Hockey needs only slight adaptations for both power and manual wheelchair users to get into the game. And do they ever get into it. Players block, shoot, pass, score, sweat, laugh and sometimes throw their sticks down in disgust in the game played on a gymnasium-type floor with a whiffle ball instead of a heavier hockey puck. Matt Schwarck and Andy Siwarski fight for the ball. It's a sport that a lot of different abilities can do.
Families come from the greater Detroit region, and from across the nearby Canadian border, to play.
Action, strategy and intense competition highlight the game, but the main priority is fun. There's been one documented brawl during a practice game, according to a recent edition of the WCHL's newsletter, Slapshot. But investigation showed that the punches were staged, mostly to see the referee's reaction. Laughter, not penalty minutes, was the end result. Players use a variety of hockey sticks, depending on their upper body strength and ability to grip the stick.