For 30 years, Charlie Heger has been Jersey City’s hockey king of sorts. The president of Jersey City Capitals youth hockey was honored with naming rights to Pershing Field’s ice skating rink.

On April 29, the City Council voted to name the ice rink at Pershing Field in the Heights at 807 Summit Ave. to “Charlie Heger Ice Skating Rink.”

“Charlie Heger is synonymous with Jersey City hockey,” said Councilman Mike Sottolano, adding that his son played hockey in the city.

In an interview after the meeting, a humbled Heger gave credit to the city’s hockey program success to his colleagues and team instead.

“I don’t know if the Capitals would be in existence today if it were not for the efforts of Mr. Russell Forte,” Heger said, referring to the head engineer at Pershing Field. “Russ kept the old facility going with bubble gum and rubber bands for many years. There was not a time that our season was in jeopardy, because of some kind of breakdown at the rink.”

The tuition based program, also supported by the Recreation Department, features 150 children, from ages 5 to 14.

Heger began his involvement with hockey at Roosevelt Stadium at Route 440 and Danforth Avenue. When the stadium was torn down in the 1980s, he brought the Capitals to Pershing Field ice rink in 1995. No roof made for cold nights and lighting was limited. Hockey clinics and youth programs came to a stop while the rink was being rebuilt.

Afterwards, Heger’s team went undefeated in the NJYHL Squirt Division, winning the league championship and playoffs.

“I love hockey,” Heger said. “You don’t do something for 30 years if it’s not self-gratifying.”

The only challenge the program faces today is ice time, he noted. “We are hoping that someday soon, someone will build a new fully enclosed ice skating facility with two ice surfaces,” Heger said.