I know it was only last week we did a show about zambonis, but we’re going back out on the ice!
The NHL All Star Game was last weekend, but that’s not the only game in town.
And a growing number of hockey fans are paying attention to blind hockey, where, like on podcasts, the emphasis is on sound.
In most ways blind hockey is like standard hockey, but because players in these leagues are either fully blind or have 10 percent vision or less, there are a few differences, all aimed at amplifying the sound of the game for the players.
For example, the puck itself makes noise as it moves – it’s often filled with ball bearings – and it’s larger and heavier than a standard puck.
The nets are three feet high instead of four, and referees use several whistles to signify players about what’s happening in the game.
Blind hockey has been played for decades in Canada, but in the US it only began in 2014, when American and Canadian players came together for the first annual Blind Hockey Summit.
That summit has been held every year since and it’s now an officially sanctioned USA Hockey event.
That’s in addition to nearly a dozen blind hockey teams in the US, featuring hundreds of players.
All of which means we’re likely to hear more from these players in the future.
Every guitar can make music, and some can also make statements.
Indian County Today recently reported on a Telecaster guitar owned by musician Richard Anderson Jr. that’s been signed by 16 Navajo code talkers, who created the unbreakable code used by the US Marines in World War II.
Anderson’s been adding signatures to the guitar since 2002 and uses the guitar at music camps to teach young Navajo about the Code Talkers – and, of course, about music.
‘It’s Freeing’: Hockey League Gives Visually Impaired Players An Opportunity To Hit The Ice (CBS New York)
They can’t see, but blind hockey players can pass, shoot and score (Washington Post)
Fender Telecaster signed by 16 Navajo Code Talkers (Indian Country Today)
