January 18th 
Scottrade Center

The St Louis Blues are proud to announce its partnership with The Spirit of Discovery Park to form The St Louis Blues Blind Hockey Club. The SLBBHC is for players who are blind & visually impaired with 20% vision or less. Skaters who have the lowest vision play defense or goalie, while the more sighted athletes are forwards.

The Blues will host a Learn-to-Play event for male and female athletes of all ages on Thursday, January 18 at Scottrade Center. These players can be legally or totally blind. Athletes who want to register for The St Louis Blind Hockey Club can register by clicking the following link:

Athletes can bring their own equipment or borrow equipment provided by The St Louis Blues Blind Hockey Club.

"On behalf of The Blues, it has been our focus to ensure that any person who would like to play the great sport of Hockey has the ability and the opportunity to do so," said Chris Zimmerman, President and CEO of Business Operations for The St Louis Blues. "The volunteers of Spirit of Discovery Park have done a great job getting this program up and running. We celebrate their energy and heart."

Zimmerman is proud to advocate for people battling blindness. On January 31, Zimmerman will be honored as a Visionary Award Recipient by the Foundation Fighting Blindness. The FFB organization will host it's "Dining in the Dark" event at 5:30 at The Ritz Carlton. Fans who would like to attend the FFB's Dining in the Dark" event are welcomed to register through the following link.

Blind Ice Hockey is the same exhilarating, fast-paced sport we know and love, with only one difference: each player is legally blind. Players of Blind Hockey have a limited spectrum of sight, ranging from 10% to 100% loss of vision. Skaters with the lowest vision play defense or goal while the more sighted athletes play as forwards.

In Blind Hockey, the ice puck represents the most significant modification to this specialized version of the sport. The puck in Blind Hockey measures 5.5 inches in diameter and is 2 inches in height. Surprisingly, it weighs about the same as a regular puck but is bigger and slower than its vulcanized rubber counterpart. The pucks metal construction contains ball bearings inside that emit a loud rattling noise to comepnsate for vision and assist in tracking.

A few other adaptations have been made that address gameplay and player safety:

• The top 12 inches of a regulation net are blocked to keep shots low for the legally blind goalie.
• Once players cross into the offensive zone, they must complete a pass before they can shoot on goal. This rule facilitates compensatory tracking for the low vision defenders and goalie.
• Standard IIHF safety rules apply, including crease violations and no-touch icing.
• Players wear traditional protective gear, including a full face mask

To learn more about Spirit of Discovery Park, click here.