By Sandra Di Monte
The Blind Hockey season started quietly as a try-hockey event on November 14, 2015, to gauge interest in the sport. The response was so positive, AHAI, USA Hockey and the Chicago Blackhawks threw their support behind the team, and the Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey team was born.
The players are all legally blind and range in age from 5 to 40-plus. They arrive with experience from learn-to-skate to some players having played on a hockey team previously.
The Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey Team skates out of Center Ice of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Over the ten-week season the players got to know how to put on their gear, hit the ice and work with one another, passing the puck, communicating position and having fun. The remarkable progress made by the players in such a short time can be credited to their hard work and practice, as well as the excellent coaching staff lead by Mike Svac.
The inaugural season of Blind Hockey culminated with a scrimmage game against the AHAI refs and a team celebration awarding the players and coaches for a job well done.
Next, it was off to Fraser, Michigan, to the 2016 USA Hockey National Disabled Hockey Festival for two players. Brothers, Matt and Luke Miller were selected as team representatives at the first combined USA-Canada Blind Hockey event at the festival. The games were a highlight of the festival and were covered by local media. Click HERE to view photos on Facebook. For more information about Blind Hockey, check out the great video below!
Categories: Hockey Headlines