Chicago Blues Hockey

Check out the pictures from the Chicago Blues Kickoff Picnic!
The photographic evidence is in from the 2010 Chicago Blues Annual Kickoff Picnic. Click HERE to view the photos via shutterfly, a photo-sharing website. Thanks to Chicago Blues Official Photographer Pat Hogan for his outstanding efforts!
- posted on 09-01-10
Chicago Blues Kickoff Picnic another smashing success!
By John Cassata Annual Picnic Chairman The Chicago Blues Hockey Club’s Annual Kickoff Picnic was another huge success this year.! The gathering was held on Sunday, August 29, at Redmond Park across from the street from the Edge Ice Arena. There was plenty of food and drink, games for the kids, a “Wheel of Candy” and of course the opportunity to get to know some new Blues families and connect with old friends. We had several volunteer chefs (Bobbie Flay has got nothing on these guys) and wonderful volunteers assisting with passing out the food to ensure that nobody left the picnic hungry. And, of course, Mother Nature did her part, providing us with a beautiful sunny day to spend outdoors. There are so many people to thank, and here are just a few: --The Village of Bensenville and Steve Vandenbranden --The Chicago Steel and “Rusty” --Mary and Frank Turk --Doug Eltman (food and drink donations from CVS) --Margaret Fuchsen (volunteer coordinator) --Pat Hogan (official Chicago Blues photographer) --June Losurdo --Jeanne Tanaka (apparel coordinator)
- posted on 09-07-10
President's letter: Welcome message to Chicago Blues families
The Chicago Blues Hockey Club would like to welcome you to the 2010-11 season. As you can imagine, we are all excited about another outstanding season of Chicago Blues hockey. And at the risk of sounding immodest, we have a lot to be excited about. We are set to leverage the success of last year’s season, which featured eight teams earning Blackhawk Cup Final Four banners, including six teams competing in state title games. We also posted a Central States Developmental League champion and two second-place CSDHL teams while also winning two Northern Illinois Hockey League (NIHL) banners. Of course, we also had our first-ever national champion in 2009-10, thanks to the Pee Wee Major CSDHL team’s 5-4 double-overtime victory over Detroit Belle Tire in the USA Hockey Nationals. The Chicago Blues are one of the nation’s top Tier II hockey organizations, and we are historically competitive in AAA tournaments. This year we will field teams at all seven CSDHL levels along with eight NIHL teams. That makes for a lot of young people enjoying the coolest game on earth in a positive, development-focused environment. So, how can we build on that success? Here are just a few of the reasons why I am so excited about the coming season: One of the keys to our success is our director program and coaching. The Chicago Blues Hockey Club is unique with five hockey directors working hand-in-hand with our team of experienced coaches. And our team of hockey directors is now even stronger with the addition of Marc Kapsalis. Marc brings 20 years of coaching and directing experience to our organization at the NCAA and AAA and AA youth levels and he already immersed himself in our program during the spring 2010 season. Working as a team, our directors (Jeff Jones, Todd Finner, Scott Maeder, Rob Newburg and Marc Kapsalis) and our coaches focus on a season-long combination of individual player development and team concepts, along with age-appropriate dryland training. And we all agree on the common ingredients that are required to achieve our objectives: hard work, fun, skills and team play. With that in mind, every player in our organization will have a tremendous opportunity in front of them. We also skate out of one of the best ice hockey facilities in the entire Midwest. The Edge Ice Arena boasts three great rinks, and our facility is also home to the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI). And being centrally located in Chicago’s western suburbs helps us attract some of the Chicago area’s best youth hockey talent. New to the Chicago Blues this year is our Junior Blues Development Program, along with our Pre-Hockey Program. These two programs will utilize USA Hockey’s Amateur Development Model (ADM) and are designed to let kids learn this great game while having fun at the same time. These low-cost programs are important to the future of hockey and our club. Tell a friend about them! Also new this year is our girls’ hockey tournament team at the U-10 level. This is an exciting development for our program as we work to create opportunities for young hockey athletes regardless of gender. We also redesigned our website with a new features and simpler navigation, updated our member accounts and further integrated our online payment system. These changes are all designed to make your experience with the Chicago Blues Hockey Club a positive one. As you can tell, we are excited about the changes taking place for the upcoming season and look forward to the excitement of the first day of tryouts. We expect another extremely successful, exciting and fast-paced season of Chicago Blues hockey. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. Sincerely, Dan Kastholm, President Chicago Blues Hockey Club
- posted on 08-24-10
Welcome to the Chicago Blues Hockey Club’s refreshed website
There have been some changes for the better at www.chicagoblueshockey.org Let’s start with the new top-level navigation. It’s been restructured and expanded to simplify getting around the site. There’s helpful information on our Travel, Girls, Junior Blues and Pre-Hockey programs. Jerseys can now be ordered on-line via the Blues E-Store. And all the important Club Info can now be found via one drop-down link. There’s more news on the home page, with the seven most recent news articles on display before they move to the “View All >” archive. There’s also a new My Account feature, where Chicago Blues families can sign-up and pay for club programs and print proof of registration documents. The individual player information is also used to build the team pages for each squad and create e-mail lists by team, which of course makes the manager’s job easier. If you have any questions or comments about the the Chicago Blues Hockey Club website, please send an e-mail to onthemark@ameritech.net
- posted on 08-13-10
Chicago Blues jerseys can now be ordered via the website!
The Chicago Blues Hockey Club continues to make improvements on the technology front. Beginning with the 2010-11 season, you can now order your Chicago Blues home and away jerseys via the website. To get started, go to the top-level navigation under Blues E-Store > Travel Jerseys. All the information you need is right there, and the ordering process is at the bottom of the introductory information. Simply fill in your information and follow the prompts. The cost of jerseys for skaters if $235 per set, and goalie jerseys cost $250 per set. Sizes for both models range from youth small to adult XL. If you are not sure about sizing before ordering, jerseys are now available for sizing behind the customer service desk at the Edge Ice Arena. If you need a new size, or are new to the Chicago Blues Hockey Club, please order as soon as possible. Our jerseys are custom ordered and have a six-week delivery lead time. If you have any questions, please contact June Losurdo via e-mail at june.losurdo@yahoo.com
- posted on 08-05-10
Blues announce 2010-11 fees; no increase for third year in a row
The Chicago Blues Hockey Club has announced their fees for the 2010-11 travel season, and for the third year in a row there is no price increase. The Chicago Blues are acutely aware of the expense of the game. Despite increasing ice costs, as a whole, this year’s fees have been held at the levels of the past two seasons. As a not-for-profit youth hockey organization, the Chicago Blues operate only through the help of volunteers with funds derived from the participants. Please note that there is a separate volunteer requirement that includes an upfront post-dated check deposit of $250 per family to be returned after a minimum of 10 hours of volunteer service is logged. There is a wide variety of volunteer opportunities available, which you will hear about through the season. Here’s what’s included in the season fees: • Instruction at every level from both a professional hockey director and coach • Practice, power skate and game slots • Home and away socks • Personalized Chicago Blues sweatsuit • Early bird tournament • Opportunity to skate in one of the premier ice facilities in the Midwest Central States Developmental Hockey League (CSDHL) teams Squirt: $3,395 (skater) / $2,275 (goalie) Pee Wee: $3,495 (skater) / $2,345 (goalie) Bantam: $3,795 (skater) / $2,545 (goalie) Midget: $3,995 (skater) / $2,675 (goalie) Northern Illinois Hockey League (NIHL) teams Mite: $2,695 (skater) / $1,800 (goalie) Squirt: $2,995 (skater) / $1,995 (goalie) Pee Wee: $3,195 (skater) / $2,145 (goalie) Bantam: $3,495 (skater) / $2,345 (goalie) Online payments substantially lower the administrative burden that is placed on our volunteers. Ttherefore, our online fees are discounted. Those choosing to pay by cash or personal check will be charged an EXTRA $50 fee for each installment. The following is a description of the payment program: 1. Fall season fees shall be paid online and are due either in full by September 30 or in three installments. 2. Installment payments made through must be made by September 30, November 1 and December 1. 3. There will be no surcharge for online payments. 4. Timely payment will be strictly enforced. Returned checks/declined credit cards will be assessed a $50 service charge. 5. The Chicago Blues reserve the right to adjust fees to comply with budgetary requirements given actual participant registration. 6. NO REFUNDS ARE PERMITTED including but not limited to season ending injury. Reminder: USA Hockey Insurance is required before tryouts The Chicago Blues Hockey Club requires USA Hockey proof of insurance for the 2010-11 season prior to tryouts. Please know that if you registered with last year's confirmation number, you are only insured through August 31, 2010. Prior to tryouts starting on September 1, you will need to register with USA Hockey for the 2010-11 season and show proof at the first tryout. NO ONE will be allowed on the ice without proof of USA Hockey insurance.
- posted on 07-24-10
Dan Kastholm named Chicago Blues Board of Directors president
The Chicago Blues Hockey Club is excited to announce that Dan Kastholm is the new president of the club's board of directors. Dan takes over the president's position from Joe Salamone, who stepped down earlier this week. The Kastholm family has been members of the Chicago Blues Hockey Club since 2005 and is ready for their sixth season with the club. Dan has a long history of volunteering for the Blues, including his most recent term as vice president and treasurer. He also served for three years as the club ice scheduler. Dan’s accomplishments include the development and automation of the club’s website, which also created the online registration and payment system. Along with working tirelessly behind the scenes, Dan has also spent some time on the bench, serving as an assistant coach at the Mite, Squirt and Pee Wee level teams before leaving coaching to devote more time to help the club on the organizational side. Dan has two sons in the Chicago Blues organization. Daniel is a Bantam Major, and Kevin is a Pee Wee Major. A lifelong Elmhurst resident, Dan is a managing director at Fitch Ratings and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. The Chicago Blues Hockey Club would also like to thank Joe for his years of outstanding service to the club, as Dan takes over leadership of a club that is poised for continued success. Here are just a few highlights of Joe's tenure: • The club signed a new four-year deal with the Village of Bensenville, ensuring that the Blues will skate out of the Edge Ice Arena at least through the 2012-13 season. • The club's team of hockey directors continued to provide the leadership that makes the Chicago Blues one of the most competitive Tier II hockey clubs in the United States. • The club announced plans for a Girls Hockey Program beginning with the 2010-11 season. • The club continued to grow, with a record 261 players on spring 2010 teams. • The club won a number of Blackhawk Cup, CSDHL and NIHL championships and banners, including the 2010 USA Hockey National Championship at the Pee Wee level. Please join us in thanking Joe for his years of service to our club and congratulating Dan on his new position. Chicago Blues Hockey Club Board of Directors
- posted on 07-23-10
Special sales at the Chicago Blues E-Store! Check it out!
Now's the time to visit the Chicago Blues E-Store, where you will find low, low prices on Chicago Blues apparel, including shorts, short-sleeve and long-sleeve t-shirts, polo shirts and the dry-wick long sleeve. Plus there's FREE SHIPPING on all orders! Now how are you going to beat that offer? Order your official Blueswear and other logo items from the convenience of your keyboard. Click HERE to access the Chicago Blues E-Store, which is located via the top-level navigation on the home page. The E-Store is organized in five categories: --Hats and caps --Jackets and vests --T-shirts and shorts --Sweatshirts --Miscellaneous If you have any questions, please contact CR Embroidery at 630-234-7790 or e-mail crembroidery@att.net
- posted on 07-23-10