USA Hockey Magazine

MAY 2024 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 19 raiser this past fall. In place of the usual Jackson Fireman's Ball, the team put on the "Fireman's Brawl," and all ticket, merchan- dise and concession sales went straight back to the local fire department. Two weeks later, gold T-shirts were passed out, and a portion of ticket sales went to a local family whose 3-year-old daughter is fighting stage IV child- hood kidney cancer. Moose players and staff can often be found reading to kin- dergartners, shoveling out the post office or organizing memorial funds for former play- ers. The Moose receive a lot of support from local sponsors, so any additional revenue they bring in often- times goes right back to the community, especially to the youth hockey program. Sean Hannafin took over as head coach of the Jackson Hole Moose midway through last season, but he has been involved with the Moose as a player for 18 years and has spent countless seasons coaching youth hockey in the region. "All these kids look up to us like we're in the NHL," Hannafin said. "A lot of the kids have never been to an NHL game, so we're their NHL." Just as a kid from New Jersey might own a Jack Hughes jersey or how a Las Vegas native roots for Jack Eichel, young hockey fans in Jackson have favorite Moose players. "My daughter still gets all these idiots' autographs,'' Hannafin joked. "She loves them. She thinks they're the greatest." Hannafin's daughter plays within the Jackson Youth Hockey program, which also goes by the same Moose moniker. According to program director Eric Ballard, 264 players signed up for the 2023-24 season, 57 different coaches assist with teams, 13 senior Moose players are actively involved in youth hockey and 17 state champion- ships have been won in the last four years. "A bunch of kids in the program, they've got the hook set," said Ryan Glantz, who plays for the Moose and works with players at all levels of the program. For a town with a population of just under 11,000, that type of success is telling: having players like Drew Akins, Glantz or A.J. Sanders to look up to and emulate is immediately impactful. "Whether the kids are there Friday, Saturday night watching A.J. Sanders stick- handle around a player from Park City, or if they're on the ice with Ryan Glantz doing power skating, the club benefits from that knowledge base, and it really is pretty impressive," Ballard said. There's only one sheet of ice in town, but when it gets cold enough, the county's two outdoor rinks become little hockey meccas. Men's and co-ed leagues occupy ice time throughout the week, and on weekends, out- of-town opponents bring their best players to face the senior Moose. Several months ago, two former NHL players, Jack Skille and Ryan O'Byrne came to play for the Park City Pioneers in front of a packed Jackson barn. There is an obvious hunger in the Jackson hockey community, and while it is sometimes overshadowed by the surplus of activities available in Teton County, those involved in the sport are only helping to grow it. "Hockey is the most fun sport to play by far," Glantz concluded. "Every sport is fun to play, but there's no rush like you get from [hockey]." Not even skiing. P " All these kids look up to us like we're in the NHL. A lot of the kids have never been to an NHL game, so we're their NHL. " SEAN HANNAFIN Head Coach of the Jackson Hole Moose

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