For the first time, a special-needs ice hockey program is skating into the Orillia area.
Orillia Eagles Special Needs Hockey is starting in September and is looking for co-ed players of various skill levels and ages from across Simcoe County and Muskoka for its teams. They will be playing at the Rama MASK.
The program is a new chapter of Special Hockey International (SHI). SHI started in the United States in 1996 and now boasts teams across North America and Europe. It hosts an international tournament annually, attracting more than 70 teams.
The local program is being stickhandled by Ed Hunter, of Dalrymple, who ran a similar program in Innisfil for 15 years.
“After 15 years of travelling, it was time to bring a team here. There is a need for it. There is nothing (like this) between Barrie and North Bay,” he said.
“It’s for the intellectually disabled, individuals with Down syndrome, autism, or any kind of learning difficulty or any reason they cannot thrive in mainstream hockey.”
He said the value of playing hockey for individuals with special needs cannot be overstated.
“Without SHI, I never would have been able to play hockey. I always wanted to before, but I was never able to,” said Ed’s son, Matt, 30.
“It gets me out of the house and it gives me the opportunity to see my friends every Saturday and lets me play one of my favourite sports.”
SHI is different from regular hockey in a few ways. The three divisions — junior, intermediate and senior — are based on skill rather than age. For example, the junior division is for entry-level players.
Players are welcome from the age of five, and skating aids are available for those who haven’t yet learned to skate. Plus, there will be certified coaches and mentors on the ice to help the players, said Hunter.
Matt plays on the intermediate team, and there are players from the age of 14 to 40 in the division.
“You don’t age out,” said Hunter.
Hunter’s sons — Matt, Adam, 18, and Brady, 13 — all play hockey and strive to help new players.
“The intermediates help the juniors learn to skate and they enjoy it. That’s how I like to run my clubs,” he said.
The Eagles program prioritizes players’ physical and emotional development over competition, he explained.
“They are going to learn life skills, and a hockey game happens,” said Hunter. “Some of these kids take five minutes to get down the ice.”
Matt, who plays all positions, but often is a netminder, said, “If I play in a junior game and I know that there’s a player that needs a goal, I’ll slice it in my net because I want opportunities for kids that don’t really score.”
Brady loves playing goal and he also gives new players a shot at a goal, even though he could stop the puck.
Adam, at well over six feet tall, plays both forward and defence, but also helps others.
“For example, Adam will pass the puck to a kid who hasn’t scored yet. When that kid scores that goal and you look up in the stands and see their parent crying, that’s the life skill,” said Hunter.
“They will go to school and tell them it’s a breakaway goal at 60 miles per hour, and none of that is true, but let them do that. It’s wonderful that way. That’s what’s special about SHI hockey.”
Ice hockey is not a Special Olympics sport. It is unlikely to become one because of the liability of steel skate blades, said Hunter.
Brady, Adam and Matt also take part in Special Olympics sports. They all play baseball in the summer and basketball in the winter. Adam also plays floor hockey.
The Orillia Eagles is a non-profit and run separately from the Orillia Minor Hockey Association.
The fee will be about $450 per player. Hunter is working on getting sponsorships, which may offset the cost. Special-needs individuals can get support through their associated social agencies. If they are older than 18, the full fee will be covered.
Players will need full equipment, but Hunter does not want that to be a barrier.
“We will offer equipment to our group. We always have skates and all kinds of stuff,” he said.
He is trying to fill junior and intermediate teams. They will play teams including Barrie, Newmarket, Toronto and North Bay. There is an annual tournament in Kitchener every February and the opportunity to play in the SHI international tournament, which will be in the Toronto area for the next couple of years.
Registration will begin in September at the Rama MASK.
More information is available by calling Hunter at 705-238-9420 or emailing him at [email protected]. More about SHI can be found at specialhockeyinternational.org.
