In the past decade, Florida has been one of the fastest-growing areas for hockey in the United States. As a result, there has been plenty of demand, and the Tampa Bay Lightning are doing their part to make sure everyone who wants to participate in the sport is able to do so.
For that reason, the Lightning wanted to do something involving the six disciplines of adaptive hockey -- blind, deaf/hard of hearing, sled, special, standing/amputee and warrior -- as part of the legacy project for the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series, which will be held in Tampa on Sunday.
"Having our legacy project focus on launching and supporting adaptive hockey makes sense for our organization," said Elizabeth Frazier, the Lightning’s executive vice president of community development and social impact, and executive director of the Lightning Foundation. "Hockey in Tampa Bay has exploded thanks to the success of the team on the ice. On the philanthropy and community relations side, ensuring that Hockey is for Everyone is very important for us, so this is a natural fit."
On Thursday, the Lightning will host an event highlighting the growth of adaptive hockey at Power Pole Arena in Tampa, with blind and sled hockey clinics and a special hockey skate. It will take place three days before the Lightning host the Boston Bruins in the Stadium Series at Raymond James Stadium (6:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).
"We had a clinic for special hockey six weeks ago just to see if there was a demand, and we sold out," Frazier said. "So we put out some feelers and were really pleased by the response. And so if the demand is out there, then we want to be able to create programming."
According to USA Hockey, in 2020-21 there were just over 450,000 registered hockey players in the United States. That number grew by almost 125,000 in 2024-25, with most of the increase coming from those ages 10 and under. In Florida, there was a 35 percent increase in total youth players in the Miami area in that span, while the youth participation in the Tampa area nearly doubled.
Such growth in the state came amid sustained success for its two NHL teams; the Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021, and the Florida Panthers are two-time defending Cup champions.
"Ten years ago, we weren't a hockey town,” Frazier said. “So, over the last 10 years with the success of the team, the community hockey team has really focused on growing the game. Because we weren't a traditional hockey market, we visited over a thousand schools and donated over 250,000 sticks and balls to get them in kids' hands. And because of all that great work the community hockey team has done, plus the success of the team, the numbers are just exploding for kids playing hockey, and we wanted to make sure that no kid or no adult who wanted to play was left behind."
The Lightning already have successful warrior and sled hockey programs, so they would like to enhance those while also incorporating the other four disciplines of adaptive hockey.
"When we met with USA Hockey, they said there are a lot of NHL teams that are good with one or two of the six disciplines. But we want to do all six and create a playbook," Frazier said. "We'll always have strong warrior and sled hockey programming, because of our connection with MacDill Air Force Base and the number of veterans in Tampa Bay. Now, we're really excited to be able to offer all six adaptive hockey disciplines.
"On the philanthropy side of the foundation, we already donate to a lot of organizations that support the blind community, the deaf community, the amputee community and the special community. So launching this programming is a natural alignment with what we're doing on the philanthropy side as well."
The Lightning and NHL are each donating $25,000 for the cause, and the NHL Players' Association Goals & Dreams fund is also donating $25,000 worth of gear and equipment. The money will go toward staffing, ice time and adaptive equipment, as well as a travel budget for several leagues.
"We're super grateful for both the NHL and the NHLPA for making the funds available to do this," Frazier said. "Growing the game of hockey and doing the right thing is a part of one of our core values. And for us to be able to kind of ensure that Hockey is for Everyone and to make it as inclusive as possible fuels our spirit and our heart."
