Ottawa electric wheelchair hockey growing in popularity

By Roberta Bell and Sarah Turnbull

There were only half a dozen players when the Ottawa Power Wheelchair Hockey League was launched in 2009. Now there are more than 40.

That’s enough for four full teams —the Sharks, Gators, Bears and Wolves—who meet Sunday afternoons to play at the Greenboro Community Centre.

Dimpho Tshegetsang, the captain of the Gators, has been playing electric-wheelchair hockey since 2010.

“When Sunday comes, I just switch my mind,” Tshegetsang said. “I really love the game because… people with disabilities using the mobile chairs are getting the chance to play the game as other people who are physically fit.”

Players use wheelchairs for different reasons, but according to the league’s website, the majority have cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy.

Wheelchair hockey isn’t that different from the conventional game. Players zip around in their chairs, trying to rack up points. There are hits, both clean and unclean, and penalties to boot. Different from the original game, the wheelchair version has 15-minutes periods, instead of 20.

Tshegetsang, who has no arms or legs, plays with a stick duct-taped to his left arm. He said the game is not as easy as it may seem.

“Many people might think … ‘they’re using power, they’re riding around,’” he said. “It’s not easy. We sweat. We sweat to control the ball, to shoot, to defend, to do everything.”

While electric-wheelchair hockey games move a little slower than conventional hockey, they involves “a heck of a lot of strategy,” said Kyle Hanna, an able-bodied referee who began refereeing with the league earlier this fall.

“It’s kind of a cool sport in that everyone can play it—any person with any kind of disability or ability,” he said.

The league was founded by a group of Carleton University students living on campus, including Dino Giannetti, who is also a player for the Wolves.

“Myself and some other Carleton students decided it would be a great opportunity to play a sport and develop a league where people with disabilities could play hockey,” he said. “It’s a really great opportunity for us to have that experience and learn team dynamics.”

James Lamberson, whose son Mathieu Gagnon also plays for the Wolves, agreed.

Lamberson said the league gives Gagnon the opportunity to get involved in organized sports.

“My son has been able to grow and gain from the competition with people that are in similar circumstances and it puts them all on a level playing field,” Lamberson said.

The Ottawa Power Wheelchair Hockey League is a registered charity and member of the Canadian Electric Wheelchair Hockey Association and North American Power Hockey Association. Ottawa league players have participated in both national and continental tournaments.

And for players like Tshegetsang, this is much more than a game.

“It’s not just a sport, it’s a passion.”