Olympic Gold Medalist Natalie Spooner Leads First-Ever Girls & Women's Blind Hockey Summit

Women's Blind Hockey Summit Kicks-Off 2022 Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament

TORONTO, March 21, 2022 /CNW/ - Fresh off her Olympic gold medal at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, Natalie Spooner is on to her next challenge coaching the first-ever Girls and Women's Blind Hockey Summit this week in Toronto.  The event takes place on Thursday, March 24, in advance of the 2022 Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament, and will include nearly 30 female Blind Hockey players from across Canada and the United States.

"I actually presented the medals at the first Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament back in 2013," said Natalie Spooner. "It's incredible to see how far the sport has grown overall, but especially on the girls and women's side.  We only had two female players that first year and now we are having a full-on summit! It's proof that if you provide a safe and inclusive place to play that Canadians will come out and want to play hockey."

The 2022 Girls & Women's Blind Hockey Summit features participants from across Canada and the United States who will participate in an on-ice practice, a scrimmage, mental performance coaching, and the first-ever Women's Blind Hockey Game to kick-off the 2022 National Blind Hockey Tournament.

"Natalie Spooner is an incredible athlete and ambassador for the Para sport of Blind Hockey," said Canadian Blind Hockey Executive Director Matt Morrow. "We're excited to have her coach our group of exceptional female Blind Hockey athletes which include several Paralympians and Paralympic gold medalists in other sports. It's clear that 2022 is a big moment for both women's hockey as well as the movement for inclusion in hockey overall.  Canadian Blind Hockey is proud to do our part in the push for gender equity and inclusion and thank our wonderful partners and supporters for helping in our mission."

In addition to the Women's Blind Hockey Summit the 2022 Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament features over 100 players who are blind or partially sighted competing in Children & Youth, Low Vision & Development, and Open Divisions.  There are players ranging in age from three years old to 83 years old from all 14 Blind Hockey programs across Canada, as well as the United States, England, and Finland.

The event is also a celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the world's first Blind Hockey team ? the hometown Toronto Ice Owls. The event is open to the public and free to attend.

• Thursday, March 24: Natalie Spooner leads the first-ever Girls & Women's Blind Hockey Summit
  
  2:00 pm ? 4:00 pm
  
  
• Friday, March 25: Opening Ceremonies & First-Ever Women's Blind Hockey Game
  
  1:00 pm ? 2:00 pm
  
  
• Friday, March 25 ? Sunday, March 27: 2022 Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament

Mattamy Athletic Centre. 50 Carlton Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Canadian Blind Hockey programs include: the Toronto Ice Owls, Les Hiboux de Montreal, the Calgary Seeing Ice Dogs, the Edmonton SeeHawks, the Vancouver Eclipse, the Nova Scotia See-Kings, the Newfoundland Eye-Landers, the Central Alberta Bullseye, the Moncton SeeCats, GTA Youth, the W Ross MacDonald Otters, Ottawa 67's Blind Hockey, the ASRAB Calgary Youth, and the Canadian National Blind Hockey Team.

Canadian Blind Hockey is the national sports organization for the parasport of Blind Hockey in Canada. We change the lives of children, youth, and adults who are blind or partially sighted through our programs which include school field trips, youth teams, development camps, regional tournaments, and our flagship Canadian National Blind Hockey Tournament. Our programming spans the country from coast-to-coast while supporting Canadian hockey players who are blind or partially sighted of all ages, from playing on the pond to proudly standing on the podium. Our community includes boys and girls as young as four years old who are taking their very first strides on skates, to the elite members of the Canadian National Blind Hockey Team who proudly wear the Maple Leaf in international competition.

For more information about Canadian Blind Hockey please visit: canadianblindhockey.com

SOURCE Canadian Blind Hockey