As a one-time winner and three-time finalist of the ECHL’s Community Service Team of the Year Award, the Rush organization is committed and dedicated to serving our community.

During the 2024-25 season, we bolstered our commitment and our community presence. Between players, coaches, and our front office, we proudly completed 1,026 hours of volunteer service and community appearances. Many of these efforts extended beyond city limits, stretching as far as Spearfish, Deadwood, Hermosa, and New Underwood.

Through volunteering, community events, and donations, the Rush organization reached 242 organizations and donated $175,000 throughout the season.

In June, the Rush were once again named a finalist for the league award.

Our community presence does not stop when the season ends. Rush front office staff, along with forwards Ryan Wagner and Garrett Klotz, appeared at various community initiatives throughout the offseason, including the first-ever NHL STREET hockey camp in the state of South Dakota.

Rapid City Rush community events are proudly presented by Loyal Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling.

School and Community Visits

We made several stops at nursing homes and schools throughout the season. We visited 16 different schools in the Black Hills area, from elementary to high school. We often got our players involved with gym classes, where they would play street hockey with the kids. Several appearances involved reading to students, as well as answering any questions the kids have. The team also participated in our Team Skate Day at Main Street Square in January, where fans could come out and skate with the guys.

One of the most memorable appearances involved New Underwood School, where 4 of our players and our mascot played against the freshman class, and the whole school got involved.

First Thunder Fire Recognition

At the beginning of the season, the Black Hills area was affected by wildfires, including the First Thunder Fire. As a thanks for all their hard work, members of the front office and players delivered lunch from Boss' Pizza and Chicken in Rapid City to over 10 volunteer fire stations in the area that helped fight the fires. We also recognized over 80 individuals that helped respond to the fires during our first game of the season and gave them complementary tickets to the game.

For First Responders Night, We donated over 300 tickets to the Rapid City Fire Department, Pennington Fire, Rapid City Police Department, and more, to attend the game. We also recognized several key figures in the first responder community during our starting lineups that night, including RCPD Chief of Police Don Hedrick and RCFD Fire Chief Jason Culberson.

Try Hockey for Free

We love giving back and mentoring the newest generation of hockey players in the Black Hills. Our players and Nugget took part in Try Hockey for Free Day for Rushmore Thunder and Northern Hills Chinook throughout the season, and again over the summer.

Try Hockey for Free is a USA Hockey-sanctioned, nationwide event, allowing kids to lace ‘em up and hit the ice, no matter their skill level. They were able to use equipment for free and get a helping hand.

Throughout the season, our players made special appearances at Mites practices to help out, too. After Brett Davis won the honor of Inglasco ECHL Player of the Week, we donated a box of pucks to the Rushmore Hockey Association at a practice.

Teddy Bear Toss

The 2024 Teddy Bear Toss game was proudly presented by Black Hills Energy. In addition to being our Chuck-A-Puck group for the night, the Humane Society of the Black Hills hosted our “Stuff-The-Truck" event at their location. We had players and front office staff in attendance, and fans were welcome to bring stuffed animal donations if they were not going to be at the game. Additionally, fans were encouraged to bring toy and food donations for the Humane Society.

After the game on December 14, the entire team and front office helped deliver over 4,000 teddy bears that were donated to six locations in the Rapid City area.

Dinner on Ice

We held our very first Dinner on Ice in February, supporting the Western Legacy Foundation. Throughout the evening, our team was helping plate and serve dinner while chatting with attendees. We held a live auction that consisted of items the Western Legacy Foundation brought as well as donated items from local organizations in the Black Hills and from our parent company, Spire Sports & Entertainment.

We also auctioned off a select few of our players to tables, and those players waited on the winners and ate dinner with them. We hosted a silent auction that consisted of over 20 items up for grabs. All of the proceeds from that night (auctioning off players, silent and live auction, table fees, etc.) went directly to the Western Legacy Foundation. We fundraised over $12,500 for the organization.

Tip-A-Player

One of our biggest community events we love to participate in every year is our Tip-A-Player event. We host this event prior to our Sensory Friendly Night, supporting Rapid City Flame and Rapid City Storm, two Special Olympics South Dakota Organizations.

Our entire team was split up between two restaurant locations and helped serve with a member of one of the Special Olympics teams and a waiter at that restaurant. Throughout the night, any tip that was collected was donated directly to those teams. We raised almost $3,000 for the teams this past year and presented the check at our Sensory Friendly Night.

NHL STREET Hockey Camp

Our marquee event of the summer and one that took months of planning to pull off, the Rush and the YMCA of Rapid City partnered to put on the first NHL STREET hockey camp in the state of South Dakota.

Roughly 40 kids participated and got to receive firsthand instruction from Ryan Wagner, Garrett Klotz, and the Rush coaching staff. Everyone went through a series of passing, shooting, and stickhandling drills before breaking out into relay races and scrimmages. All equipment was provided, no prior experience was required, and each camper took home a custom, reversible Calgary Flames street hockey jersey.

Humane Society of the Black Hills Wags & Waves

We had a blast at the 10^th Annual Wags & Waves event, an opportunity for dogs to rule the pool before it closes for the winter season and support the Humane Society of the Black Hills.

Ryan Wagner and his wife, Cailee, took Crush to Jimmy Hilton Pool in Sioux Park for an afternoon of fun. Rush front office staff was also in attendance, helping promote the upcoming Bluey Night game where dogs are welcome inside the arena.