For 44 years, HMI has gone to the arena with a subtle approach, interacting with players in informal settings as best described by veteran HMI team member and Stanley Cup winner, Chico Resch: "Today a church is not only a dwelling or building, but also something much more fluid. Sometimes a church is a rink, locker room, hotel lobby or an encounter that takes place on the ice."

“Looking back the past few months, we have experienced a hockey season like no other and as a result, a Chapel season like no other.” Says HMI CEO, Don Liesemer, “We can expand the above quote to include Zoom, Google Meets, Google Hangouts, FaceTime as HMI Chapels have for the most part moved to virtual platforms. Despite this setback, the Lord continues to lead His ministry to reach the hearts of hockey players and while the pandemic has presented a few roadblocks, the Chapel ministry has continued on.”

Planting, Watering and Harvesting

“Sometimes you wonder ‘Am I really getting through to these guys?’”, expressed Nate Schroder – Minnesota Chapel Development Coordinator, “or you see progress but then they move on and you wonder how they are doing? I had the opportunity to get together with a former player last week in Colorado. He was drafted, but last year sustained a career-stopping injury. As we talked, he told me that Chapel was where his spiritual journey toward a personal relationship with Christ began. Last summer, as he talked with a former teammate, who is currently playing in the NHL, the teammate told of his frustration with having no other solid Christians on his team.

“Because of this conversation, they both decided to start having FaceTime Bible studies together, and currently are going through the book of James, challenging each other and sharpening each other.

Continue planting the seeds and God will see to the watering and harvesting. In the words of Winston Churchill 'Never give up!'"

HMI Chapel leader Paul Golden recently did a podcast interview with Penguins player Casey DeSmith where he shares his Christian faith and the importance of HMI Chapels for him and his teammates. Listen here!

In this new video, Daniel Hamhuis talks about his faith.

Daniel Hamhuis (born December 13, 1982) is a former Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in 2001 by the Nashville Predators.

He made his NHL debut in 2006 for Nashville. After five seasons with the club, Hamhuis became an unrestricted free agent and signed a six-year contract with the Canucks. In his first year with the club, he helped Vancouver to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, where they lost to the Boston Bruins.

In 2014 he was named to the 2014 Canadian Olympic Hockey Team, winning a gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.