About Us
Our Mission
The Troy Albany Hockey Association (TAHA) is a Tier I USA Hockey “Tournament Bound” youth organization. Established in 1948, TAHA defined youth hockey for the Capital Region and was the first established organization in the area. TAHA is comprised of 3 divisions: Ice Cats (Girls), Engineers (8U and house) and Titans (Tier 1 AAA and travel).
The TAHA mission is clear - provide the best opportunities for the progressive development of all young hockey players in the Capital Region of New York State and surrounding areas. Player development is the backbone of the TAHA organization is player development, providing instructional programs for boys and girls ages 3 to 19 with several levels of competitive play to accommodate a wide range of skills and commitment levels.
Our History
The Troy Albany Hockey Association was formed in 2008 through the merger of the Capital Youth Hockey Association, and the predecessor Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association.
The Capital Youth Hockey Association (CYHA) was initially organized as the Albany Jay Cees, later officially changing to Capital Youth Hockey Association. Twelve founding members, including Ned Harkness, organized the Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association (TAHA) in 1949 as the Troy Pee Wee Hockey Association. In 1973, Frear Park Arena was built as an outdoor skating facility and eventually enclosed. During the 1980’s, interest in youth hockey exploded, especially after the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid when the US National Team won the Gold Medal. In 1983, the now Troy Youth Hockey Association continued to expand and merged its youth program with that of Albany Academy, becoming Troy Academy Youth Hockey Association. During the 1990’s, a number of additional rinks were built in the area, including Conway Ice Arena at Hudson Valley Community College, the Albany County Hockey Training Facility near Albany International Airport and the Knickerbacker Arena in North Troy.
Use of the “Troy Albany Hockey Association” (TAHA) name was started with the merged association in 2008 to differentiate the new association from the predecessor Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association, and because the name is more comprehensive of the member constituency at the time of the merger. Due to the TAHA association holding the older USA Hockey charter (one of the oldest in the country), however, the legal entity name remains Troy Albany Youth Hockey Association.