For 25 years, young men in the Columbia community have had the opportunity to play ice hockey, bettering themselves as athletes and people on the rink alongside their peers.

They have a humble group of parents to thank for the Columbia Eagles Hockey Club.

With many hands involved, some families who got the puck sliding include the Thurmans, Stouts, Haeffeles, Hills, Greenhills and Everdings, families who saw that their kids had a strong interest in the sport worth kindling.

Wanda Thurman was among the original group of parents to look into a hockey club. As she explained, she and her family – including her then-freshman son Joey – moved to Columbia in 1998.

Having previously lived in Wisconsin, hockey was understandably a great passion for the family, and with St. Louis club teams rather packed, the Thurmans struggled with the lack of opportunities to engage in the sport as they came to Monroe County, instead playing in Granite City for a time.

“Joey had played competitive hockey since the age of 5, so when we moved down here, we had difficulty getting him on a team,” Thurman said. “It was difficult and kind of heartbreaking for us… We just kind of missed that, playing with his friends and local people.”

Ray Everding recalled how his son Michael was in eighth grade when information started getting passed around about a group of parents looking to get a hockey club up and running.

He noted how Michael had a similar interest in the sport as Joey, having played from a very young age as well.

Everding described how he attended a meeting on the matter with Thurman and the other parents involved, the group collectively putting out feelers and getting in touch with the Mississippi Valley Club Hockey Association to see about landing a spot in the organization.

Though it seemed like joining the MVCHA would take some time, Everding said an unexpected opening came about suddenly.

“Althoff withdrew from the league, they moved over to the Missouri side, and all of a sudden there was a spot, and the MVCHA guys got back to us and said, ‘Well, there is a spot, so if you guys can get together a team in the next few months, you can jump in and play,’ and that’s what we started doing,” Everding said.

With a team of 15 boys, the Eagles took to the ice in a matter of roughly six months, the families each taking on their share of management and organization responsibilities.

Everding recalled how getting a coach for the team was a big concern to begin with, though that wound up working out for the best.

Through a series of connections, the club was recommended by a Saint Louis University coach to reach out to former staff member Greg Norris, who Everding said graciously decided to help – even bringing two other individuals to serve as assistant coaches.

“With those 15 kids and our good luck in finding some qualified, experienced coaches that wanted to jump in and help right off the bat, we were able to get things rolling,” Everding said.

Both Everding and Thurman spoke to how the beginnings of the club were really a group effort, each parent involved simply wanting to give their kid the opportunity to enjoy a sport they were interested in.

They also discussed why the club and the opportunity it afforded was so important to them. 

Recalling how the family’s original efforts to get Joey involved in hockey in Illinois had them traveling a ways out of the community, Thurman spoke about the value of having him and other boys play alongside kids they already interacted with regularly.

“It was important to us, the team concept and having everyone play and enjoy the sport,” Thurman said. “It was kind of a big deal to get a high school team where they could play with those that they saw every day. It really was a team. I think they kind of became a small family.”

Both Thurman and Everding also discussed the virtues that come from participating in youth athletics, learning experiences that they expressed are particularly seen in hockey.

“I think hockey gives boys self-esteem, they develop that team concept,” Thurman said. “For us, hockey was more, it was growing our children to make sure they ended up being good individuals.”

Speaking again on the overall organization and development of the team, Everding noted the distinct community around the sport and how individuals’ passion for hockey tends to keep them involved in it.

“Ice hockey, it’s kind of like its own unique community,” Everding said. “Once you get involved in it, then the tentacles of your involvement spread far and wide. The number of people who are willing to step up and help to get things going, the number of people who can give you advice… That was one of the things that always impressed me.”

From that first season with 15 boys back in 2000, the Columbia Eagles Hockey Club has grown and continued over the years to great effect. The club’s website notes the team has seen nearly 150 alumni, earned three MVCHA championships – the most recent coming last week – and had 47 junior high and high school players currently participating.

Everding shared an anecdote encapsulating the pride he feels in having contributed to a club that is still providing an opportunity for Columbia boys to this day.

“I got the biggest kick out of it several years when we were at the Columbia Days Parade, and all of a sudden the bus comes trundling down along with the floats with all the kids’ jerseys hanging off it, and there had to be 20 kids that were on roller blades skating around,” Everding said. “I just had to smile thinking back to how it had started and now how far it’s progressed.”

Thurman, too, spoke about the impact the club has had in the community but also on her son Joey, who has gone on to be a successful fitness trainer, writing several books and working on a number of fitness-centric productions.

Joey spoke over the phone with the Republic-Times himself, noting how the team came together – each player having varying levels of background with the sport – to enjoy the chance to play hockey.

“We were able to really kinda mold together as a team and realize our strengths and weaknesses,” Joey said. “We weren’t gonna be a powerhouse team right away, we were just starting, but we were just happy to put the team together and excited to put on the Eagles jersey.”

Joey further spoke about the impact he feels his participation on the team has had for him, particularly noting how the teamwork mentality which blossomed among the Eagles has helped as he works with folks on production teams today.

“You look back at it, and wow, it really did shape me,” Joey said. “It kept my grades up because we had to maintain grades, and having that commitment and that team bonding… It really shaped my path. Columbia hockey was definitely a pivotal moment in my life, and I’m not quite sure where I would be, if that track would be not as bright or smooth.”

His mother spoke generally about the success of the hockey club given how long it’s been running.

“I just think it’s very touching to see it,” Thurman said. “I’m proud of Columbia hockey parents who see the value in keeping their children engaged in sports and with other children and what it can bring other than the physical aspect of hockey, the emotional and mental and the team building that hockey brings. Hearing ’25 years’ just really warms my heart.”

Thurman also expressed her thanks to the community and the Columbia School District. Though the club has never been sanctioned through the school, she said CHS has still shown a tremendous amount of support for the team over the years.

Everding, too, remarked on the club’s history.

“I’m very proud of the fact that a handful of parents with no ice rink in Columbia, limited means, were able to get something started that benefited so many kids over the years,” Everding said. “I would say, after 25 years, you might even call it a success.”