On Frozen Blog

The greater Washington area lost a pillar of its youth hockey community this past week, when Brian Melnick, former president of the Montgomery Youth Hockey Association for 12 years, passed on June 27.

It was on Melnick’s watch that youth hockey participation exploded in this region.

This loss hits home for me, as I’m a Montgomery County native and, more importantly, Brian’s son Andrew is a hockey teammate of mine.

Brian Melnick started out as the Head Coordinator of Montgomery’s hockey instructional program for about four years, and during those times served on Montgomery Hockey’s Board of Directors. He was a frequent road warrior, as so many who serve the region’s youth hockey community must be, attending his own and other league meetings but also following the promising hockey careers of his two sons, Andrew and Gregory. Born in the District, raised in Chevy Chase, and raising his own family in Montgomery County, Melnick was as local as they come in these parts.

Melnick’s hockey work, of course, went unsalaried, and he sacrificed countless hours and weekends, purely to better the game that he so loved. In so doing, he greatly bettered the Montgomery community.

“This was all after 12-hour days at his job,” his son Andrew told me. “During all this he still found the time to make all of the games my brother and I played in.”

The impact of his presence was shown at his funeral last Friday, where nearly 1,000 people mourned, many former players, coaches, and parents involved with MYHA.

During Melnick’s 12 years as Montgomery president the level of player participation doubled and today stands at well over 1,000 registered members. What began as simple winter recreation at the dawn of Melnick’s commitment evolved into a hockey development program garnering national respect and now, virtually annually, a pipeline of players earning college hockey scholarships.

Chip Mitchell, President of the Montgomery Youth Hockey Association, issued this statement:

“I’m very sorry to report that MYHA has lost one of its longest-standing and most influential members, Brian Melnick. As many of you know, Brian was the President of MYHA for twelve years. Brian’s hard work and dedication, as much as anything, helped MYHA build the club we have today. In addition to being a tireless volunteer and powerful voice both within our club and at the CBHL, Brian was a genuinely nice person. The entire MYHA family will miss Brian.

“Anyone wishing to honor Brian’s memory can do so by making a contribution to the Congestive Heart Failure Fund at the Washington Hospital Center.”