SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The locker room looks the same, but instead of skates, it’s sleds with blades on the bottom.
They're for “anyone that has a condition, disability that prevents them from being able to stand up on skates,” said Joshua Gromer, the Executive Director of the Coyotes Sled Hockey Association.
Gromer grew up playing hockey but a stroke left him with limited mobility in his leg. Sled hockey gave him the chance to get back on the ice and the chance to connect with other people who understand what he’s feeling.
“In our day-to-day lives not everyone can relate to things we face with a disability,” Gromer said.
Each team is allowed to roster two able-bodied players alongside the rest of the team as they compete across the country. The Coyotes Sled Hockey Association was in Tampa last month to compete in the USA Hockey Sled Classic and will be in New Mexico and Denver for tournaments later this season.
“It's just exhilarating, right, it’s fun to be out here,” said defenseman Dennis Grant.
Grant grew up playing football and worked as a corrections officer until an accident in 1993.
“I was driving a bus full of inmates... a semi hit us head-on,” Grant recalled. “It killed my partner and killed the trucker. I was 24. My wife and I had been married for seven months. She was 23. I’ve been alive longer without legs than I was with them.”
When his son began playing hockey, Grant was approached by another person in a wheelchair at the rink.
“He said, ‘Hey have you ever thought of playing sled hockey?’ and I told him I’ve never heard of it,” Grant said. Two nights later he was in a sled. “I just flat fell in love with it immediately. A 'love at first sight' kind of thing.”
Goaltender Michael Smith lost his leg in a Navy helicopter crash in 1981.
“I gave it a try and I liked it so this year, I came out and gave it 100%,” Smith told ABC15. “And it's given it back.”
The Arizona Coyotes help fund the program.
“Grants which pay for ice time equipment travel. Our players don't pay for anything,” Gromer said. “The organization can pay for that because of the support from the NHL team.”
“The biggest thing is that hockey is for everyone. We want to continue to grow hockey in Arizona,” said Tyler Millar, the Arizona Coyotes DEI Coordinator of Hockey Development.
The hope is sled hockey’s growth in Arizona is just getting started.
“You’ve got to give it a try,” Smith said. “You can’t sit at home feeling sorry for yourself.”
“We have to realize I can still live a productive life,” Grant said. “I can still go out there and do things.”
The Coyotes Sled Hockey Association is always looking for more volunteers and players. There are clinics in the summer and practices throughout the season.
You can find out more about the Coyotes Sled Hockey Association by clicking here.
