Growing Blind Ice Hockey in Germany & Around the World

Description

The Para sport of Blind Ice Hockey is organized by the International Blind Ice Hockey Federation (IBIHF) and is played by more than a thousand blind and visually impaired athletes in five countries around the world including Canada (1972), USA (2014), England (2019), Finland (2019), and Russia (2020).

The sport is played both recreationally and competitively including divisions for children, youth, girls & women, adult beginner, competitive, and master’s for athletes aged 40 and over, as well as the elite players that compete in the International Blind Ice Hockey Series.

The Para sport is extremely similar to traditional ice hockey with only a few adaptations to make the sport accessible to players who are blind or visually impaired. The most significant adaptations are the Blind Ice Hockey puck which is larger than a traditional puck and makes noise, as well as the point system to ensure that there are opportunities for both blind and visually impaired players to compete at all levels.

The IBIHF is working to support a group of German Blind Ice Hockey enthusiasts to start the first-ever German Blind Ice Hockey program next season, as well as organizers in Czechia, Sweden, and beyond to grow participation in the sport worldwide.

The IBIHF is working to host the first Blind Ice Hockey World Championships with the goal of having at least 8 countries represented in order to eventually apply for inclusion into the Winter Paralympic Games.

The 2026 International Blind Ice Hockey Series included Team Canada, Team USA, as well as Team World which was made up mostly of players from across Europe. The IBIHF is looking for players from Germany and other nations with previous hockey experience to try out for the next Team World that will compete in Toronto, Canada at next year’s International Blind Ice Hockey Series in March 2027.

Please attend our presentation and visit our booth to learn more about how you can join the worldwide Blind Ice Hockey community!

Matt Morrow: Sport Director, International Blind Ice Hockey Federation & Executive Director, Canadian Blind Hockey Luca DeMontis: Program Director, Canadian Blind Hockey & General Manager of the Canadian National Blind Hockey Team

Matt Morrow has 20 years of sport management experience and has been working professionally on developing the Para sport of Blind Ice Hockey since 2007. In addition to Blind Hockey Matt has extensive experience volunteering as both a referee and coach with the Paralympic sport of Goalball, and was the Manager for Canada’s first-ever Beep Baseball team in 2015.

Luca DeMontis has over 15 years of Sports Management experience and has worked in the professional, amateur and charitable side of the sports entertainment world. As the Program Director for Canadian Blind Hockey, his role also focuses on growing Blind Hockey programs across the country for children, youth and adults who are blind and visually impaired. Luca is the General Manager of the Canadian National Blind Hockey Team that has won seven consecutive International Blind Ice Hockey Series.