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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I found this very interesting! <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Below is information about CT’s blind hockey team, the Hartford Braillers. Please feel free to contact Todd Sweet at 203-314-2905 or <a href="mailto:tsweet185@gmail.com">tsweet185@gmail.com</a> if you have questions or if you are interested in joining.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><strong><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>The Hartford Braillers</span></strong><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><strong><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>Blind Hockey in Connecticut </span></strong><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>Can you imagine playing ice hockey with little or no eyesight at all? Many athletes are now doing just that, as part of one of the fastest growing para-sports across North America. From New England to the Pacific Northwest, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic, blind hockey teams are meeting regularly to practice their hockey skills and new players are learning to skate for the first time!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>As Connecticut was once home of the Hartford Whalers, it is now home of the Hartford Braillers – a blind hockey team. Team practices are held at<a href="http://www.newingtonarena.com/" target="_blank"><span style='color:#00822B'> Newington Arena</span></a>. Players of any level of experience are always welcome. The game of blind hockey is played with the following adaptations:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><strong><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>Adaptations to the game:</span></strong><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>Most aspects of blind hockey remain the same as what you might see in the NHL with the following modifications:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'><img border=0 width=225 height=300 style='width:2.3437in;height:3.125in' id="_x0000_i1027" src="http://hartfordbraillers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/FB_IMG_1585690061353-225x300.jpg"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>The Puck – The puck is three times the size of an NHL puck, is made of aluminum, and is filled with ball bearings that create a loud noise when the puck is in motion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'><img border=0 width=300 height=210 style='width:3.125in;height:2.1875in' id="_x0000_i1028" src="http://hartfordbraillers.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/DougGoistBlindHockey-415C8464-1-1539095420-300x210.jpg"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>The Goal – A blind hockey goal is one foot shorter than a standard NHL goal. This encourages players to keep the puck lower to the ice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>Passing – The attacking team must make one pass to a team mate after entering the opposing blue line before a player is eligible to score a goal.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>Uniforms – Teams wear high contrasting uniforms on the ice to improve visibility of players. Games usually consist of a black team and a yellow team.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>Positioning – Players with most vision (B3-B4) usually play forward positions while players with less vision (B2-B1) tend to play defense. All goalies have no vision (B1) or have vision occluded.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><strong><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>Visual Classifications</span></strong><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>B1: No light perception in either eye up to light perception, and an inability to recognize the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>B2: From ability to recognize the shape of a hand up to visual acuity of 20/600 and/or a visual field of less than 5 degrees in the best eye with the best practical eye correction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>B3: From visual acuity above 20/600 and up to visual acuity of 20/200 and/or a visual field of less than 20 degrees and more than 5 degrees in the best eye with the best practical eye correction.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>USABA Recognized Low Vision Classification<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style='mso-margin-top-alt:0in;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:13.2pt;margin-left:0in;box-sizing:border-box'><span style='font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#555555'>B4: From visual acuity above 20/200 and up to visual acuity of 20/70 and a visual field larger than 20 degrees in the best eye with the best practical eye correction<strong><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>.</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>