NHL Executive Commends Recent Texas Hockey Growth

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

Yard was born and raised in Houston, Texas and then transitioned to playing professional hockey in Japan after helping the Brown University Bears to a first-place conference finish during her senior season of college. The defender 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. However, recent events have put more of a spotlight on Texas hockey.

Texas native Hannah Bilka won a gold medal alongside the rest of the Team USA women's team for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the PWHL hosted a Texas Takeover Tour game in Dallas back in Dec., and having the 2027 NHL Stadium Series with the Dallas Stars be announced as taking place at AT&T Stadium have all caused a lot of excitement for Texas hockey fans.

As such, Yard told Breakaway On SI in an exclusive that she is so proud to see hockey being prioritized across her hometown.

"Honestly, when I was growing up in Houston, we had one rink where we could play hockey," Yard said. "There was no girls' hockey, and travel hockey meant we had to drive to Austin or Dallas every weekend to play another team. So to see this growth of hockey, not only just in Houston, but in the entire state of Texas, is just something that I never thought we would see."

"What's really striking to me is that Dallas has the Stars and so their grassroots efforts, I feel, is probably a bit easier than what Houston has to do, and the fact that Houston's hockey has grown as much as it has without an NHL team is just a testament to my hometown."

Houston Hockey to Honor NHL Executive

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.

"Texas, Florida, Tennessee, California, all these states that aren't considered to be a hockey market are hosting these big NHL events," Yard also said. "They're quite successful, and it can only lead to growth in the state of Texas ... You hope to see the success in all of our NHL markets and with all of these big events that come to the state of Texas, we can only see growth."

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.

The announcement of her upcoming induction was made on the afternoon of Dec. 18. Hockey Day in Houston is an event established with a purpose in mind to grow the sport in the Texas city. The Houston Hockey Hall of Fame Banquet takes place on March 20 — followed by Hockey Day in Houston on March 21.

"[Being inducted into the Houston Hall of Fame] is very exciting. I actually can't put into words what an honor it is. It's just simply amazing, absolutely," Yard said.

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

Make sure you bookmark Breakaway On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage, and more!