The Wild Go Non-Verbal

I am still humbled that I was lucky enough to be one of the lone writers in attendance to witness the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championship that took place in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2009. For those that may wonder why anything would differ in the game of hockey for people who may be hearing-impaired, think about all the sounds that make the game what it is: teammates yelling for passes, coaches explaining strategy on the bench, whistles from officials, cheers from the crowd, and so much more. When one considers how much we, as the hearing-abled, may take for granted when it comes to sounds in the rink, the game played by the hearing-impaired looks a lot like the normal game with one major exception!

That exception becomes very apparent once the puck drops as all the normal things in hockey happen - offsides, penalties, icings - but the whistles blown by the officials are complemented by strobe lights placed along the boards behind the plexiglass so that players can "see" the whistle being blown as opposed to hearing it. The strobe lights are activated by an off-ice official when the whistle is blown, and the players know there is a stoppage in play.

Officials in hearing-impaired hockey are warned that the response time for the deaf hockey players may be slightly delayed as players need to have to have their heads up to see the lights, but, as players get used to playing the game with their heads up rather than looking down, the game's stoppages feel similar to that of hearing-abled ice hockey. In other words, the game looks a lot alike!

Today, the Minnesota Wild joined Minnesota Hockey in announcing that they would be launching the Minnesota Wild Deaf/Hard of Hearing ("HOH") Hockey program! This Minnesota team and league marks the first time that a hearing-impaired team will be supported at the state-affiliate level in the United States, and the new Minnesota program will see a season of programming for hearing-impaired players begin on Saturday, September 24 at the St. Louis Park Rec Center in St. Louis Park, Minnesota!

"We are really excited to be part of this amazing initiative," said Raimondo Fusco, president of Minnesota Wild Deaf/HOH Hockey. "The Minnesota Wild Deaf/HOH program will provide a great platform for the incredibly talented players in this community, from all backgrounds and abilities, to showcase their skills and continuing living life to the fullest."

For players who want to play, the Minnesota Wild Deaf/Hard of Hearing Hockey program will see players who use a number of different ways to communicate due to their hearing-impaired status play in the league. You'll see players who use sign language, some who may read lips, others who wear hearing aids, and more who communicate through interpreters on the bench. All of this allows people who are non-verbal and/or hearing-impaired to take part in the game, and Minnesota Diversified Hockey works hard in offering "five disciplines of hockey opportunities for kids and adults in Minnesota including Blind, Deaf/HOH, Special Hockey, Sled Hockey and the Minnesota Warriors"!

"Minnesota Hockey is excited to welcome the players of the Minnesota Wild Deaf//HOH program into our hockey family," said Minnesota Hockey President Steve Oleheiser. "We're proud to be a leader in Diversified Hockey, and with the start of this deaf/hard of hearing program, Minnesota Hockey takes another step toward our goal of ensuring hockey truly is for everyone."

This announcement means that the likelihood of seeing one of the Minnesota players who play in the new program on the international stage seems good. I say that because the 2021 World Dead Hockey Championship was postponed until 2025 as Vancouver, British Columbia will host the next tournament. Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, home of the UBC Thunderbirds, will host the best international hearing-impaired hockey teams from across the globe, and Team USA will almost assuredly be at the event as they look to defend the gold medal they won in 2017! The competition for roster spots will be tough on the American squad, but if the Minnesota programs plays often and at a high level there likely will be at least one player from the Minnesota Wild Deaf/Hard of Hearing ("HOH") Hockey program on that team!

Honestly, this is significant progress in the state of Minnesota, and the Wild, along with Minnesota Hockey and Minnesota Diversified Hockey, deserve a pile of kudos and recognition for making hockey more accessible to everyone. An impairment or disability should never be the reason for not being able to play or participate, and I'm all for this new partnership between the Wild and Minnesota's hockey governing body!

In the spirit of today's announcement, let's end this blog article in the only way my normal sign-off seems appropriate!