COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – More than 8,000 children across the United States had the opportunity to try hockey for the first time last Saturday (Feb. 22) during the second of this season’s national USA Hockey Try Hockey For Free days.

USA Hockey’s Try Hockey For Free, presented by Discover, is an initiative focused on providing an opportunity for kids across the country to try the sport of hockey without cost.

Certified coaches and volunteers provided instruction for children to play on the ice, with host sites providing equipment for children to borrow. 

Over 200 rinks across the country hosted Try Hockey For Free, presented by Discover, events. Saturday also marked USA Hockey’s national Try Hockey For Free Day as part of the organization’s Hockey Week Across America celebration.

Monument Ice Rinks in Colorado Springs, Colo., welcomed 252 participants, the most of any host site in the country. The Kansas City Youth Hockey Association hosted the second and third highest attended Try Hockey For Free events; AdventHealth Sports Park at Bluhawk in Overland Park, Kan., saw 172 kids try hockey, while Line Creek Community Center and Ice Arena, in Kansas City, Mo., hosted 140 kids.

Other sites with notable attendance included Janesville Ice Arena in Janesville, Wis., with 126 and Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, Utah, with 123.

Of the 8,025 kids who tried hockey for free on Saturday, just under 30 percent (2,299) were girls, with 10 events across the country specifically focused on girls hockey.

The Michigan District hosted the most Try Hockey For Free events in the nation, with 40, followed by the Central District (consisting of Nebraska, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois), with 39.

With the support of the NHL and NHL member clubs, as well as sponsors and local associations, USA Hockey’s Try Hockey For Free, presented by Discover, days are designed to provide a national platform for introducing children to the sport free of charge. The events are the world’s largest introduction-to-hockey initiative.

NOTES: Discover is the official presenting sponsor of Try Hockey For Free … Now in its 15th season, USA Hockey’s Try Hockey for Free initiative has introduced over 279,500 children to the sport of hockey.