Braun Center, which has an indoor arena and where previous hockey teams had played. “They wanted to have a professional hockey team play in their building again,” Jeffries says. “We discussed options for moving forward. It was all about the timing.” Jeffries formed the Huntsville Havoc in 2004. The team first played in the 2004-05 season and joined the Southern Professional Hockey League. The league consists of 10 teams, and the Havoc is one of three teams active since the league’s start. The Havoc plays a 56-game schedule from October through May against league teams from Memphis, Tennessee; Peoria, Illinois; Evansville, Indiana; Fayetteville, North Carolina; Roanoke, Virginia; Knoxville, Tennessee; Macon, Georgia; Pensacola, Florida; and Birmingham. And while skates, ice and pucks are not staples of traditional Southern sports, there is more regional interest in hockey now than ever before, Jeffries says. Youth hockey leagues and college teams support the growth of the sport. Also, more people have a knowledge of hockey thanks to employers with personnel who have moved to the area from across the country, like Redstone Arsenal, and relocations of northern companies, such as Remington, Polaris and Boeing. The local economy is also strong, and
more people are looking for fun and entertainment. “We want to make it more than just about a sport played on ice,” Jeffries says.
GIVING BACK Giving back to the community is one of the things the Jeffries family love most about owning the team. The Huntsville Havoc supports the community in several ways, including making donations to local missions and supporting several local charities. The Havoc hosts four game nights dedicated to raising money for specific organizations. The Havoc raised more than $220,000 last season for four main charities — Still Serving Veterans, Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Autism Resource Foundation. Last year was the 14th season for military appreciation night. During the game, the players wear patriotic jerseys, and the same game jerseys are auctioned with all the funds going to Still Serving Veterans. The Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund is named after an infant who spent weeks at Huntsville Hospital but did not survive. Her father is Chris George, a former Channel Cats player. The fund helps support the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.
One little girl walked up to Jeffries at a game and handed him several $1 bills wadded in her fist. “She said, ‘This is for the babies,’” he says. “It’s just so heartwarming to see kids learning the value of giving back.” St. Jude Children’s Hospital and the Autism Resource Foundation both had dedicated game nights as well. Jacob Brown, an 11-year-old Huntsville boy, is a big inspiration for the Havoc's involvement in St. Jude. Brown, a youth league hockey player, has battled cancer and served as an honorary team captain during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. “The charity nights, for me, mean so much,” Jeffries says. “We could never afford to donate this kind of money personally to these organizations. The Havoc is a vehicle that allows for that kind of giving. It’s great to be a part of that.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HAVOC OR FOR THE 2018-19 SCHEDULE, GO TO WWW.HUNTSVILLEHAVOC.COM OR FACEBOOK.
Huntsville Havoc owner Keith Jeffries watches a practice with Jacob Brown, who served as an honorary team captain for two seasons while battling cancer.
Keith Jeffries and Ashley Balch, Huntsville Havoc president, look over some of the jerseys the team wears for special game nights. Ardmore Telephone Company
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