Sports
Waterloo, Iowa, boasts a vibrant sports scene, offering everything from professional minor league action with the Waterloo Black Hawks hockey team and the Iowa Woo indoor football team, to a wide array of recreational leagues, youth programs, and top-notch facilities like the Cedar Valley SportsPlex.
Waterloo Black Hawks Prepare for a New Era
Scott Gordon, with over 30 years coaching experience, including the NHL and Olympics, joins the Waterloo Black Hawks.
Scott Gordon’s hockey coaching career began more than 30 years ago. Since then, he has been the head coach for NHL clubs in New York and Philadelphia, an assistant for a United States Olympic team, and helped hundreds of young players achieve their dreams.
Now he joins the Waterloo Black Hawks as one of the most prestigious coaching hires in United States Hockey League history.
The Hawks introduced Gordon as the team’s new head coach earlier this summer.
“I couldn't get over the size of the crowd, how passionate the crowd was,” says Gordon about his first impression of Young Arena last winter before pursuing the vacant job post here. “[Waterloo] had a great team, they played really hard. So for me, a lot of boxes were checked, and I looked at this as one of the better [coaching] opportunities.”
Gordon will try to steer the Black Hawks back to the USHL’s Clark Cup Final. Last season, Waterloo was just a goal short of the championship, falling 4-3 in overtime during the winner-take-all fifth game against the Muskegon Lumberjacks in front of a packed 3,500-seat stadium.
When fans come to Commercial Street in the new season, they will see many new faces on the ice, as well a new coach behind the bench. The Hawks’ strong results opened many new opportunities for members of the 2024/25 squad. Three Waterloo skaters were selected during the 2025 NHL Draft, and many more are headed to top NCAA programs this fall.
However, it won’t take long for the new Hawks to learn about the unparalleled enthusiasm Waterloo fans bring to the rink on game night. Six of Waterloo's 30 home games are before the end of October; the first is September 27th against the Des Moines Buccaneers.