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There is a first of its kind taking place at the Mattamy Athletic Centre this weekend for the sports news and sports on the web. The event is a hockey tournament for the visually impaired, commonly referred to as “Blind Hockey” although that term is a little misleading. The players have  visual impairments ranging from legally blind – approximately 10% vision or less – to fully blind.

Blind Hockey

The game has it’s roots in Montreal where it was first played in a small tournament back in 2011.  But the event at the old Maple Leaf Gardens is the first full blown tournament with a large number of participants. The blind version is similar to regular hockey in every way except the puck is bigger and makes a noise so the players can track it. Allsports thinks there would be a certain amount of stealth strategy used on the ice so as not to give away your position on the ice. But one also has to wonder just how the players track their position on the ice and when they are running out of it and in peril of running head long into the boards. I guess with practice it becomes a special sense that the players develop. The event is sponsored by Courage Canada who’s motto is “Bringing the Blind to the ice, One stride at a time”.

A blind hockey game.

Allsports likes the idea because anytime the great game of hockey can be shared with more people the better the game can become. Who knows maybe a few years from now we will see,  pardon the pun, a World Championship of hockey for the blind.

Here is a video with some explanation and game action for your enjoyment.

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb

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Filed under: Hockey