Houston Hockey to Honor Texas Native NHL Executive

The NHL’s Group Vice President of Events, Chie Chie Yard, was announced to be inducted into the Houston Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

Yard is a Brown University ice hockey alum who would help the Bears to a first place conference finish during her senior season. She would then transition to playing professional hockey in Japan following being born and raised in Houston, Texas. Yard, a defenseman, would become the first native Houstonian to play olympic ice hockey for Japan.

After retiring from the sport as a player, she worked her way up from intern to Group Vice President of Events for the NHL.

The announcement of her induction was made on the afternoon of Dec. 18. Yard has been responsible for the logistical planning for all aspects of large scale NHL events including the Winter Classic, Stadium Series, Heritage Classic, NHL All-Star Weekend, NHL Draft, NHL Awards, Stanley Cup Final, and more. She is also heavily involved in the Winter Olympic Games — of which she was once a participant back at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.

Houston Hockey Honors NHL Executive

“In a non-traditional hockey market, when you get to honor someone who rose through the ranks from playing amateur hockey in Houston, she is a credit to all her success — to be able to get to play at Brown and to then go on to play olympic hockey is truly an honor to highlight. In an olympic year, being able to honor Chie Chie into the Houston Hockey Hall of Fame provides the opportunity to recognize the first olympian ice hockey player from Houston and provide a local role model for the Houston Storm Girls Hockey Association and female hockey players everywhere to look up to,” Lance Rosenberg, co-chair of Hockey Day in Houston, said in an exclusive to NHL On SI.

Yard comes from a hockey family; her father and brother were both involved in the sport of hockey as well. She is also a hockey mom — with two sons — and a cancer survivor.

Hockey Day in Houston is an event established with a purpose in mind to grow the sport in the Texas city. They have partnered withThe Howe Foundation to help grow the sport of hockey in Houston and also recognize student-athletes who carry on the mission of the Howe Foundation.The Howe Foundation is dedicated to sharing the life-long passion for sports with everyone, focusing on two core missions, putting kids first and recognizing women in the business of sports as guided by Gordie and Colleen Howe’s legacy.

Howe played in 1,767 NHL games and concluded his career with 1,850 points and four Stanley Cup championships. He passed away in 2016. Colleen was his wife and was known as a pioneer hockey wife and hockey mom who devoted her entire life to the betterment of the game.

In addition to Yard, legendary WHA Houston Aeros coach Bill Dineen and former IHL Houston Aeros forward Bobby Reynolds — who later opened a hockey and academic academy in Houston — have already been announced as fellow inductees into the same HOF class. The full class will be announced prior to Christmas, with the Houston Hockey Hall of Fame Banquet taking place on March 20 — followed by Hockey Day in Houston on March 21.

This year’s Hockey Day in Houston marks the third annual event, which is known asa day to celebrate the game of hockey in Houston by bringing fans of the sport together and promoting the sport in the Houston market.

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