POWASSAN – Hockey fans are in for a real treat on Dec. 15 when North Bay’s sledge hockey team the Ice Breakers take on Powassan’s volunteer firefighters in a fundraising game at the Sportsplex.
“I’m working on increasing my upper body strength,” said Powassan fire chief Bill Cox of his preparation for the challenge of playing hockey from an ice-level position. “My guys are going to have to work hard to win this one, I think, but we’re going to give it all we have.”
Ice Breakers coach Dan Selin says that Cox and his firefighters can train all they want, “but my team will still beat the pants off them.”
This will be the first time that sledge hockey has been played at the Sportsplex “and I think it will be a really great event for everyone, players and spectators,” said Cox. “I know the firemen are really looking forward to it and all of them have said they want to play during part of the game.”
The Saturday night game will also be the first time that local teen and avid hockey player Justin Byers will return to the Sportsplex ice following a wrestling accident last fall that left him paralysed.
“Justin having joined the Ice Breakers is what got this whole idea rolling,” said Cox. “His father, Steve, one of our firefighters, will be playing on our team, but I don’t know that that will give us an advantage. The fire department thought the game would be a great opportunity for people to see what sledge hockey is all about and to help promote activities that are available in the area for young people with physical disabilities. It’s also a great opportunity for the department to get involved in community activities and give the firefighters more local visibility. Our guys are pretty physically fit, but I don’t think that’s going to mean we’ll end up the winners. The sledge hockey team has skills the firefighters won’t have once we’re on the sledges and I think we’re all going to see just how hard sledge hockey can be to play.”
Selin said the Dec. 15 game “is a great opportunity for our team. The invitation by the Powassan firemen was very much appreciated. They have no idea what a great favour they have done for these kids by allowing them to play in a new venue and by promoting sledge hockey in the area.”
The North Bay Ice Breakers was formed six years ago when Selin’s son Joshua, who has Cerebral Palsy. heard about the sport and wanted to try his hand at being a hockey player. “We have 14 on the team, ranging in age from 12 to 26,” Selin said. “While other teams may not have quite as large an age variation, in this sport the teams are based more on the disability than on age. And of course we don’t have as many players as they do in larger centres where they can accommodate more than one sledge hockey team.”
Though based in North Bay, the Ice Breakers occasionally practice in East Ferris, “but we’ve never used the Sportsplex for practices or tournaments because the arena is too cold,” he said. “We spend one or two hours in the rink and the players sit so close to the ice that we need a warm environment. The team gets tired, but it doesn’t get cold. Cold isn’t good for these kids.”
But when it comes to challenge games, the Ice Breakers are willing to play almost anywhere.
“We play in North Bay at least once a week,” said Selin, “and travel to Ottawa and Toronto for tournaments, and we expect to go to Windsor this year as well. Locally, the only other sledge hockey team is in Sudbury, so that limits our games. That’s why the team is always open to accept a challenge to play almost anywhere.”
Sledge hockey dates back to 1967 when a club-team was formed in Sweden. In 1982, sledge hockey teams started forming in Canada and in 1990, the first International Rules for sledge hockey were drafted from Canadian hockey rules.
“We play with the same number on the ice as regular hockey,” said Selin, “two defencemen, two forwards, a centre and a goalie. The only difference is that our period times often vary depending on how much total ice time we can get.”
Sledge hockey has been part of the Paralympic Games since 1994 and is one of the fastest growing winter sports. The game can be played by individuals with any form of permanent physical disability that would normally preclude that athlete from playing regular competitive ice hockey.
“The sledges can be adjusted for length, according to each players' needs, and special sledges are designed for those that require specific support or protection,” said Selin.
Athletes sit on a kind of modified snow sled that has two skate blades under it and a light metal frame that allows the puck to pass underneath. Each player has two short sticks with a hockey blade on one end and picks on the other that they use like ski poles to propel themselves forward. The rest is pretty much the same as the traditional game. On a national scale, Canada’s disabled athletes have excelled at this adaptation of our national sport, bringing home the gold from three straight international competitions in the past year.
While Cox says that’s not quite the calibre of competition he expects his firefighters to present on Dec. 15, “I really hope the community comes out to support the challenge,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a fantastic night, and a lot of fun, and I hope the Sportsplex is filled to capacity.”
Proceeds from the game will go to support the Ice Breakers’ team and the Powassan fire department.
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