NORFOLK - Norfolk is known for a lot of things - it's the home of Johnny Carson, it sits on the banks of the Elkhorn River, making it a destination for kayaking and fishing, but city officials have started a program they hope makes Norfolk known for something a little unique to Nebraska...hockey.

The City of Norfolk's Parks Department is hosting an instructional hockey course each Monday in June and July.

Kids from five to 13 are learning about one-timers and back passes on tennis courts for now. But come next winter, these kids will be able to practice on the real thing. Part of the city's multi-million-dollar renovation of Johnson Park includes a skating rink, which could make Norfolk a new hockey hub in the Husker state.

"With the new year-round rink that's coming I think that people will start to get excited," says city Recreation Coordinator Ron LaMie. "We're also going to be putting on a lot of ice programs that go with it. We're hoping to bridge this over. The more people see it, the more they'll get interested."

The class is taught by Steve Geary, a Norfolk native and hockey aficionado who's been championing the sport's growth in Nebraska for years.

"He loves the sport and wanted to teach it," LaMie says. "He has a lot of expertise. "He's really passionate about hockey and is passionate about the rink that we're trying to build."

Is the next Matthew Tkachuck in Norfolk? It's too early to say, but the City of Norfolk is confident about the future of the sport locally.

"I do think it will grow and take off," says LaMie. "It's something that at our rink we'll even be able to do in the summer because of the cement underneath it. We're really hoping and believe that it will grow over time."