Local athletes help bring blind hockey to Calgary

In hopes of growing the game internationally, Canadian and American blind hockey players took to the ice at Calgary's Winsport Arena to showcase the sport.

Among them were three Red Deer area athletes, Blake Schneider, Tristan Lindberg and Corey Gaskin, who were lined up for two games on May 4 and 5.

Canadian Blind Hockey has partnered with Hockey Canada to host two blind hockey games during the 2024 Para Ice Hockey Championship.

Blind hockey is played by blind or partially sighted athletes using a puck that is larger than a traditional puck and makes more noise.

The tournament features 15 members of the Canadian blind hockey team and seven members of the USA team. Several top candidates also competed in the tournament.

The reason for the exhibition was to increase interest in the sport internationally, as blind hockey is played only for entertainment purposes in many countries. National team programs exist only in Canada and the United States.

They hoped to represent the sport to six of the world's top Para hockey nations, which currently do not have blind hockey teams, including the Czech Republic, China, South Korea, Italy, Japan and Slovakia. The goal is to one day include blind hockey in the Paralympic Games.

Lindbergh, who moved to Sylvan Lake a year ago, said it's exciting to be a part of.

“It was the fastest hockey I think I've played in blind hockey this year,” he said. “I think when we put teams together, it creates a very high level of hockey.”

The 27-year-old defenseman has played hockey all his life. He first played traditional hockey between the ages of five and 20. He took a few years off before playing blind hockey.

He now plays regularly for the Central Alberta Bullseye blind hockey team and also represents his country on the international stage for the Canadian blind hockey team.

Since Canada and the USA are the only two countries with teams, Lindbergh explained that they play the USA several times throughout the year, usually in the form of a three-game series. They recently competed in a series in St. Louis.

Lindbergh is classified as B3 in blind hockey, which means he is still partially sighted. He is also considered one of the best blind hockey defensemen in the world.

“Every kid's dream in hockey is to wear the maple leaf for their country. Those dreams go out the window when you don't see it, but it's great because it's a dream come true,” he said.

He explained that he has had good success in showing the sport in Calgary and has even received interest from other countries.

“There were several countries that came and watched. “They wanted to organize some matches and one country even took home one of our pucks to show people in their country the sport,” he said. “There was good interest.”

Gaskin, who has played goalie for the Bullseye in Red Deer for five years, said this is the first time he has been called upon to play at an elite level competition. It wasn't just the explosion he thought was playing loudly between the pipes.

“I feel like I played well. It was the first time for me to play against a lot of top guys. There were a lot of national team guys there,” he said.

“I've had a few training sessions with the national guys, but nothing like a full game. It was very interesting.”

As a goalkeeper, the 38-year-old explained that the opposing players had some really strong shots but felt more comfortable as the game went on. It is certainly not easy to play.

All goalkeepers are blindfolded for in-game action, regardless of their blindness. It relies on other senses like sound to save them.

“You're hearing and your teammates around you are yelling at you where the puck is,” he said. “I have been blind all my life and have learned to rely on my hearing. It's natural for me.”