The Vancouver Canucks officially partnered with Canadian Blind Hockey to help make hockey accessible for all children, youth, and adults who are blind or visually impaired across British Columbia. The initiative is supported by the Canucks for Kids Fund.
It marks a historic milestone as this is Canadian Blind Hockey’s first partnership with an NHL team.
Canadian Blind Hockey is a charity that provides Blind Hockey programming, including introductory try-it sessions, development camps, regional and national competitions, and support for the Canadian National Blind Hockey Team.
The partnership was announced at the 2025 Western Regional Blind Hockey Tournament, a three-day event held at Minoru Arena in Richmond, B.C. The announcement also featured the debut of the new Canucks Blind Hockey logo, which includes the Canucks’ Flying Skate design with ‘Blind Hockey’ incorporated inside the circle beneath the skate.
Executive Director of Canadian Blind Hockey, Matt Morrow said the partnership is a major step in introducing the sport to more people with vision loss.
“First and foremost, the support from the Canucks for Kids Fund is really critical to allow us to expand our programs in British Columbia. It's going to allow us to get more kids that are blind or partially sighted on the ice, to try the game, learn about the para sport of Blind Hockey, and know that there is a place for them in hockey if they want to be a part of the community,” Morrow said.
“Secondly, with the co-branded logo – the Canucks’ skate with the words ‘Blind Hockey’ - I think that's immediate recognition, and in a certain way, legitimizes the sport. It just creates significant awareness for Blind Hockey and lets everybody realize that these programs are sort of supported by the Canucks, which is everybody's favorite hockey team in the province.”
Blind Hockey is a Para sport played by athletes who are blind or partially sighted, typically with less than 10 percent vision. Goaltenders are either completely blind or wear a blindfold, and the game includes adaptations to make it accessible for people with various levels of sight loss.
The puck is made of steel, three times the size of a standard puck, and filled with ball bearings so players can hear it on the ice. The net is one foot shorter than regulation to encourage low shots, and players must complete at least one pass in the offensive zone before taking a shot on goal.
At the tournament, players from across Western Canada were drafted and made up two teams, including a dozen players from the Vancouver Eclipse Blind Hockey Team. Ages ranged from 16 to over 60, showing that hockey truly is for everyone.
One of the players, Corbin Johnson, started skating as a child but had to stop as his vision deteriorated over time. Finding Blind Hockey later in life reignited his passion for the game.
“Ice hockey was one of those things that I thought I could never do, and I gave up on it very young,” Johnson said. “I'm 37 years old now, and I only found out about this [para sport Blind Hockey] about three years ago. It was one of those things that I couldn't believe I never knew about, and it's been an incredible experience being part of it.”
Johnson grew up as a Pavel Bure fan and wore Bure’s later number 96 in the tournament. Johnson was also a big supporter of the ‘94 Canucks squad, so to have Kirk McLean part of the ceremonial puck drop was a surreal moment for him.
To help spread the word, Johnson is creating a documentary about Blind Hockey to reshape perceptions of sight loss and show how the power of sport creates meaningful connections and builds confidence. To learn more about the documentary and donate to help in the editing process, you can click the link here.
After the game, students with visual impairments had the opportunity to try hockey as part of the Junior Canucks program with Corey Hirsch, Rod Brathwaite, FIN and players from the Richmond Sockeyes helping introduce the sport.
Mikayla, 18, grew up figure skating and was convinced to give hockey a try by her boyfriend, Lucas, 17, who was playing in the Western Regional Blind Hockey Tournament. She said having the support and encouragement to try it was the reason she decided to test it out.
“Figure skating is a lot more neat and very safe. You’re more bent down playing hockey. It’s interesting and I like it,” Mikayla said.
Lucas lives in Alberta and got involved in Canadian Blind Hockey two years ago. He was at a CNIB event and was talking about hockey with some of the other attendees and mentioned he’d love to play, and the person he was talking to directed him to the para sport. He did his own research and eventually joined the Edmonton SeeHawks as a winger.
“I got better at skating, and I picked everything up pretty quickly. I learned to keep up well, and it's fun. I just love participating in all these tournaments,” Lucas said.
He’s gained a lot of confidence in learning something new and being able to do something he once didn’t think was possible. Lucas is very grateful for the organization and wants it to get the recognition it deserves.
“It's pretty great knowing there's a community of people that can achieve something like this, and great people that are genuinely trying to play a sport that they've always wanted to play – that's what's really special to me. They’re helping the people that probably thought, ‘Oh, I can't play a sport’, and participants are learning to skate, handle the puck, while visually impaired, and just become great players,” Lucas said.
Communication is a key part of the game, and Lucas said that by the end of some games, he’s lost his voice.
The partnership between the Canucks and Canadian Blind Hockey promotes inclusivity and reinforces that hockey is a sport for everyone. With increased support and visibility, the goal is to continue to grow the game across B.C., inspiring more players to get involved in the game.
