Blind Hockey Player
The sight of the visually impaired players ranges from legally blind or 20 200 corrected vision to entirely blind with goalies typically having the least vision on the team.
Blind hockey player. By gemma karstens smith staff reporter. One woman s story about a blind hockey player competing in the national blind hockey tournament. Photo cody mello klein people hear blind hockey and they think it s crazy and i kind of thought the same thing but she connected me with the team and i went out and gave it a try charlie said.
Blind hockey is an excellent spectator sport as it is easily recognizable to the average hockey fan with minimal rule adaptations to help with gameplay and player safety. Players levels of vision range from legally blind approximately 10 vision or less to totally blind. Blind ice hockey or hockey sonore as it is known in french has national teams in canada and the usa with around 400 regular players across north america.
Most of them have no vision whatsoever. Mabou a member of canada s national blind hockey team was involved in an atv accident last weekend. Custom 3 foot high nets are used rather than the traditional 4 foot nets to keep the puck low and near the ice so it can make noise and be tracked aurally.
A team mate s shot left great britain forward sam ward virtually blind in one eye but after returning to action for his club he is now aiming for the 2020 olympics. Blind hockey player finds courage on the ice. Hockey is more than a game for mark demontis.
The blind hockey summit is now an annual usa hockey sanctioned event which brings players and administrators together from across the country to play and grow the sport. As one of the fastest growing segments of disabled hockey blind hockey is a great opportunity for those individuals with vision impairment to be a part of the best sport in the world ice hockey. Alex angus maceachen of mabou was injured in the accident and transported to hospital.
In blind hockey the puck is larger and filled with ball bearings to allow players to track the puck audibly.
