We’ve talked a bit here about growing the game of hockey in the US, and how difficult that can be given the high costs of our sport and its priority ranking relative to other activities. That’s why I was excited to see one state’s hockey organizations step up in a BIG way. This Saturday, October 30, 2010, is Texas Hockey Day. According to USA Hockey’s website, Texas Hockey Day is “an opportunity…for families to come to a local rink and try hockey for free!”

Hockey in Texas, you say? It’s true that it’s no Minnesota, but where some might see a state full of people with little knowledge of the sport, others see a massive potential market that is eager to learn the game. I’ve always said that once kids get on the ice, and parents see those smiles and shrieks of joy, the costs of our great sport suddenly seem manageable.

Spearheaded by the Texas Amateur Hockey Association, in partnership with OneGoal, USA Hockey, the Dallas Stars, Houston Aeros, and Allen Americans, Texas Hockey Day will see more than a dozen events spread throughout the state, all aimed at getting kids ages four through nine on the ice for the first time. No equipment? No problem. Texas Hockey Day just asks that you show up with a helmet, a pair of warm gloves, and a smile. Skates can be rented at most of the 15 participating rinks.

A full list of events can be found on the USA Hockey website.

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According to our site statistics, only 1.9% of our visitors dating back to February have been from the state of Texas. To that end, I have no illusions of this post generating hundreds of leads for the events above. But it is a wonderful example of powerful hockey entities coming together and bringing the game down to the local youth level, all for no cost to the families.

It’ll be a heck of a day when every state has its own hockey day, don’t you think?