Press Release
Hockey Northwestern Ontario, in affiliation with Hockey Canada and Lakehead University Thunderwolves, is pleased to announce that select members of Canada’s national men’s sledge hockey team will be coming to Thunder Bay on March 27-29 in conjunction with the 2009 Cavendish University Cup.
The players will be participating in a wide variety of activities aimed at promoting the sport of sledge hockey to Northwestern Ontario residents.
HNO general manager John Pucci is excited about introducing local residents to this sport.
“Right now, sledge hockey is one of the most popular sports in the Paralympics, and Canada’s interest in this sport has been rising ever since the men’s national team won the gold medal at the 2006 Winter [Games] in Italy.
“The skill and athleticism required to play the sport at an elite level is truly amazing,” he added.
Fans at this year’s Cavendish University Cup will be able to witness this skill first-hand via shootout demonstrations from the Hockey Canada Sledge Hockey Team players during the first intermission of games on Friday, March 27.
The players will be holding a meet-and-greet/autograph session during their stay in Thunder Bay.
One or more “open ice sessions” also will be held at the Fort William Gardens on Sunday, March 29, where members of the general public will have the opportunity to try sledge hockey on-ice with the national team athletes.
Hockey Canada will be providing sleds for these sessions.
Pucci encourages everyone to come out and give the sport a try.
“You’ll be hooked,” he enthused. “It’s a great way to stay fit, and have a ton of fun at the same time.”
Pucci plans on using this event as a launching pad for what he hopes will be a long and successful relationship between Thunder Bay residents and the sport of sledge hockey.
“Thunder Bay is already such a famous hockey town,” he noted. “How awesome would it be if we could develop enough local talent to send a local player to the Olympics?”
Anyone interested in participating in one of the open-ice sessions is encouraged to register online by submitting their name, phone number, and e-mail address to sledgehockey@hockeyhno.com
Sledge hockey is an innovative team sport that incorporates the same rules and discipline structure as regular ice hockey.
Sledge hockey players sit on specially-designed sleds, or “sledges,” with skate blades under the seat. Two sticks are used to not only pass, stickhandle, and shoot the puck, but also to propel and maneuver their sledges.
Originally developed for athletes with a disability, sledge hockey has grown in popularity all across Canada as a physically-demanding sport that can be enjoyed by both disabled and able-bodied athletes alike.
