Hockey Turns 100

This school year marks the 100th anniversary of hockey at University School of Milwaukee and its predecessor school, Milwaukee Country Day School.

USM’s hockey program has come a long way since its humble beginnings at Milwaukee Country Day School in 1920. At that time, the rink was little more than a flooded field, and students were required to shovel off any accumulated snow prior to games and practices. The players wore no helmets or shoulder pads, and their equipment consisted of skates, sticks, shin guards, and gloves. By the 1930s, boards around the rink were added, and in 1965 a roof was built. When the north and south campuses unified in 1985, the school built the Polly and Henry Uihlein Sr. Ice Arena, thanks to generous support from Polly MDS’38 and Henry MCDS’39 Uihlein. The school became one of the first in the state with an on-campus hockey rink, and from there, the program only expanded, including the addition of the girls’ program in 1994.

While the school has sadly had to put a pause on in-person anniversary celebrations due to COVID-19, we invite the hockey community to visit our 100 Year of Hockey page for a history of the program, information about future events, and other important updates.