Kids of all abilities hit the ice as Glace Bay welcomes sledge hockey program

New sledge hockey program for kids The Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association has welcomed sledge hockey players for the first time. Kyle Moore explains.

Children of all abilities were able to hit the ice Sunday as the Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association welcomed sledge hockey players, and a brand new program, for the first time.

“We believe that every child that wants to play hockey should be able to play hockey, regardless of ability or limitations, so it was a perfect fit,” says James Edwards, president of the Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association.

It was also a perfect fit for Steve Deveaux, who has taken on the role of co-ordinator, and whose son plays for the Cape Breton Sledge Hammers -- one of only three adult sledge hockey teams across the Maritimes.

“He had never played as part of a team, ever; that was one thing that was missing,” says Deveaux of his son. “He was a hockey nut, he still is, and to sit in a dressing room with your peers and with able-bodied players and to get in a sledge, you’re on an equal footing with them.”

Kurtis Deveaux says he wishes the program was available to him when he first started at the age of 21.

“It’s an opportunity that I kind of wish I had myself,” he says.

Like any hockey program, sledge hockey isn’t cheap. But much of the costs will be covered by Glace Bay’s successful 50-50 draw, which has allowed players a chance to hit the ice for a little, or nothing.

“We have the ice time and we have the ability and facilities to offer the program,” says Edwards.

The goal is to start small, and hopefully grow the para-program into divisions and to other minor hockey associations.

Tryout sessions will be held with schools in the area throughout the season.

For Steve Deveaux, it’s more than just a program.

“The first time that we travelled with the adult team, I had my son and I had another athlete who’s wheelchair-bound, and we left that tournament in Halifax and we were on our way back,” he recalls. “They were in the backseat arguing over calls ... and my wife was bawling in the front seat. She said, ‘Listen to them, they’re hockey players. They’re out playing hockey. They are doing the same thing that every other kid does.’”

The first sledge hockey session took place at the Canada Games Complex on the Cape Breton University campus, with more than a dozen players in attendance.

Organizers are hoping the sport will only grow from here.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kyle Moore