Intro to Hockey: Equipment 101

Nice summary of hockey equipment: Intro to Hockey: Equipment 101 | Minnesota Hockey.

Hockey approaches: July and August events, RSVP for Edinborough park 7/22

The 2011-2012 season is almost upon us. The July Minnesota Special Hockey calendar shows 3 big events. The biggest event of all is coming in August, we'll get it on the calendar ASAP.

Here's the summary followed by details on how to participate and volunteer

July

• 7/19: Minnesota Hockey Benefit Golf Tournament in Bunker Hills (this benefits all hockey in MN)
• 7/22: MNSH Summer Celebration at Edinborough Park (see prior post)
• 7/29; Wayzata Community BBQ fundraiser

August

• 8/27: Section 108 benefit for MN Special Hockey (http://www.section108golf.com/) - more on this next month

Details and volunteer requests for July

Minnesota Hockey Benefit Tuesday Tues 7/19 - 2-3 volunteers wanted

http://www.minnesotahockey.org/news_article/show/95578?referrer_id=80470

MN Hockey has been good to us. Susie Miller and Jane Cashin are asking for volunteers to help out ...

As a player of MN Special Hockey we hope you have an AMAZING experience on and off the ice. We feel we are a successful program, we have had a lot of success because we receive a lot of support from the State of Minnesota Hockey Community. As we were getting started we hit a lot of brick walls, however everyone time we hit a brick wall, someone from the "State of Minnesota Hockey Community" came through and knocked it down. It might have been an individual who stepped up to coach a team, it might have been a business who donated money, it might have been an organization that let us buy and even donated ice. Without the support we have received we quite honestly would probably not exist today. Periodically we ask for support from all of YOU. They like to see the skaters that are playing hockey, they want to know that they are giving to a great program that has great benefits. People who give us money prefer to see you, our players, at their events not one of us!...

.. We will be looking for a couple volunteers for the MN Hockey Annual Golf Tournament .... We might need just a couple people to help out and show our support for Minnesota Hockey. If you are interested, please contact Jane Cashin at jocashin@comcast.net.

Summer Celebration at Edinborough Park (7700 York Ave. S., Edina) Friday 7/22 from 6-8pm

Spend a night with your family and special hockey friends at Edinborough Park in Edina for just $5 per person. Cost includes Pizza, Beverages and park admission. Party is from 6-8pm.

Check in the main office to obtain your wristband for youth 12 months to 12 years old.

Please RSVP by Wednesday, July 20th to Jane Cashin (jocashin@comcast.net or 612-581-4483) with the number attending

Wayzata Fundraiser Friday 7/29 - skater volunteers wanted

Click this link for a flyer for a MN Special Hockey BBQthat one of our dedicated volunteers from the Section 108 Golf Tournament is putting on for our benefit through Keller Williams.

If you are able to help with this event, please contact Tom Schuneman at thomas.schuneman@michaelfoods.com  We would like to see 3-4 skaters there to say THANK YOU!

11:30am - 1:30pm
Keller Williams
Realty Front Parking Lot
215 Walker Avenue S
Wayzata, MN 55391

Disabled hockey videos and news page

Toni Boelter has posted some videos to the Disabled Hockey -Minnesota Hockey page ...

... Disabled Hockey Programs are supported by USA Hockey across the nation and prove that hockey is for everyBody. These programs are divided into four disciplines: Standing/Amputee, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Sled, and Special Hockey ...

The site has a news page with a feed. I've added a section to the left side of this page that will automatically display the last five articles published on the MN Hockey Disabled News page.

Section 108 5th Annual Golf Tournament

Suse Miller has written asking for golf help

On Saturday, August 22, Section 108 MN Wild Season Ticket Holders are hosting their 5th Annual Golf Tournament to Benefit MN Special Hockey. Last year this tournament donated $10,800 to us. They are asking for our help in a few areas.

1. This year with a challenging economy, they still have golf spots open. If you are interested in golfing, please email Susie Miller for more information (Susie Miller [mailto:smiller@ci.edina.mn.us] ). We can partner you up with others.

2. We are also still in need of raffle prizes. If you have time to hit the streets seeking donations, or if you have connections to obtain raffle prizes please try your best. Attached is a donation letter that you can use. Please feel free to make adjustments you see fit. Make sure to keep their information so we can send out thank you notes for tax purposes. Please contact me if you receive prizes I should pick up, or please mail them to me at 12809 Crooked Lake Blvd. NW, Coon Rapids, MN 55448

3. We need volunteers. We are seeking 2-3 families to sell raffle tickets the day of the tournament. This would be from 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 22. Please let me know if your family is available.

MN Special Hockey is the Feature Story in Let's Play Hockey

The Eagle's Toni Boelter wrote the feature story for the Dec 4th issue of the national newspaper Let's Play Hockey.

It's available online, here's a copy for us.

Let's Play Hockey Feature Story, Dec 4, 2008, Toni Boelter

By Toni Boelter

Disabled Hockey District Director for USA Hockey/Minnesota District

If you grew up in Minnesota, you can remember the feeling of putting on your skates, bundling up and getting out on the ice for a pick up game with your friends in the neighborhood. The ice was not always that even on the outdoor rinks, but that didn’t matter.

You laughed as you watched your breath float up into the air, losing the feeling in your toes as you stayed outside just a little too long and heading home for hot chocolate only after you heard your mom yell for you to come in for the hundredth time. That was what it was all about.

And the first day of practice at the arena where you got your new jersey with the number of your favorite player, whether it was Neal Broten or Wayne Gretzky, made you feel like you were part of something that would define you even after you left the rink for good. You would forever and always be known as a hockey player.

Prior to 2005 in the state of Minnesota, that dream was not always possible for all kids. If you were born with a physical or developmental disability, the world of hockey was something that belonged to your brother or sister. You could be the stick boy, the equipment manager or another fan in the stands as you cheered for a member of your family. You did not have a team of your own or a jersey with your name on it. You were a spectator to a world that until that time had been something that other kids participated in. But for 60+ kids in the State of Hockey, that dream has now become a reality.

Minnesota Special Hockey began as an event that was developed through the City of Edina’s Adaptive Recreation Program. What began as a six-week program to introduce people with disabilities to hockey, has exploded into a full blown program that now boasts three teams with over 60 players and growing.

It is an environment that welcomes all people regardless of their abilities to experience that same feeling of the ice under their feet, the joy of scoring a goal and the camaraderie of being a part of a team as they raise their trophies over their head at the year end celebration.

Special Hockey is the place where a kid can be a kid, and in a world were doors are constantly being shut, this is the one place where the answer is always yes; yes we have a team for your child, yes she will be playing in games, yes we can’t wait for the season to start.

Minnesota Special Hockey has become that place where it does not matter what your ability is off the ice, because they are all hockey players once they hit the ice. On any given Sunday at several Twin Cities area rinks you will find a group of players with enough heart and determination to rival any team in the NHL.

Players may begin their journey with us using walkers or being pushed on chairs until they can find their legs. They also could be skating circles around their coaches. The skill level varies from player to player. What becomes so remarkable is the effort that each player takes to make sure that their teammates are succeeding. It is not uncommon to see players teaching each other how to pass the puck, how to skate backwards or how to perform a hockey stop that covers each other in as much ice as possible.

John was just six years old when he first stepped on to the ice as a member of Minnesota Special Hockey Eagles of the East. To say he won my heart that day I first met him would be an understatement. Born with Down Syndrome, John could charm anyone with his huge smile and warm eyes. (He also has a bit of a mischievous streak which I think I like the most.)

He had skated before and was not sure at first if he wanted to stick around for an entire 60 minute practice. What he was sure of is that he loved the game of hockey. It had been a part of his life since he was born. His dad was a hockey player, his cousins were hockey players and he could tell you who his favorite players were on the both the Minnesota Wild and University of Minnesota Golden Gophers hockey teams.

John has been the cheering spectator in the stands and the greatest fan in the world. What he had not yet been was a hockey player with his own team.

John had made it through the first few practices and had worked his way up to skating for almost the entire 60 minutes before it was time for his first game. He got to the locker room with his dad and laced up his skates. He put on all his equipment before donning his new jersey, No. 7, with his name on the back. He was a member of the Eagles and was about to take the ice in his very first hockey game against the Stingers of the South.

As the players took to the benches in preparation for the announcement of the teams, John was not sure he wanted to skate that day. But when his name was announced and he skated to the blue line, a roar of cheers came up from the stands as 20 people stood, clapped and yelled with signs bearing his name and number. It was at that moment that a smile formed on his face that went from ear to ear. The crowd was there for him. It was his turn. John was a hockey player.

That story can be told for so many of our players as they are realizing their dreams every single Sunday during the hockey season. Some of our skaters have been skating for years. Others are still learning. While one shift is competitive, another is for everyone to have a turn. Minnesota Special Hockey is about giving every person, regardless of ability, the opportunity to play hockey.

When Minnesota Special Hockey began, there were 27 skaters. Fifteen of those skaters used chairs or walkers. By the end of our first season, we only had one chair on the ice. Our skaters want to learn and will learn how to play hockey.

Minnesota Special Hockey exists for the enrichment of the athlete with a developmental disability. In addition to physical hockey skills, the program emphasizes the development of desirable individual characteristics such as dependability, self-reliance, concentration, willingness to share and personal accountability. The game of hockey is used by Special Hockey to develop within each player the characteristics that will help the player to be more successful both inside and outside a hockey environment.

We could not exist without the amazing support of our parents, volunteers and sponsors. We are fortunate to be supported financially by Section 108, 21 for Kids, Hockey Docs, the Eagle Street Grill and of course Minnesota Hockey.

We are blessed to have volunteers from Woodbury, Edina, Blaine and various hockey teams throughout the metropolitan area. We are grateful to the associations from all over Minnesota who have assisted with developing our teams, sharing our mission and spreading the word to all that Minnesota Special Hockey is here for everyone.

And finally our parents and players who are out there every Sunday, giving their all and reminding each and every one of us that hockey is for everyone! We are witness to that every time a puck is dropped, a whistle is blown or someone skates on their own for the very first time.

If you would like to know more about Special Hockey, or know of a person who could benefit from our program, please visit our website at www.mnspecialhockey.org or contact Toni Boelter, Disabled Hockey District Director for USA Hockey/Minnesota District, at tonib@dakcom.org or 651-307-0660.

So say it with me everyone, and we mean EVERYONE! LET’S PLAY HOCKEY!

Thanks Toni for a great story! I'll add a link on our media page to the LPH page and this post. See my next post for some coverage of today's Stingers/Eagles game, I think there's a nice picture of John in there.

Introduction to the Minnesota Special Hockey organizational site (for coaches and board members)

This news announcement is only important if you're a coach, board member, or a volunteer who needs to update our calendar or share documents.

Otherwise, you can ignore it.

Our www.mnspecialhockey.org web site is provided to us by Google. It's free now, and once we get our non-profit tax number we get even more free Google services. It's a bit like having our own "IT department" - for free.

Even now Google provides some services, like shared documents and spreadsheets that we can use if we need them. They also give us some pretty good calendar services.

For now it's only the calendar we're going to be using. It will allow us to create public events everyone can see, and private events for "authorized users" only.

I've created user accounts for board members and coaches and we can add other volunteers as needed. These users can edit the calendar that's displayed on our public calendar page.

Here are some reference notes for these users:

• I sent out user names and passwords January 29th. If you need help with those email me at jfaughnan@spamcop.net.
• Everyone has an email account.The new accounts are set to forward to members' regular email address. You can test this by mailing a message to your MN Special Hockey account and seeing if you get it back. If you don't get it back let me know. If you want to use these as real email accounts you can just change the settings (see below).
• There's a start page where you can find links to the calendar, change your password, access your email (optional) and try other features: http://start.mnspecialhockey.org. There's also a link to this page on the main page of our public site. You can use this as your home page if you like!
• If you change your password don't forget it, I can reset your password but I can't find out what you change it to!

Season Kickoff and raffle

Susie sent out a letter for our season kickoff. A prior post describes the event. Here's what's new:

• Every family is supposed to sell 10 raffle tickets. If you sell 'em and can't go to the kickoff on Oct 7 then please mail the stubs to Susie by Oct 3:
  Susie Miller
  12809 Crooked Lake Blvd NW
  Coon Rapids, MN 55448
  
• There's registration info at the kickoff, on our web site (www.mnspecialhockey.org) or call Susie at 612-325-3392.
• If you need skates for the kickoff, call to reserve a pair at 612-325-3392 (Susie)
• The time is 10/7 4:20 to 5:20 (Note the start time! This is a slightly different from what I had earlier). See above link for more info.
  

If you use Google calendar this should put the event on your calendar:

Section 108 Golf Tournament - donations to MN Special Hockey

The weather could have a bit nicer, but we had a great turnout from the rugged section 108 golfers and our coaches. Susie stood for ours in the cold and wet taking pictures and schmoozing.

I missed seeing Sadie -- she met our donors as they arrived. Tim and I arrived a bit late and lost, but had a great time. Tim got to meet some Wild players and, even better, watched Coach Rick and AJ play some astounding golf. Rick tried to give AJ a chance by occasionally send the ball in odd directions, but Tim and I weren't fooled.

I have some photos online to start off our 2007-2008 album, I think Susie will have more I can add: MN Special Hockey 2007-2008 : Section 108 Golf Tournament. (The pw is MN Hockey, see our web site for more.)

Summer news: Golf tournaments: Section 108 and HockeyDocs

Susie Miller writes with an update for the 2007-2008 Season. There are TWO golf tournamens in August, one on the 18th and the other on the 27th. If you can attend either one please let Susie know.

While it is not quite time to start registering for hockey, it is a great time to register for the Section 108 golf tournament. The tournament is on August 18th, all proceeds will be given to the MN Special Hockey program. If you are not a golfer, please share this with someone who is. Also, it would be great if a few of our players could attend even for just a little bit...

The attached flyers describe how to register and where the golfing will be:

Cover of flyer (click to see larger image)



Inside of flyer (click to see larger image)


Registration form: click to expand and print



We are also going to be a part of another great tournament...please see the email below I received from one of the Hockey Docs. This tournament will be another great opportunity for our program. As stated below they would love to see some of our players at the event.

Susie also included an email from a "HockeyDocs" a MN charitable organization of hockey playing physicians. She encourages our hockey players to drop in and say hello.

Emphases and some edits are mine, the event is a golf tournament and dinner. (Note: not all physicians play golf - neither I nor my wife play!)

.... I have already visited the [MN Special Hockey] website and Lenore had told me about it too. It does sound amazing and it fits in nicely with the HockeyDocs mission of raising money for Minnesota kids.

We are expanding our venue this year and Mark Parrish of the Minnesota Wild is joining our team through his newly created charity 21 for Kids.

We are updating our website (www.hockeydocscharities.org) but if you go there you will get the general idea of the event which takes place on August 26th and 27th. As you will see, we went ahead and added your logo to our site. It would also be great to see if we could get some of the kids in Minnesota Special Hockey to attend the event.