Greater Lansing Amateur Hockey Association

In 1953, the Lansing Skating Club had several boys who were interested in playing ice hockey. Parent Betty Pallick asked then MSU coach Amo Bessone about starting a youth hockey program. MSU hockey player Wayne Service was the first coach for these young boys. The first boys playing hockey in GLAHA were Dan Pallic, Pete Nye, and Bill Wood. Ice time was at MSU’s Demonstration Hall on Sunday evenings. To help defray the cost, the players’ moms made sandwiches, cookies and coffee and sell them to the parents in the hockey program.

At this time, the boys had no equipment except a stick and a puck. John Pallick organized a candy fundraiser to purchase some equipment. Eventually, old MSU equipment was donated to the program.

The program continued to grow and in 1956 the Greater Lansing Amateur Hockey Association was incorporated and a board of directors elected. The cost to play hockey for each boy in the program was $5.

In the 1967-68 season, eight teams with 135 players represented GLAHA. By 1978-79, there were 450 players on 34 teams. In 1988-89, there were 41 teams and 620 players skating at Munn Arena and Lansing Ice Arena. By 1999, GLAHA fielded 51 teams with nearly 850 players participating. Another organization was formed in 2002 which has reduced GLAHA’s membership numbers.

Demonstration Hall opened as an ice arena in 1950 and was the only artificial ice in town for many years. Lansing Ice Arena opened in the fall of 1972, followed by Metro Ice Arena late in November 1973 and MSU’s Munn Arena for the 1974-75 season. Metro Ice Arena closed after their first full season and the Metro Minor Hockey Association merged into GLAHA in June 1975. Lansing’s Washington Park Ice Arena opened in 1976 with artificial ice, but no roof. Metro reopened for parts of the 1976-77 and 77-78 seasons, then closed again and the players from the Junior Spartans travel hockey teams rejoined GLAHA. GLAHA became a member of the Adray Community Hockey League in the 197-78 season. Demonstration Hall suffered permanent equipment failure in the flood in the spring of 1979. In the 1979-80 season, the high school league became part of GLAHA. GLAHA switched its travel teams to the Little Caesar’s Amateur Hockey League in 1991-92 and added its B teams in 1992-93. In 1994-95, GLAHA’s Mite and Squirt House teams joined the Adray Community Hockey League. In February 1997, several months late, GLAHA and the City of Lansing opened the Dome at Washington Park. In the summer of 1998, The Summit at Capital Centre opened for ice skating on the southwest side of Lansing. Ice Sports East Lansing opened for the start of 1999, bringing to Lansing a total of seven indoor ice surfaces.

GLAHA’s teams have won state and national championships over our nearly half century of fielding ice hockey teams. GLAHA has been the starting point for dozens of college hockey players, many professional players, two Hobey Baker winners, as well as one Olympian.