Jim Riffe

Left to right: Jim Riffe, Dan Riffe, Becky Riffe, Tyler Riffe 

In the fall of 1992, we were living in a small town in southern Minnesota with our two sons, Daniel (11), and Tyler (8). Both sons played hockey there, but Daniel was rapidly outgrowing the house league program, so we were considering making a move to the Twin Cities area where I could commute to work and provide both boys a more competitive hockey program. 

I had an offer to run a plant in Mount Morris, IL, with a better career path, but before accepting the offer, we had to ensure that the hockey program was a viable alternative for both boys. We made contact with people who ran the Rockford hockey program, and a visit was arranged. 

We were there to evaluate the level of play to determine if the program would meet our needs. It was a deal breaker; if the program did not measure up, we would not make the move. The coaches for the PeeWee team asked that Daniel bring his hockey gear and invited him to skate with the team at practice. 

When we left that practice, the two coaches for the PeeWee “A” team were satisfied that Daniel would be an asset for their team, and we were satisfied that Rockford Hockey, based out of the Riverview Ice House, met both of our sons’ needs. 

I accepted the position in Mount Morris which led to other career opportunities based out of the Rockford/Chicago area. My wife, Becky, practiced law out of Mount Morris, retiring in 2005. Our youngest son, Tyler played hockey out of Riverview through his 8th grade year when he switched to golf and wrestling for Byron High School. 

Daniel played that first year in the Rockford program before switching to AAA programs out of Madison and Chicago. He would go on to play 2 years of Junior A, 4 years at University of Wisconsin Stout, and was fortunate to get picked up by the Rockford Ice Hogs for the final two games of their season after his last game as a senior. 

He is now in the business world but still skates as a 40 year old out of Johnny’s Ice House in Chicago. 

Life takes peculiar turns, but without Riverview, we would never have moved to the Rockford area. That rink - and Rockford's hockey community and the regional community at large - opened up tremendous opportunities for our entire family. We have fond memories of being part of your community and hope you don't take important assets like Riverview Ice House for granted.