

2001 PeeWee B

2001 Bantam AA

2002 PeeWee A

2002 PeeWee B

2003 PeeWee B

2003 Bantam AA

2003 Midget AA Minor

2004 Midget AA Minor

2005 Squirt B

2005 Midget AA Minor

2005 Midget AA Major

2006 Mite A

2006 Mite AA

2007 Squirt A

2007 Midget AA Major

2008 Squirt A

2008 Bantam A

2008 Bantam B

2008 Midget AA Minor

2009 Bantam A

2011 Bantam AA

2017 12 & Under B

Logo History

The Huskies have had a few different looks during its storied history. These logos and uniforms have been worn by thousands of youth hockey players throughout the years in either Elmhurst, Downers Grove, Darien, and Romeoville.

Huskies Alum? Let us know.

We want to make sure that we tell the Huskies' story, and we need your help. If you played for or coached with the Huskies, please let us know if we missed something that you think we should share.

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