The first-ever Jeff Sauer International Deaf Hockey Series is scheduled to commence in Buffalo at the Northtown Center in Amherst this week, generating an air of excitement and anticipation.
Participants like Lex Tiahnybik, who have personal connections to the tournament, are eagerly awaiting the expansion of the deaf community’s involvement in hockey.
The American Hearing-Impaired Hockey Association (AHIHA) and the Stan Mikita Hockey School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing will be co-hosting the four-day event at the Northtown Center, which was previously the site of the 2017 Deaf Ice Hockey World Championships.
The games are due to start on Thursday, with the men’s championship game scheduled for Sunday. Tickets are priced at $5 per game or $15 for the entire tournament, while admission for children aged 12 and under is free.
The event has been established in tribute to Jeff Sauer, the former head coach of the USA men’s deaf team, who had a significant impact on the sport before his passing in 2017.
The men’s tournament will feature teams from the United States, Canada, Czech Republic, and Finland, while the women’s tournament will showcase teams from the USA and Canada.
A camp steeped in tradition
Each player on the USA team has a direct connection to AHIHA and the Stan Mikita Hockey School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, which has been in existence for over 50 years.
Mikita, an NHL Hall of Famer, cultivated relationships with the deaf community through his friend, Irv Tiahnybik, and his son Lex. The camp, founded in 1973, has been a platform for nurturing talent and encouraging the participation of deaf and hard of hearing athletes in the sport.
Lex Tiahnybik, expressing the enduring impact of the camp, remarked, “It’s amazing, and I’m really proud. Before my dad passed away … he said, ‘Make sure you keep that hockey school going.’ I said, ‘Yes, I will.’ I promised him.”
Today, the camp serves as a talent pool for Team USA.
“All these players have grown up playing together, and then come back and compete for their country,” Kevin Delaney, USA men’s team leader, remarked.
Furthermore, the bond among players goes beyond the ice, with former participants returning to observe the continued growth of the sport. Michelle Gintoli and Jessica Goldberg, captains of the USA women’s team, embody the enduring impact of the camp. Having attended the camp when they were younger, they understand the significance of the hockey community in their lives.
Creating a level playing field
At a practice session for the USA men’s team, head coach Joe Gotfryd is assisted by interpreters who sign for the players during the session. The team is composed of players with varying degrees of hearing loss, and players are not allowed to use hearing aids during the games.
Sam Holzrichter, a forward for the USA men’s team, emphasized that, despite the challenges, the only difference is that they cannot hear. He highlighted that deaf players tend to have better visual awareness on the ice and shared some of the adjustments they make during the game.
He said, “So, deaf players tend to have better vision than hearing players. We have to look around more, especially when we go into the corners – like we have to check all corners, like our shoulders, make sure no one’s creeping up on us or anything.”
He also noted that players utilise the glass as a mirror to monitor their opponents instead of relying on verbal communication.
Empowering women in the game
The USA women’s team, managed by Mark Goldberg and coached by Rock Einersen, is prepared to compete against the Canadian team multiple times. The team is also scheduled to make a community outreach visit to St. Mary’s School for the Deaf in Buffalo, demonstrating their commitment to fostering strong relationships within the deaf community.
Paige Downey, a 15-year-old player, expressed her excitement about getting to know her teammates and connecting with people who share similar experiences.
“It means a lot, it’s cool,” Downey said. “Where I’m from, I only know like a couple people that are even like hard of hearing. So this is a very new, different thing. So it’s cool to see people that relate to me, and we kind of all have inside jokes and like all that stuff.”
The significance of coming together as a team is also felt by Kailey Niccum, a college Division III champion, who shared, “It’s a lot of fun. It’s crazy coming here and seeing that everyone else shares the same experiences as you, and you don’t really have a lot of people that understand what it is to be deaf. So, coming here, and like seeing everyone else have the same struggles and same accomplishment as you, it’s just incredible.”
The schedule for the event is as follows:
– Refer to original article for schedule
The inaugural Jeff Sauer International Deaf Hockey Series is set to be a landmark event in the deaf hockey community, showcasing the remarkable journey of talented athletes and celebrating their contributions to the beloved sport.