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CYHF’s assistance helps keep more kids on ice L


By Paul Willis


et’s face it: While hockey isn’t necessarily a rich man’s sport, sticks, pads, helmets and travel


costs require some sort of flexibility in the budget. It’s not like, say, basketball, where a pair of


sneakers and a ball have a youngster ready to go. Reality is, not everyone has the necessary means to purchase hockey gear on an annual basis, particularly with the current desultory state of the economy. That’s where the Colorado Youth Hockey


Foundation (CYHF) steps in. The nonprofit organization, unearthed in 2004 by founder Matt Dyroff, has been putting at-risk and underprivileged kids on skates for the past seven years. “The purpose is to get kids on the ice and


away from other distractions such as drugs, alcohol, crime or other things that can happen when they get out of school at 2 or 2:30 in the afternoon,” Dyroff said. “It’s good for them to have a place to go. Hockey is one of them.” Many of the kids who receive assistance


Denver, one at Bowling Green and one at North- eastern. Several others are in juniors. The funds to help the youngsters, of course, have


to come from somewhere. Dyroff said the organiza- tion seeks “everything and anything we can do to raise money.”


“When we first started, we had eight tables,”


saidGreg Ahbe, one of CYHF’s board of directors who has worked closely with Dyroff from the out- set. “I think last year, we had 33 to 35 tables and a lot of big-time hockey people were milling around. There are some great names associated with us who have helped us elevate to the level we’re at now.” Indeed, the organization has the support


of many marquee hockey names and pro- grams across the state. DU coachGeorge Gwozdecky is an outspoken ambassador whose endorsement is highlighted on the CYHF’s Web site, KidsOnIce.net. Former Avalanche coaches Tony Granato (now an as- sistant with the Pittsburgh Penguins) and Joel Quenneville (head coach of Chicago Black- hawks) also are staunch supporters. So, how does one in a crisis get word of the


One of the highlights on the CYHF’s fundraising calendar is its annual poker night, which attracts many big names in the hockey community.


from the CYHF already are involved in hockey but are forced to drop out because of financial concerns. Dyroff and his staff aim to keep such players’ hock- ey dreams afloat by providing assistance until their 18th birthday. And it’s working, with the organiza- tion now above 100 kids under “scholarship.” While confidentiality restrictions don’t allow Dy-


roff to name specific beneficiaries, CYHF’s impact is clear in its success stories. Three players are now playing Division I hockey: one at the University of


Most of the capital is gained from private dona-


tions and the CYHF’s annual poker night. Many big names in Colorado attend the event, including retired Colorado Avalanche legend Joe Sakic and many current NHL players. The poker game is typically held in February


around the NHL All-Star break in an effort to maximize the availability of local hockey icons. It was at Pepsi Center, home of the Avalanche, the previous two seasons.


CYHF? Well, the majority of the youth hockey leagues in the state relay to players from the get-go that financial assistance is available, ei- ther through their own association or through the CYHF. Many of the individual associations’


Web sites have a link to the CYHF. The progress of the CYHF can be characterized


more as steadily rising than incremental, and with the support of the who’s who of the Colorado hockey community, the organization’s mission is ringing loud and clear. “Our message from the beginning was, ‘Hey,


don’t drop out of hockey, and don’t lose your home trying to pay for it,’” Dyroff said. “We’re here to try to help as much as we can.”


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