Waterloo, Iowa, is a long way from hockey hubs like Boston or Toronto, but the game has a colorful history in this city of almost 70,000 on the Cedar River. Scouts found future stars like U.S. Olympian Joe Pavelski and Stanley Cup champion Brandon Montour playing at Young Arena for the Black Hawks. Other skaters who haven’t reached the NHL often have stories which are equally remarkable, poignant, or inspiring…

• A former defenseman who left the rink to become a NASCAR driver
• A Japanese forward who came to Iowa via Czech Republic, dreaming of representing his country in the Olympics
• An NCAA champion with remarkable potential on and off the ice, lost to a brain tumor before age 28

These stories and more than three dozen others have been collected across 20 years. They follow the evolving history of the game from before Jeff, Jack, and Steve Carlson (alias “The Hanson Brothers”) were nearly Black Hawks to recent Waterloo Captain Reid Morich hiding in plain sight as he worked a side job in the community. Some of the featured personalities have spent a lifetime in the game, like 2021 Lester Patrick Trophy winner Jack Barzee, while others have gone from hockey success to new pursuits, like former NCAA champion – now food columnist – Parker Milner.

Hearing about hockey is not the same as being at the rink on game night, but these stories present a portrait of a small city’s team, playing a sport that has been ever-changing and always exhilarating.