Blind Hockey in Connecticut  

Can you imagine playing ice hockey with little or no eyesight at all?  Many athletes are now doing just that, as part of one of the fastest-growing para-sports across North America.  From New England to the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic, blind hockey teams are meeting regularly to practice their hockey skills, and new players are learning to skate for the first time!

As Connecticut was once home of the Hartford Whalers, it is now home of the Hartford Braillers – a blind hockey team. Team practices are held at Newington Arena. Players of any level of experience are always welcome. The game of blind hockey is played with the following adaptations:

Adaptations to the game: 

Most aspects of blind hockey remain the same as what you might see in the NHL with the following modifications:

The Puck – There is an adapted puck that is three times the size of an NHL puck that makes noise and is not just bigger but heavier than a traditional hockey puck. The large size and slower speed help visually impaired players see the puck, while the noise allows low vision or no vision players to track it.

Blind Hockey Pucks are made of hollow steel and contain 8 ball-bearings. The pucks are made by hand by welding together a steel band around 2 circular discs, filled with ball bearings, then painted black. A Blind Ice Hockey puck generally lasts for only about two highly competitive games as it becomes dented when hitting the posts, skates, sticks and the boards.

Material: 22 gauge steel

Diameter: 5 ½ inches / 14 centimeters

Height: 1 7/8 inches / 4.8 cm

Weight: 7.8 oz/ 220g

Color: Black

Contents: 8 ball bearings

The Goal – 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. 

Passing – Teams must complete one pass prior to being able to score in the attacking half of the rink, this provides both the low vision defense and the goalie an extra opportunity to track the puck.

Uniforms – Teams wear highly contrasting uniforms on the ice to improve the visibility of players.  Games typically consist of two teams: a black team and a yellow team.

Positioning – Players with the most vision (B3-B4) usually play forward positions, while players with less vision (B2-B1) tend to play defense.  All goalies have no vision (B1)  or have vision occluded.