We're Not Influencers, But...

If there's one thing that I can honestly say about having a radio show is that we, at no point in time, have ever claimed to have any influence on anyone when it comes to the game of hockey. We don't have the same reach or market share as a TSN radio nor a CJOB locally, so seeing local news stories covering something we were talking about on The Hockey Show just a couple of weeks ago seems pretty cool. Of course, coverage matters and a few of these outlets did what seems like the bare minimum, but that's why we devote our show and I devote space on this blog to stories like these that need a bigger audience.

Two weeks ago, we were honoured to welcome Sledge Hockey Manitoba Vice-President and Manitoba Junior Express coach Shay Hawthorn, Sledge Hockey Manitoba Intermediate Representative and Manitoba Intermediate Express coach Les McRae, and Manitoba Intermediate Express player Austin McRae to the UMFM studios where we spoke about the sport of sledge hockey, also called parahockey, in detail as they looked to grow the game in Manitoba. It was an incredible chat, and it's something that we've pledged to continue doing so they can get the same coverage as stand-up hockey.

One of the topics we spoke about that night was getting more kids involved in the game and the prohibitive costs of doing so. Sleds are, by far, the most expensive piece of equipment that players own, and a growing child means that sleds may not even last an entire winter! There were some solutions put forth by Shay, Les, and Austin, but they all agreed that more help was needed if the sport was to grow as freely as it potentially could with those barriers removed.

Shay had suggested that the "First Shift Program" would be a good way for kids to try the sport, and she was hopeful we'd see Hockey Canada or the Winnipeg Jets help both Sledge Hockey Manitoba and Manitoba Possible do more. After all, it takes equipment, ice time, and opportunity to get kids on the ice for any flavour of hockey.

Consider me pleasantly surprised when I was listening to CBC's Information Radio on Monday morning when news host Josh Crabb read a news story about the First Shift Program that took place on the weekend at the Hockey For All Centre in west Winnipeg where Canadian Blind Hockey, the Hockey For All Centre, and Manitoba Possible came together to get Manitoba kids with visual impairments and/or mobility issues on the ice! How cool is that?

Obviously, we can take zero credit for this story nor any of the developments that led to the story, but this is exactly the kind of attention that the sports of blind hockey and parahockey need if they're going to gain any traction in this province. More people talking about it should get more people involved, and we heard on The Hockey Show that Sledge Hockey Manitoba wants to continue its positive growth. I'd imagine Blind Hockey Manitoba wants to see their numbers boosted as well, so let's keep talking about these sports!

Again, The Hockey Show is going to hold true to our pledge by having another guest this week on the show who is knee-deep in the sledge hockey world both at the provincial and national levels. Her interview should be a good one, and our hope is that more people will take notice of all the good things being done in Manitoba for both sledge hockey players and fans no matter what age one is.

With the 2025 Para Cup being played in Dawson Creek, BC right now, the final preparations are being made by the four teams at the tournament for the upcoming Paralympic Games. Canada has defeated both China and Czechia in jumping out to a 2-0 record, and they'll square off against the team that everyone is looking to beat in Team USA tomorrow. As we heard from Shay and Les, there's hope that there will be a Manitoba-born-and-trained national team player one day, and it could be Austin if he continues to improve his game!

Programs like the First Shift Program should help the game grow in Manitoba, and I'm excited to see more media outlets talking about the sports of sledge hockey and blind hockey. We'll continue our discussion this week on The Hockey Show as we want to see the sport take off in Manitoba, and we'll continue to cover the game as Sledge Hockey Manitoba has more events throughout the hockey season.

And if we can bring Blind Hockey Manitoba in for a little chatter in the future, we'll welcome them to the UMFM studio as well!

Hockey is for everyone on The Hockey Show, and it was awesome to see a handful of news outlets covering the First Shift Program for both sledge hockey players and for blind hockey players this week. My hope is we'll see more coverage by news outlets going forward!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!