The AAHA was established in 2000 after six amputee hockey players were
invited to St. Petersburg, Russia to compete in an exhibition match against
Russian amputees in the World Ice Hockey Championship.
The team returned home with a desire to bring together other amputees
who play hockey, offer a competitive and therapeutic outlet on the ice, and
promote the sport across the country.
Since its establishment as the leading organization for amputee hockey
players, the AAHA has provided opportunities for hundreds of Americans
to continue enjoying the passion and exhilaration that comes from playing
hockey, as well as introducing new opportunities for amputees who have
never set a blade on the ice before.
Sled Hockey
Created in the 1960s at a rehabilitation center in Stockholm, Sweden, sled
hockey has grown tremendously in areas all around the world. Known as
“sledge” outside of the United States, the sport has garnered great success
on national and international levels and is recognized as one of the most
popular Paralympic sports.
As the Tampa area has become a mecca for Florida hockey in recent years,
hometown hero Declan Farmer has continued to break through personal
boundaries on the ice and become a renowned professional sled hockey
player.
Farmer, who was born as a bilateral amputee, is a two-time Paralympic gold
medalist representing the USA National Team. Farmer began competing in
sled hockey at the age of nine, and over the past 12 years, the 21-year-old
has become a world champion of sled hockey.
While following many of the same rules as traditional ice hockey, sled
hockey players also use modified equipment and gear when playing. Hockey
sleds accommodate amputees, paraplegic, and other hockey players with
disabilities that prevent them from standing up while playing. These sleds
are specially designed with two hockey skate blades on the bottom so that
players can smoothly glide across the ice. In addition to the sled, each
player uses two sticks instead of one, equipped with metal pics on the butt
ends that allow players to propel themselves across the ice. Goalies also
have metal pics sewn in to the backside of their gloves so that they can
maneuver in front of the goal more easily.
Overall, sled hockey was the most largely represented discipline at the
Disabled Hockey Festival, with both youth and adult teams competing in
various events, as well as the Sled Hockey National Championship.
Warrior Hockey
The Festival’s warrior discipline was represented by 20 teams from across
the country who competed in three categories for A, B, and C-level players.
As one of the newest disciplines to disabled ice hockey, warrior hockey
consists of disabled or injured American military members and veterans,
welcoming those who have prior experience playing, as well as those who
have never played hockey before seeking therapeutic activities.
New warrior programs have been created on both local and national levels,
providing many great resources for those returning from the line of duty
defending the United States. These programs encompass both standing
and sled hockey with the goal of including all injured or disabled military
veterans. In addition to the representation at the Disabled Hockey Festival
this spring, the Tampa area will also host the Department of Defense
Warrior Games from June 21-30 this summer. The event is expected to bring
more than 300 wounded service members representing the United States,
Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
Champions of Disabled Hockey
As the festivities came to a close in the Bay area, 14 champions were
named among the blind and sled hockey disciplines, with both adult and
youth hockey players representing a dozen teams from coast to coast.
Discipline Championship Game
Blind Hockey Team North 10, Team West 0
Sled Hockey Nationals Philadelphia Flyers 2, Hurricanes Sled
Hockey 1
Sled Hockey Adult Tier II Colorado Avalanche 4, Minnesota Wild 1
Sled Hockey Adult Tier III San Diego Ducks 7, Palm Beach Tiger
Sharks 1
Sled Hockey Adult Tier IV Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Turnstone Flyers 0
Sled Hockey Adult Tier V RoughRiders 1, Carolina Sled Hockey 0
Sled Hockey Youth Tier I Space Coast Blast 2, NOW Arctic Wolves 0
Sled Hockey Youth Tier II Mighty Penguins 3, Sharks Sled Hockey 0
Sled Hockey Youth Tier III San Diego Jr. Ducks 5, Wisconsin Skeeters
0
Sled Hockey Youth Tier IV Colorado Avalanche 4, Spaulding
Sledgehogs 2
Warrior Hockey American
Division
MN Warriors Twin Cities 6, MN Warriors
Duluth 2
Warrior Hockey Freedom
Division
Capital Beltway Warriors 5, Blackhawks
Warriors 3
Warrior Hockey Liberty
Division
MN Warriors Duluth 5, Pittsburgh
Warthogs 1
Photo Credit: Cindy Eccles-Earth-Life Studios
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