Each October starts a new sled hockey season, my favorite time of year. You never know what to expect until that first meeting, when we find out which players have returned and the coaches announce our schedule. This year I was assigned to B Team again, and because the league we tried to put together last season crashed and burned, our coach had to find teams for us to play outside the two national tournaments.

To make a long story short, A Team had about the worst season possible. While they fielded two Paralympians, other teams in their tournaments had four or more. Midway through the season they combined forces with the St. Louis team, but even that didn’t help and they finished the entire year with just one victory.

Meanwhile, a few of our slower players didn’t return, and we picked up a rookie, a wheelchair basketball player to took to hockey like a fish to water. Most of us had also attended the optional twice weekly practices all summer. B Team was suddenly a faster and more experienced team.

California Dreaming

Our first tournament was the NHL Sled Classic, this time held in Anaheim, CA. We were placed in our usual bracket, Tier 5. It was evident at the first puck drop that we were playing on a different level. Four games later, we had smoked all our opponents and won the championship. It’s nice to win, but when it’s that lopsided, it’s not as much fun.

One thing about this trip was how horrible the tournament was run. The customary reception featured pizza from Costco, for example. But we did get to see a few cool sites in California, and we rode in a helium balloon that took us over the sports complex where we played.

A warm welcome to sunny California
A warm welcome to sunny California
I keep running into this guy
I keep running into this guy
Free balloon ride!
Free balloon ride!

Along for the Ride

Without an official league, we tagged along on A Team trips to St. Louis and Colorado, and hosted our own weekends in Chicago. We played B teams from St. Louis, Colorado, and Anaheim, which were mainly Tier 2 or Tier 3 teams. We didn’t win much, but we gained a lot of experience against those better teams.

One highlight of those trips was that Steve Cash, three time Paralympic gold medal goalie and hockey hall of famer, had decided to retire and skate as a forward with the St. Louis B team. We played against him in his first game, and he scored his first goal against us. It was surreal being on the ice and skating much faster than him. But he’s a very humble and nice person and he even hung out with us outside the rink a few times.

Game time!
Game time!

The St. Louis Blues

The second national tournament, the Disabled Hockey Festival, was held in St. Louis. We went in asking for Tier 4 due to our success earlier in the year, but they put us back in Tier 5. We did well the preliminary games, but in the second game on a Saturday, we lost our semifinal to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This tournament was run even worse than the first one. We were supposed to have two refs per game, but for most games we only had one, and he missed several calls including a few goals. Our two teams played in three different rinks, and no two successive games were played at the same rink. So our coach was constantly driving a van with our gear from rink to rink. On our last day, we had two games at two rinks just hours apart. If we had made it to the finals, we would have played on Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, and then at 7am Sunday morning. This is technically against USA hockey tournament rules, but apparently the organizers didn’t care.

Wiener mobile sighting outside St.Louis
Wiener mobile sighting outside St.Louis

Into (Formerly) Tundra Country

In June, the Hendrickson Foundation Hockey Festival is held in Blaine, MN. This is outside our normal season, so a few teammates and I played a few times for the team from Alaska. All the while, we were working on sending a Blackhawks team. Finally this year we convinced our coach, and we sent a mixed A/B team of 7 skaters and our A Team goalie to Minnesota. For me, this was the best case scenario. I got to test myself playing at a higher level (these were Tier 2 teams), but without any Paralympians players around to dominate.

There was one slight issue. My youngest was graduating high school the day before the tournament started, so instead of driving with my teammates I flew in the morning of the first game. Fortunately it was smooth sailing and I made it with time to spare.

Glibertarians.com sent roving reporter Pope Jimbo to cover the action:

It was a sweltering weekend here in Sunny Minnesoda, but the heat index couldn’t hold a candle to the red hot Chicago Blackhawk sled hockey team that sauntered into town. The Blackhawks were led by a steely-eyed, hard checking defenseman we all know as The Other Kevin. TOK led his team to yet another championship at this year’s tournament.

Your humble reporter was unable to make the preliminary rounds where the sacrificial goats went down 3-1 and 6-1 (he learned about the scores from an anonymous tipster who sent a gloating text about the Blackhawk’s dominance).

The next day, the reporter managed to escape from his editor who wanted him to do more yardwork and caught the Blackhawks playing the Minnesoda Wild. In a blatant attempt to intimidate our favorite sons of Chicago, the Wild were being coached by 4 current and former NHL Wild players.The reporter only knew this because a couple of young girls in front of him were telling their mom who they were. The only two the reporter remembers were Spurgen and Foligno. They really squealed over Foligno. The reporter asked them about our man #2 on the Blackhawks, but such was their pro-Minnesoda bias that they refused to admit that TOK was clearly the better catch.

The intimidation didn’t work. TOK turned his steely gaze on his teammates and they responded by stiffening their spines and winning 2-1. The first goal was set up when TOK checked the Wild player with the puck that was leading the rush. TOK’s bone crunching hit jarred the puck loose and it went to a teammate who flipped it forward to another Blackhawk for a breakaway goal.

Clinging to a 1-0 goal, the Wild nearly had a break away goal themselves, but #2 on the Blackhawks determinedly skated the Wild player down and kept them from getting a clean shot. TOK also cleared the puck away from the goal after it rebounded in front of the goalie. The locals were all groaning that their best chance of the day had been thwarted.

The entire town was buzzing about the big Championship Game on Sunday. Your reporter – living up to the highest standards of journalism – can’t for the life of himself remember the name of the Blackhawk’s opponent so he will just make up a name here: Florida Blaze? (Editor’s Note: It was Space Coast Blast).

The game was truly an epic clash of titans. Both teams came out and gave (and got) the best of themselves. Each team had plenty of good shots on goal. Both goalies were on fire though and only one goal – until a late empty netter – was scored.

It was a physical game too. The Blackhawks showed their wokeness by ringing the bell of a girl on the Florida Blaze (no chivalry here!) in a nasty pileup in the corner. Our own TOK had to wobble his way back to the bench at one point after another big pileup.

In the end, though, Truth, Honor and The American Way triumphed and the Blackhawks took away the trophy (which was a big wooden belt) again this year. After the game the Blackhawks were still coming to grips with their win. Even having to talk to a local journalo couldn’t dampen their enthusiasm. They gushed about how good of a game the championship had been.

All in all, your intrepid reporter had a great time watching the sled hockey tournament this year. The level of competition was much better than it had been the year before. No blowouts at all, all games were hard fought and fun to watch. If TOK and his crew show up in your area, it is highly recommended that you get out to watch them.

Standings after three games
The reason I wobbled to the bench
The reason I wobbled to the bench
2023 champs!
2023 champs!
This year's hand carved trophy
This year’s hand carved trophy

A few notes about the championship game: Both goals were scored by a young player we borrowed from another Chicago team. Earlier that weekend he had scored 4 goals against Space Coast. I can only imagine that goalie’s thoughts as that same player came barreling toward him on a breakaway in the first period.

One of our teammates had a family thing so he missed the championship game. While we had to skate hard the entire weekend, the last game we had only one sub on the bench so it was all the more challenging.

While this tournament was exceptionally well run, our hotel left something to be desired. We found out the day of our arrival that the hotel parking lot was under construction, so we had to park at the hotel next door and wheel ourselves through a long sidewalk and a patch of gravel. I set a personal record by falling out of my wheelchair four times when I hit the gravel. When we weren’t falling in gravel, did get to eat at all our favorite places, including Invictus, Fat Nat’s Eggs, and Pizza Luce.

This was not my favorite hockey season, but that last tournament more than made up for it. It took us two years to get a team together, but it exceeded all my expectations, and it was my favorite hockey weekend in my 9 year career.

What’s Next

Our team might be in for some big changes next season. Three of the players we brought to Minnesota were from other teams, and it seems like they will join our team officially. I’m also hearing we might not have a separate A team, and will combine everyone into on B team that will play in Tier 2 or 3. But as always, you never know until that first team meeting in October. Until then, it’s more off season training and summer skates.