USA Hockey upholds lifetime suspension of former MAHA member

By Michael Caples –

A former Michigan Amateur Hockey Association director’s lifetime suspension assessed by the state’s governing body has been upheld by USA Hockey, it was announced yesterday.

Rick Rogow, a former director for MAHA’s District 4 (youth teams based primarily in metro Detroit), was suspended from all association activities on Aug. 26, 2012. In the same month, Rogow declared he would be suing MAHA on claims of “mismanagement and inappropriate spending,” according to a Detroit News article.

The MAHA appeals committee confirmed Rogow’s suspension in October. Peter Lindberg, chair legal council for USA Hockey, Inc. distributed a formal notification to all parties concerned on Dec. 11, stating that USA Hockey’s executive committee has ruled that Rogow’s suspension from any director position in MAHA would stand.

The official notification letter declared that there were “adequate facts to support the decision of the MAHA appeal authority to suspend Mr. Rogow from any MAHA administrative activity for life.”

The letter went on to state that Rogow has not been suspended from all hockey participant activities – he is still allowed to coach or act as a referee, “assuming he is otherwise qualified by training or experience.”