The Cazenovia Park Youth Hockey Association is a youth hockey organization in South Buffalo, NY. Its teams are named the Cazenovia Chiefs. It offers youth hockey for players ages 4–18. It houses its own "house league" at the mite level, made up of 5 or 6 teams that exclusively play each other and are named after

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

teams (i.e. the Sabres, Blackhawks, etc.). A player is eligible for novice his or her first year at age 4. Mites is for ages 5–8, Squirts is for ages 9–10, Peewees for 11–12, Bantam for 13–14, and Midget for ages 15–18. Each level after mites offers MOHL team(s), which play in different rinks but are not considered "travel teams". Each level other than novice also offers travel teams on a "major, minor" system.

Building

The CPYHA is housed in Timothy J. Burvid Ice Rink in

South Buffalo, New York South Buffalo is a neighborhood that makes up the southern third of the City of Buffalo, New York. Traditionally known for its large Irish-American community, this community also has a strong presence of various other nationalities. The once-hea ...

. It was previously an outdoor rink, but the current building was constructed around the rink in the 1970s. In the past, the rink has hosted State Championships at various age levels, as well as the occasional appearance by a current Buffalo Sabres player to sign autographs and skate with fans. These appearances have included Steve Shields and

Brian Holzinger Brian Alan Holzinger (born October 10, 1972) is an American former professional ice hockey center. He played in the National Hockey League with the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Playing c ...

, among others. In addition, Sabres alumni events have been held at the rink, as well as Sabres practices. The rink is open year-round, but closes every other year for a period in the summer for maintenance.

Uniforms

All Cazenovia uniforms other than those of Mite House teams are a Chicago Blackhawks template with Cazenovia's unique logo on the front.

Notable alumni

Patrick Kane Patrick Timothy Kane II (born November 19, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blackhawks selected him with the first overall pick ...

– #1 overall draft pick in the 2007 NHL draft to the Chicago Blackhawks. Won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's top rookie for the 2007–2008 season. Scored the game-winning goal in game 6 of the

2010 Stanley Cup Finals The 2010 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2009–10 season, and the culmination of the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Western Conference champion Chicago Blackhawks a ...

to clinch the Cup for the Blackhawks. See a more comprehensive list of Kane's achievements. *

Peter Ratchuk Peter J. Ratchuk (born September 10, 1977) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League with the Florida Panthers. Peter is the older brother of Mike Ratchuk, a defenseman who has played most of ...

– Former NHL defenseman for the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

, originally drafted by the Colorado Avalanche. * Tim Kennedy – NHL draft pick of the Washington Capitals, former player for

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

and the Buffalo Sabres. Currently playing for the

. He made his NHL debut with the Sabres on December 27, 2008. * Michael Ratchuk – younger brother of Peter Ratchuk, NHL draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, former player at Michigan State and current player on the

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Syracuse, New York, at the Upstate Medical University Arena. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa ...

, AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Trivia

The

Zamboni Zamboni or The Zamboni may refer to: * an ice resurfacer, commonly known as a "Zamboni" as a genericized trademark * Zamboni Company, a maker of ice resurfacers, founded by ice resurfacer inventor Frank Zamboni * ''The Zamboni'' (magazine), a st ...

currently used at TJB ice rink was formerly used at Buffalo Memorial Auditorium during Buffalo Sabres games.

External links

Official CPYHA site. Ice hockey leagues in the United States