Black Bear Sports Group: Frequently Asked Questions About Ownership, Pricing & Rink Investments
Getting Started
Start with our Take a Shot at Hockey (TASH), which helps first time players ages 4-9 learn the game at zero cost. In its inaugural season (2025-2026), TASH had 3,500 kids complete its program. For the 2026-2027 season, TASH’s goal is to more than double that number and recruit 7,500 first time players.
Once a player graduates from TASH, they can enroll in Black Bear’s Learn to Play Hockey (LTPH) or the NHL/NHLPA’s Learn to Play at participating rinks that both provide hockey equipment for players to keep as they learn the game. Roughly 5,600 kids have been helped by the Learn to Play program, and an additional 1,100 players are progressing through the NHL/NHLPA’s Learn to Play programming that is hosted and supported at our arenas.
For families not able to afford the costs of playing on a Black Bear team, we established the Black Bear Youth Hockey Foundation, a 501(c)(3), in 2020 to reduce financial barriers to youth hockey. It provides need-based grants for players ages 7-17 and has distributed over $250,000 since launching. We also run an annual scholarship award program across our hockey network. You can find more information on that HERE.
We also offer a 25% discount on our Foundry Adult Hockey beginner program for veterans, military and first responders.
Running a community rink is a high-fixed-cost business. Most of the costs are set before a season ever begins – hiring professional, full-time coaches for the entire year, booking ice time for the year, paying rising costs of utilities and insurance, and committing to tournaments and game schedules in advance. Those fixed costs largely remain the same whether a program has 100 players or 400.
Black Bear publishes its prices and offerings so people can see exactly what they are receiving. Our goal is to increase access to and grow the game of hockey, so we largely purchase rinks that have closed or are at risk of closure. As a result, where rates have increased relative to prior ownership, whether for ice time, locker-room rentals, or other accommodations, those increases reflect the real cost of keeping an aging facility open and safe: new ice plants, dehumidification, code and life-safety work, and full-time professional coaching.
Families are paying for a consistent, high-quality experience: experienced coaches who are there all season to train players rather than rotating volunteers, reliable and well-maintained ice, professionally managed facilities, and a full schedule of games and tournaments. We also reinvest heavily in the buildings themselves – in just the last three years, more than $20 million has been reinvested across Black Bear rinks – so families are skating in safe and reliable facilities that are no longer at risk of closing.
Because we believe in transparency, unlike most of our competitors, we publish our prices on an annual basis prior to commitment deadlines so families can compare costs with other teams and rinks.
Black Bear’s contracts, like those across youth hockey, require payment for a full season once a family enrolls because the major costs, including professional coaching, ice time, and tournament commitments, are booked and paid before the season begins.
We do review fee-waiver requests on a case-by-case basis and work with families whose circumstances change during the year. Families facing financial hardship are also directed to the Black Bear Youth Hockey Foundation, which can help offset costs.
Your Season
Each rink is run by a general manager, who is responsible for day-to-day operations and safety at that facility. Our regional operations leadership oversees clusters of rinks within a given area and provides oversight of the rink, its staff and programs. At the company level, hockey operations are led by Black Bear’s Co-Presidents of Hockey Operations, who are accountable for the quality of the youth hockey experience across its rinks.
It depends. To help create a consistent and organized experience, BBSG utilizes stay-to-play policies in many of its travel hockey leagues and events, while other programs provide hotel services on an optional basis.
BBSG's approach varies by program:
- AHF and AGHF - Black Bear’s largest leagues - offer hotel booking as a convenience for traveling families, but participation is not required.
- THF, NGHL, Defender Tournaments, and certain other travel events utilize stay-to-play policies designed around the specific needs of those leagues and events.
- Junior hockey camps, including those operated by the Youngstown Phantoms, also utilize stay-to-play to support player development programming throughout the camp.
When stay-to-play is used, Black Bear follows the same general principles used throughout youth hockey and by USA Hockey. Our policies recognize that local teams should not be required to stay in hotels and, where applicable, provide a buyout option for teams that choose to make their own lodging arrangements. Our contracts with our families disclose that Black Bear gets rebates from hotels and other vendors when our families utilize these services.
Stay-to-play helps ensure that adequate hotel rooms are available for participating teams while, in our opinion, creating a better overall event experience. Having teams together allows players and families to build relationships, simplifies travel planning, improves communication, and creates the community atmosphere that has long been part of travel hockey.
For junior hockey camps, the benefits extend beyond lodging. Youngstown Phantoms camps routinely attract 20–30 NCAA Division I scouts while identifying players for opportunities throughout Black Bear’s junior hockey organizations. Keeping participants together allows coaches and staff to conduct evening video sessions, educational presentations, team meetings, and player development activities that would not be possible if players were scattered throughout the area.
Jerseys and Equipment
Breakaway Sports is our current apparel vendor for all Black Bear teams and for several third party-run pro shops in our rinks. Black Bear has a three-year contract with Breakaway, which is an independent small business located in Chatham, NJ. Black Bear chose Breakaway after reviewing bids from several suppliers — including national brand-name suppliers — due to its below market rates, full customization ability, best-in-class quality and excellent customer service. We are reopening the bidding process this fall to assess the market and ensure we receive the best pricing for its customers. A new agreement will be in place in time for the 2027-2028 season. Black Bear is not an investor in Breakaway.
Due to the volume of apparel ordered, Black Bear receives a royalty on merchandise, which is reinvested directly into our rinks and clubs. The royalty differs for each apparel item and is intended to ensure that the end price to the consumer matches market rates. By rebidding the contract every three years, competition between suppliers also keeps our pricing low.
Pro shops inside our rinks are run by third parties, and arrangements vary by building – some carry Breakaway team apparel, others do not.
Player Safety
Black Bear invests heavily in maintenance and repairs that keep everyone safe both on the ice and throughout the rink. There can be a lot of hidden dangers with ice rinks because of the equipment and technology required to keep the ice in good shape, and there are individuals at every rink in charge of those safety precautions.
Black Bear also strictly follows USA Hockey’s coaching and SafeSport training requirements, ensuring all coaches have the proper certification and background checks to be present at its rinks and as leaders of its teams.
Start with your rink’s general manager who is responsible for day-to-day operations. Parents are also always welcome to submit complaints to Black Bear directly at info@blackbearsportsgroup.com. We aim to acknowledge every concern within two business days.
Watching Games
Yes, of course! Parents are always welcome to record videos and take photos of their own child during games and practices. Capturing the most exciting moments is an important part of youth sports, and BBSG has never proposed taking that away.
The only restriction is livestreaming, broadcasting, simulcasting, or any other form of transmitting full games or practices.
A live public broadcast may put other people's children on camera without their families' consent. When it comes to transmitting games or practices, Black Bear follows the same guidelines as USA Hockey, the official national governing body for ice hockey in the United States. USA Hockey’s broadcasting policy can be found on page 15-16 of its Tournament Guidebook. The purpose of this policy is to protect the safety and privacy of the players and to follow national and local privacy laws, in particular to ensure that everyone on camera has given consent, especially young children and their parents.
Anyone livestreaming a game or practice will be asked to stop.
No. Parents are free to share the clips they capture of their children on social media. The only restriction is livestreaming, broadcasting or simulcasting games or practices, which violates safety and privacy policies.
Black Bear TV is an optional service that family members can use if they want to watch games they cannot attend in person. Powered by AI camera technology, Black Bear TV delivers high-definition game broadcasts with features designed specifically for hockey, including:
- Live and on-demand streaming
- AI-powered camera tracking
- Live statistics integration (where available)
- Automatic highlights and clipping tools
- Downloadable highlights and full-game replays (Premium plans)
- Viewing on PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices
Black Bear TV broadcasts youth, scholastic, high school, college, adult, and USPHL junior hockey games, making it easy for families to follow players from anywhere.
Black Bear TV offers single-game purchases, monthly subscriptions, annual subscriptions and league-specific add-on packages, allowing families to choose the option that best fits their needs. Current plans and pricing are always available at https://blackbearsports.tv/packages.
An annual Basic subscription is $215.99 and Premium is $329.99, which allows two people to watch simultaneously from different locations.
Proceeds from Black Bear TV are reinvested into the rinks -- supporting facility improvements, keeping ice rental rates low, and holding club pricing at or below the rate of inflation.
About Black Bear
Black Bear Sports Group (BBSG) was founded in 2015 by a group of lifelong hockey supporters. Our mission is to grow the game of hockey by making it more accessible for the next generation of hockey players and create new and improved pathways for hockey players to achieve their goals at the junior, collegiate and professional levels of the sport.
By preserving community rinks and creating development opportunities, BBSG ensures that hockey and other ice sports remain accessible, competitive and positioned for long-term success.
Since its inception, BBSG has saved 47 rinks from closure and modernized them across the Northeast and Midwest. In the 2025-2026 season, BBSG grew player participation 9% in the clubs we control, from 5,515 participants to 6,008, in the states where we operate, while youth participation overall declined in those same states. Nationally, youth hockey participation grew just 1.6% over the past year, according to USA Hockey registration data.
Improving facilities: In just the past three years BBSG has invested more than $20 million modernizing aging rinks with new ice plants, dehumidification, and life-safety systems so that kids have safe, reliable places to play.
Ensuring access: Free and low-cost entry points like Take a Shot at Hockey and Learn to Play Hockey have removed cost as a barrier for thousands of first-time players. BBSG’s Foundation also provides financial aid and scholarships to assist families.
Investing in development: BBSG invests in the entire hockey ecosystem – from a child’s first Learn to Play session through youth, junior, adult hockey, tournaments, and the technology and media that connect those experiences. BBSG staffs its programs with experienced, full-time professional coaches and certified staff so players get consistent, high-quality instruction all season.
Growing the game: Last season BBSG grew participation 9% (from 5,515 participants to 6,008) in its markets, even as participation declined in those same states. BBSG teams compete at the highest levels and many have won and/or qualified for the USA Hockey National Championships. BBSG Junior Hockey teams have won league championships in each of the leagues in which they operate including the USHL, NAHL and NCDC.
In most cases, very little. BBSG's goal is to partner with well-run nonprofit clubs after purchasing a rink and it is proud that these clubs continue to thrive and deliver a quality youth hockey product for kids. 20% of Black Bear rinks have thriving nonprofit clubs. In Pittsburgh, that number climbs to 50%. In Michigan, 33% of our rinks have non-profit clubs as their primary occupant.
In some cases, when non-profit clubs are not financially sustainable or the rink is losing money and at risk of closure, BBSG has established its own clubs to improve and expand programming, grow participation, and give all players and families a consistent experience with professional coaches.
BBSG is a small participant in every state in which it operates. There are approximately 1,700 ice rinks in the US, and BBSG operates 47 – less than 3% of the rinks in the country. For example, in Michigan, BBSG has 9 rinks out of 100. Similar rates exist in Eastern Pennsylvania (4 of 30), Western Pennsylvania (4 of 25), New Jersey (8 of 40) and Connecticut (5 of 50). Every BBSG rink is within 30 minutes of another ice rink, club or league, meaning families have a choice in where they choose to play.
BBSG owns or co-owns the following leagues:
- Atlantic Hockey Federation (AHF) – BBSG was a founding co-partner in 2020, alongside several others, including member clubs (Montgomery Ice Devils, NJ Bandits, NJ Rockets, Hollydell Hurricanes, and Team Philadelphia). AHF is a Tier-II youth league, the mid-competitive tier (AA level) covering 8U through 18U with over 550 member-owned clubs across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. It also offers a lower A/B tier for 10U through 18U.
- Tier 1 Hockey Federation (THF) – BBSG created THF in 2022. It is the top competitive tier — AAA, USA Hockey Tier-I — for elite clubs nationally, spanning 9U to 18U with 200+ teams.
- Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (AGHF) – BBSG is a founding organizer of AGHF, and is a co-partner alongside member-owned clubs, similar to AHF. AGHF is the girls-specific Tier-II counterpart to AHF – covering 10U through 19U with 70+ teams, mostly in the Mid-Atlantic.
BBSG owns just 30% of teams in these leagues and ensures that each league is represented fairly by all team leadership in its decision-making. BBSG is a minority on the Board of Directors of each of these leagues. In addition, each club signs a one-year agreement for their league and is free to transition to other leagues in the area at the end of each season.