Cherokee Hockey In-Line League (CHILL) is a non profit organization whose donations and sponsorships
go 100% to helping local kids and adults grow through the sport of hockey.
My name is Matt Hackett and I am the league director at CHILL. I had the fortune of meeting Greg Stathis for the first time in 1999 at a National Roller Hockey tournament in Atlanta when I was coaching a travel program from Florida. Our paths crossed again at a regional tournament in Greenville, SC in 2004 while coaching a team from Charlotte, NC. Greg and I shared an immediate common bond, we both owned hockey shops and both had a passionate drive for coaching the sport of roller hockey. After moving to Woodstock in 2005 and becoming involved in the Hockeytime program, I would often have discussions with Greg about coaching philosophies and gained a greater insight into the man himself. I believe the CHILL organization is taking the necessary approach to reviving that which Greg and George started in 1998.
In 1996, Greg Stathis and his brother George, started a hockey dynasty here in Woodstock, GA. Greg was raised in New Dorp, NY and enjoyed playing hockey until he was sidelined by kidney problems. He started his coaching career while still in high school. Born with a urinary tract blockage that was misdiagnosed, the Staten Island native struggled with health issues his entire life. He received his first kidney transplant, from his mother, at the age of 26. It lasted 20 years and he underwent his second surgery in 2007, receiving a kidney from his brother. At the age of 48, his health issues ultimately claimed his life March 17, 2008 and hockey in Georgia hasn't been the same since. Greg was the coach of the Georgia Tech Hockey program for 17 years and always believed in an off ice alternative. He knew it would promote hockey as a sport in the south. He and George owned the only free standing hockey pro shop in Atlanta and started HockeyTime USA Inline League in 1998. Over the years, there have been many players roll through the "rink that Greg built". While there will never be a replacement for Greg, his passion, devotion and compassion for the game of hockey, it lives on in many of those people that knew him. Upon Greg's passing, HockeyTime declined and in 2009 HockeyTime stopped offering hockey and locked the gates permanently. Through communications with the Stathis family and Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency, CHILL was formed in fall 2011 as a non-profit organization in an attempt to bring back roller hockey to Woodstock, GA. Our inaugural season was Spring 2012, we had 38 players.
CHILL and CRPA dedicated the rink in honor of the late Greg Stathis in May 2012.
-Matt Hackett, Hockey Director, Cherokee Hockey In-Line League