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Black Hawks to be family, too. So I can't think of any where else I'd rather spend Thanksgiving Night." The tradition began unexpectedly on Nov. 26, 1964, when the Black Hawks bumped up the date of a game to avoid a potential blizzard forecasted for later that weekend. Waterloo beat the St. Paul Steers, 5-2, at the National Cattle Congress Hippodrome, later renamed McElroy Auditorium, in front of a crowd of 2,878 that had only two days notice to purchase discounted tickets. The USHL competed at the Senior level at the time and transitioned to Junior hockey with the 1979-80 season. The Black Hawks marked a special milestone in 2022, prompting a book entitled "50 Thanksgivings; Waterloo's Hockey Holiday" by the team's vice president of communications, Tim Harwood. They have gone 30-18-2-3 in the holiday game, and 23 future NHL players – including Joe Pavelski, Derek Whitmore, Ian McCoshen, Vinnie Hinostroza, Jack Drury and Jackson Cates – have scored goals for the Black Hawks in the holiday game. In 2001, the team added to the atmosphere by incorporating the Teddy Bear Toss to the event. When the Black Hawks score their first goal, fans toss new or gently used stuffed animals onto the Young Arena ice. In a show of sportsmanship, the Rough Riders players now join forces with the Black Hawks to collect the stuffed animals before they're donated to local children in need. "As someone who was not familiar with it when I joined the organization in 2015, I don't think I understood how special of a tradition the Thanksgiving game was until we got closer to the date and I learned how much it meant to the fans and their families," said Joe Greene, the president and chief operating officer of the Black Hawks. "They watch football, they have their traditional meal and they all come to the hockey game with their stuffed animals. "It's something so many families in our community look forward to, and even families from hours away and Cedar Rapids travel here for that particular game. It's a battle on the ice, but at the same time, it's such a cool experience. It's one of the best traditions in hockey." To make the evening happen, the Black Hawks' event staff, from ticket scanners to ushers to concessions workers to off-ice officials, must buy into the idea of sacrificing at least part of their Thanksgiving. "I wouldn't know what else to do on Thanksgiving." — M A R K C A R L S O N NOV/DEC 2026 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 49