50 Years of Saratoga Ice Hockey

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs High School ice hockey program is looking back, and forward. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the program, which hopes to celebrate the occasion with a new LED sign outside the rinks on Weibel Avenue. 

Rick Cobello was a 22-year-old teacher in Saratoga when he was asked if he’d be interested in launching an ice hockey team. The first two years were a bit rocky. In 1973 and ‘74, the newly-formed team could only play a few games because there was no refrigeration in the ice rink, and a warm winter meant no ice.

Luckily, things improved in the program’s first official year, 1975, when refrigeration was added and the ice rink actually became ice. The inexperienced team traveled across the northeast in search of competitors while also attempting to nail down the basics of the sport.

“It was rough in the beginning,” Cobello said. “We had to teach people the game, right from scratch. But we rapidly got better.”

When Saratoga Youth Hockey began, it served as a feeder program for the high school team, adding more players who had already learned hockey 101. But before that, more unique recruiting efforts were required.

“I had a core of kids who were hockey players and I told them, ‘Go out and find your friends who are football players and tell them they can hit people,’” Cobello said. “We had a lot of football players the first couple years. I taught them how to play hockey.”

The team’s first tournament in Rome, New York was a bit of a massacre, with Cobello describing the squad as “utterly humiliated.” But in year two, Saratoga managed to earn a few wins. By year three, remarkably, they were state champions. Then they repeated the title-winning feat again in year four.

Flash forward several decades later, and the puck-slapping Blue Streaks are in need of some help (though, perhaps not as much help as that first tournament in Rome). 

A new LED sign is being planned for the Weibel Avenue Ice Rink, home of Saratoga’s hockey team. The sign, which would be installed at the entrance of the rink, would serve as both a tribute to the program’s legacy and a modern communication tool for fans, players, and visitors. It will highlight upcoming games, player achievements, special events, and community announcements.

“This new sign is more than just an upgrade — it’s a symbol of our proud history and a beacon for the future,” Cobello said. “We’re honoring everyone who’s worn the jersey over the past five decades — the players, coaches, parents, and supporters who built this program.”

In order to be ready for a fall unveiling, the sign needs to be ordered this summer. But funds still need to be raised in order to make this plan a reality. Online donations can be made through The Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region at www.cfgcr.org. All donations should be directed to “Saratoga Springs Friends of Rec.”