The Minnesota Wild today announced details of a Diversified Hockey Celebration on Sunday, February 26, when it hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets at 1 p.m. at Xcel Energy Center.
Minnesota Diversified Hockey enables athletes to participate with other skaters with similar interests and abilities in the disciplines of: Blind Hockey, Deaf/HOH Hockey, Special Hockey, Sled Hockey, and Warrior Hockey. Each of these programs incorporate elements that are unlike the typical sport of hockey, but at their core, they are designed to ensure hockey truly is for everybody.
The Wild will dedicate several elements of its game to various Diversified Hockey organizations that provide opportunities for as many people as possible to play hockey:
• Alex Gullingsrud, a 10-year-old sled hockey player and cancer survivor from Red Lake Falls, Minn., will be the Flag Bearer.
• AJ Caslow, a Deaf/Hard of Hearing Hockey Player from Hudson, Wis., will perform the “Let’s Play Hockey!” call.
• Diversified Hockey players will be selling programs to receive a $1,000 grant back to their respective programs.
• Minnesota Wild Special Hockey will take the ice during the second intermission.
• Proceeds from the “Split the Pot Raffle” will benefit the Hendrickson Foundation.
The following groups will have information tables:
Section 104A – Minnesota Wild Deaf/Hard of Hearing Hockey
Section 104B – Minnesota Wild Blind Hockey
Section 121A – Minnesota Warriors Hockey
Section 121B – Minnesota Wild Sled Hockey
Section 121C – Hendrickson Foundation
Section 122 – Minnesota Wild Special Hockey
Section 205 – Gillette Children’s
Fans can purchase a Diversified Hockey Ticket Pack, presented by Gillette Children’s, at Wild.com/Diversified, with $5 from each ticket sale benefitting Diversified Hockey. For questions or concerns regarding accessible seating at Xcel Energy Center, please contact the Minnesota Wild Customer Sales and Service Team at (651) 222-9453 or customer.service@wild.com.
The Minnesota Wild and the Minnesota Wild Foundation continue to support numerous programs and initiatives that help provide as many people as possible the opportunity to play hockey in a positive and inclusive environment. Some of the programs and initiatives the organization supports include: Hockey Is For Me, DinoMights, Hendrickson Foundation, Herb Brooks Foundation, Minnesota Wild Blind Hockey, Minnesota Wild Sled Hockey Association, Minnesota Wild Special Hockey, Minnesota Warriors Ice Hockey Program, Minnesota Wild Deaf/Hard of Hearing Hockey, Minnesota Whitecaps and United Heroes League.
(info courtesy of Wild)