The Bayonne Hockey Association Inc. welcomes you to its website, and invites you to its home at the Richard Korpi Ice Rink in Bayonne, New Jersey (on the campus of Bayonne High School) to experience the best of youth hockey.  The BHAI offers teams at levels from Mite to Midget, and also offers powerskating sessions and pre-Mite programs.  It is the philosophy of the BHAI that all interested athletes should have the opportunity to develop their skills in settings appropriate to their skill level and time commitment, and the BHAI promotes ice hockey as sport in which one can learn physical skills, sportsmanship, and teamwork, on and off the ice.  Check us out!

When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back! Get that through your head!

Hockey players and hockey families recognize that quote.  We are not really sure if Herb Brooks ever said it, but we know that Kurt Russell did when he portrayed Herb Brooks so that is usually good enough for us as hockey fans.  It lets us remember a movie, some games, and a gold medal.

But sometimes instead of remembering how our sports heroes really played, we should stop to remember how our real heroes played sports.  And that is why, with all due respect to HerbBrooks and/or Kurt Russell, that little yellow patch on the side of many youth hockey jerseys this year may be more important than what is on the front or the back.

We at the BHAI got a note of thanks this week from Charlie Gili who runs the Hockey Patch Campaign, and he wanted to thank Coach Calafiore and others at the BHAI because we were one of the first organizations outside New York to participate. He said “Yesterday I got a card in the mail that I want to share with you especially, since it is from a New Jersey family and the only reason the campaign is in NJ is because you encouraged me to expand.  I will try to find a way to work it into the next mailing I do, but please do share this with those you know who bought and wear our patches…I know that you will understand why I chose to share this one especially.  What we are doing really does have a positive impact on some very special families.”

That card said:

Dear Mr. Gili & Family & Hockey Players,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for recognizing the loss of our son Brian and for honoring him with your donation.  The monies in the Scholarship Fund are given annually to Senior Hockey Players and also to those who enlist in the military and graduate from Boot Camp.

Brian loved hockey.  He earned his Varsity Letter as a Freshman.  He played defense and had drive, dedication and determination that made  him a great Marine.

It is our hope that people like yourself will continue to support our troops and their mission.

I will place the patch in his Marine Album.  I am a Brooklyn native (East Flatbush) so your gift was extra special.  Thank you again for recognizing not only Lance Corporal Brian P. Parrello, but all who served before and after him too.

Fondly, Shirley "Proud Marine Mom"  Love, The Parrello Family; Shirley, Nino, Matthew & Anthony (Proud Family of USMC Lance Corporal Brian P. Parrello KIA1-1-05 in Iraq from West Milford, NJ)

Brian Parrello was 19 when killed in action—only a little bit beyond the age of our Midgets—and his family was thanking us.

If anyone else is interested in getting more patches, you can let your team manager know, and we will also be taking orders for them in spring/summer when we order new jerseys for those who need them.