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A Heroes' Welcome By Elizabeth Casey In Windy City Wounded Warriors Are Right At Home On Soldier Field Ice Local coaches volunteered their time to show beginning players some of the fundamentals of the game. It seems like everyone has caught hockey fever thanks to the Chicago Blackhawks fast start. hopefully grow the game." The array of Blackhawks and Chicago Wolves jerseys on the young participants signaled the health of the youth hockey programs in the Chicago area, and the parents echoed that the past few years have been good for the sport, buoyed by the Blackhawks' success on the ice and programs like this one. "We go to lots of Wolves games and the kids are big Blackhawks fans. I definitely see a lot more people getting involved [in hockey] at the rinks," Hall said. "With youth hockey, the more you promote it, the more kids get involved. Events like this make it grow. It's good to see," Constanza added. "We're a hockey family so Ryan is destined to play, but it's good to see all these other kids getting involved in it." There will be no difficulty promoting the success of this event to other local children – the participants couldn't wait to get to school on Monday to tell their friends they got to play hockey at Solider Field. "I'll be like, 'Guys, I played at Soldier Field.' They'll probably be like 'woah, cool!' " said Brandon Bak, 9, of Plainfield. "[My friends will] probably be surprised. I don't think they even know that they have hockey at Soldier Field." "I liked that it was pretty when I looked up and saw the sky," added Sarah Rosenfeld. "In my class, we write about what we did on the weekend, and I'm definitely going to write about this!" N W ind-whipped and winded after a hard-fought game, members of the USA Warrior sled hockey team slowly made their way off the ice at Soldier Field. Temperatures were chilly but spirits were high as players wheeled their way toward warmth. As they headed off the ice, J.J. O'Connor, the chairman of USA Hockey's Disabled Section, sat near the exit waiting to greet them. "It's magical. Football and hockey all in one," O'Connor said with a smile. "I don't know too many guys that get this opportunity. This is once in a lifetime." Who could argue that any group deserved it more? The Warriors sled hockey squad flew from Washington D.C. for the chance to play on the outdoor ice at one of Chicago's greatest sports landmarks. It was the first time on an outdoor rink for many of them – the first time playing in a real game for some. "Some of the guys on the USA Warriors team got injured as recently as six months ago. One of them lost his legs in an IED explosion six months ago and only started playing six weeks ago, and he's out on the ice tonight. What a great sport for someone to be able to do that," said Jim Smith, a USA Hockey executive board member who served as one of the game's officials. "You've got guys who fought for our country, playing at the Bears 50 yard line on outdoor ice. It doesn't get any better than this." continued on page 22 » Elizabeth Casey is based out of Chicago and is the former director of media relations for the Chicago Wolves. USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM April/may. 2013 21