7th Canadian Deaf Ice Hockey Championship starts Thursday
Apr 29, 2008 - 12:00 PM
By Ryan Chalmers
WHITBY -- Even though these hockey players have a disability, it doesn't stop them from putting on one heck of a show.
The 7th Canadian Deaf Ice Hockey Championship/Roy Hysen Cup will take place in Whitby this year at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre on May 1-3.
The tournament attracts hockey players with hearing loss from all across the country. There will be four teams competing for the cup, the BC Rockies, Western Prairies, Team Quebec and the defending champion Ontario Stars. There will be scouts on hand to select 30 players to attend a training camp in the fall where successful athletes will participate in the first World Deaf Ice Hockey Championship in Winnipeg and the Winter Deaflympics in Slovakia in 2011.
Danny Daniels, who currently resides in Whitby, will be the host chairperson for the event. He is also the president of the Canadian Deaf Ice Hockey Federation, the general manager of the Ontario Stars and has been a part of Deaf Hockey since he played for Ontario at the age of 17.
"The best thing about this tournament is the chance to meet new people and see old friends," says Daniels, a 51-year-old father of four. "We get to share our experiences within hockey and our deaf culture."
Roy Hysen is the founder of Canadian deaf hockey and brought the sport to the Deaflympics in 1991.
One interesting aspect of the games is how the players are able to communicate with one another and to acknowledge the referees' whistle.
"The hockey rinks will be equipped with strobes (flashing lights) to catch the players attention when there is a blown whistle," explains Daniels. "The players usually find the open man on the ice using the reflection on the glass."
Daniels, who was raised in North York, wasn't born deaf. He lost his hearing do to illness when he was four-years-old. He attended Northern Secondary School, a football powerhouse in the 1970's where he was the first deaf player ever to make the team.
Living in Whitby since 1998, Daniels is hoping for all the players to have a great experience and for hockey fans of all sorts to come out and watch.
"In my opinion, the society that we live in thinks that deaf people do not have the ability to play sports well," he notes. "This is to prove to everyone that we are able to. We are humans like everyone else, we just can't hear. We hope this event will educate society of the wonderful lives we live.
"We are proud deaf people," Daniels adds. "We are looking forward to an exciting tournament here in Whitby. Everyone is more than welcome to come out and watch."
Ryan Chalmers is a Durham College journalism student currently on placement with Metroland Durham Region Media Group
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