Community and Camaraderie on Display at Blind Hockey Classic
When Dan Schramm walked into the locker room at his first blind hockey event years ago in Minnesota, he immediately felt at home.
“Up until I found the blind hockey community, I had never met anyone else with a visual impairment or blindness in my life,” said Schramm, a 33-year-old from Edwards, Colorado. “and I was really kind of in a rough spot and felt alone and isolated, and then realized there was this whole world out there.”
More than six years later, Schramm found himself at the 2025 USA Hockey Blind Hockey Classic, which took place Nov. 20-23 at the Boston Sports Institute in Wellesley, Massachusetts. The annual event included blind and visually impaired players competing in three International Blind Sports Federation, or IBSF, classifications.
The sport, which uses a large, audible puck and shorter goals, was first played in the U.S. in 2014. The initial Blind Hockey Classic took place in St. Louis in 2021.
Katie Holmgren, USA Hockey’s new director of disabled hockey, experienced her first Blind Hockey Classic in Wellesley. She’s been with USA Hockey for 15 years.
“I was just blown away,” Holmgren said. “This was about one of the most rewarding things you could ever be a part of.”
Holmgren saw a community passionate about hockey and came away impressed with the level of play.
“If you’re watching a game, unless you knew you were watching blind hockey — particularly the highest division — you wouldn’t know,” Holmgren said. “They’re just hockey players who happen to be blind.
“The only thing I’d tell people is if you haven’t had an opportunity to see blind hockey, when you get that chance, don’t pass it up. It’ll change your perspective of hockey for the better.”
Now co-captain of the U.S. Blind Hockey Team — which formed in 2018 — Schramm said that discovering blind hockey changed the course of his life.
He had played competitive hockey until age 14, when he was diagnosed with Stargardt Disease, a rare genetic eye disease that happens when fatty material builds up on the macula.
“On a personal level, it’s really helped me understand our community and just how so vastly different our vision is from condition to condition, and just really feel welcomed,” said Schramm, who gives back by working with younger players at these events.
“I feel like if I can kind of fill that gap or be that mentor, leader to someone that I never personally had growing up, I think it’s a little bit of a calling or some sort of responsibility,” Schramm said. “It just helps me feel good inside. It kind of heals that wound, a little youthful spirit, if you will.”
A record turnout of 62 players and 81 total participants were at the 2025 Blind Hockey Classic. Schramm noted that the event usually draws 50 or fewer players.
“So, it’s nice to see that the sport is slowly starting to grow and progress in the right direction,” he said, “everywhere from the little kids in the youth and development program all the way up to the higher-level competition.
“This year, a lot of people came out of the woodwork. It was awesome to see that many people there. We’re such a small, small community. And at the end of the day, everyone’s just happy to be on the ice.”
Schramm lauded the organizers of this year’s Classic.
“I think the tremendous amount of help and the work and effort that got put into planning this event, from Massachusetts Hockey and all their sponsors and donors they got, really made us feel welcome,” he said.
“They really just knocked it out of the park,” Holmgren said of Massachusetts Hockey. “They’re very passionate about all of our adaptive disciplines. It’s no surprise that they really made it special for everybody.”
According to Schramm, 14 members of the U.S. national team were on hand for the event, allowing players who usually are spread out across the country to come together for a pair of practices. Ordinarily, they work on individual skills alone at their home rinks.
“It’s been an incredible journey,” said Schramm of his national team experiences. “Our team is dedicated to eventually beating [the Canadians] one day and really growing together. It’s taken me places I’ve never been before.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
