USA Hockey Adult Hockey

Q and A with Amy Finkbeiner

Amy Finkbeiner, League Director
Kensington Valley Ice House Adult League
Brighton, Michigan

If it wasn’t for her job at the rink, Amy Finkbeiner wouldn’t have stumbled into hockey. If it wasn’t for one adult league member’s penalties, she wouldn’t have met her future husband.

Finkbeiner began working at Kensington Valley Ice House just outside Detroit 11 years ago. She’s served as the adult league director for the past nine. A Brighton, Mich., native, Finkbeiner plays for Top Shelf in a couple of the leagues she manages – the co-ed and women’s leagues. Her work as a director has been impressive.

The Kensington Valley Ice House Adult League registered 66 teams and 1,384 players last year, making it the largest adult league in Michigan and one of the biggest in the nation.

The league has been growing steadily every year, until now.

“We’re kind of maxed out, really,” says Finkbeiner. “We just don’t have any more ice. This is about as big as we can get without adding another sheet.”

That’s a good problem to have. USA Hockey caught up with Finkbeiner to discuss her league’s success at Kensington Valley Ice House and how she fell in love – both with the game and her eventual husband. 

USAH: Have you been a hockey lover all your life?

Amy Finkbeiner: No, no – it just kind of fell into my job at the rink here. I wasn’t really into hockey at all at first, but I’ve been playing now for about six years. I love it now.

USAH: What made you finally put on some gear and get on the ice?

Amy Finkbeiner: Just watching the players and the fun they were having. I thought it would help get me in touch with my customers a little better and really have my hat in the ring to understand what it’s like to play in the league. Just being part of the whole experience makes you a better manager.

USAH: Had you previously skated before joining the league or was it all new to you?

Amy Finkbeiner: I had never skated before.

USAH: How did that go?

Amy Finkbeiner: I still don’t skate great. I took a few lessons and worked with some people and I’m much better now. I’m not a great skater but I have fun. Still can’t crossover on the left very well but working on it.

USAH: You manage one of the largest adult leagues in the nation. What do you contribute to your league’s growth over the years?

Amy Finkbeiner: In certain divisions, where I have enough teams to do so, rather than schedule a whole season of 27 weeks, I will separate them into different tiers based on past information that I have on those teams. Then I will re-seed the teams every seven or eight weeks. That way I’m getting a lot better parity. So on a Tuesday night during the 35-C league, I’ll have 22 teams. I’ll take the best guess I have for the first seven weeks and have the teams play them out. Then we’ll move it around based on standings and performance after that seven-week tier. I think it creates better parity than what other leagues have to offer. They’ll just schedule 27 games all the way through.

We also provide a lot of giveaways to managers and other things to try to add some value to the league as well. I play in the league. My husband plays in the league. I think I have a pretty good grasp of what’s going on.

USAH: Your husband plays in the league as well? Did he play growing up or did you get him into the sport?

Amy Finkbeiner: He’s always played. He’s Canadian so he was born with skates on. I actually met him working here at the rink.

USAH: He was in one of your leagues? Is that how you met?

Amy Finkbeiner: Yeah, he was in a couple leagues. He had to be brought into my office for a few different reasons.

USAH: Oh, really?

Amy Finkbeiner: Yeah. He was on my “watch me” list for a little bit there.

USAH: For disciplinary reasons?

Amy Finkbeiner: Yeah. Any player that has a certain amount of penalties, you put them on a list and you kind of keep an eye on them.

USAH: Well now you have a really good eye on him.

Amy Finkbeiner: Exactly. He can’t get away with anything anymore.