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Six Teams Headed to 2015 Disabled Hockey Festival

By Minnesota Hockey, 04/07/15, 8:15AM CDT

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The 2015 USA Hockey Disabled Hockey Festival will take place in Buffalo, NY on April 9-12.

Hockey is a sport that welcomes players or all levels and abilities. That fact will be on display this weekend at USA Hockey’s Disabled Hockey Festival in Buffalo, New York.

The four different disciplines of disabled hockey will be celebrated: special hockey, sled hockey, deaf/hard of hearing hockey and the Warriors program — which is for injured veterans.

“It’s an opportunity for disabled hockey teams across the nation to come together and play on one weekend,” Toni Gillen said, director of USA Disabled Hockey, Minnesota district.

The festival is a celebration of disabled hockey and serves as an event to grow the game. Over 50 teams will be in attendance this year, including a sizable contingent from Minnesota. Two special hockey teams, three sled teams and Minnesota’s warriors program will be making the trip.

The special hockey portion of the weekend, which is for people with developmental disabilities, is more recreational, while sled hockey will participate in a tournament.

For the sled hockey teams, this year marks a special occasion. The two metro-area teams, the youth and adult team, will wear the Minnesota Wild name at the festival for the first time. The third sled team, Hope Inc. which is based out of Moorhead, is making the trip.

Nashville forward and Virginia, MN native Matt Cullen was one of the first supporters of Hope Inc., helping them get their program off the ground.

“They’re really just a group of individuals that went out on their own and just made it happen,” Gillen said. “They’ve really started to grow as a program and it’s kind of neat to see them as a part of it this year.”

While the game is growing within the State of Hockey, it’s also on the rise nationally. In 2017, the festival will be hosted in San Jose, where in the past it’s normally been held in the Midwest or North East.

The move west represents the expansion of disabled hockey across the nation. Gillen noted they’re continually trying to expand and mentioned they’re looking at Florida as a possible host in the future as they have a strong program on the rise.

Overall, the main goal of the festival, and the sport, is to remind these athletes that they are just that: athletes. 

“Every single person that plays disabled hockey has had to overcome something to be there,” Gillen said. “They’ve never been able to just put on skates and get on the ice.

“The fact that the sport is out there gives them at common denominator and to be a part of a team. This is a chance for them to say ‘I’m not disabled, I’m a hockey player.’”

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