Salmon Youth Hockey Association fundraising for Salmon Hockey Rink Upgrades

SALMON, Idaho (KIFI) - Salmon Hockey Rink is a majestic venue along the Continental Divide that attracts teams from all around the region. But it's also an older rink that needs upgrades, and the Salmon Youth Hockey Association has started a fundraiser to make it happen.

Peewee coach and volunteer Joel Griffith said the improvements are much needed for the youth hockey program.

"It's kind of exceeded its lifetime," Griffith said. "I think the way that we've looked at it in certain aspects is that, 'boy, do we spend a lot of volunteer time redoing the same things year after year,' and I think for me, as somebody involved on the coaching side, the hope is that we can start to spend a few more of those volunteer hours directed back towards the players and not just the facility. It's time to move this program forward, and I think that's the way that we can do that."

The $300,000 advancements include a concrete rink surface, new refrigeration piping, new boards and a new penalty box.

Griffith added that the improvements would increase the length of Salmon's hockey season.

"If we're able to extend that season," Griffith said. "We see that as a minimal extension of one month, two weeks on the fall side and two weeks as we get towards the latter part of winter. And that would mean so much to these kids."

Volunteer Kimberly Nelson said the upgrades will help more out-of-town teams play in Salmon and fuel the local economy.

"We have so many people that want to come to Salmon Hockey to play on our rink," Nelson said. "But we only have so many weekends in the year that we can put kiddos on the ice. So if we can expand this, then we can maybe even host a couple more home tournaments to bring in other folks to play under the lights.

Nelson added that a 2019 study found that hockey, the second-highest source of tourist revenue in the city, generates approximately $1.7 million worth of revenue for Salmon.

The Salmon Youth Hockey Association is raising funds within the next four years through grant writing, donations and fundraising.

That includes a GoFundMe where you can donate to the fundraiser online.