COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – A record 20 NHL-affiliated sled hockey teams will take part in the sixth annual USA Hockey Sled Classic, presented by the NHL. Tournament play will begin Thursday, Nov. 19, and culminate with championship games for all four divisions on Sunday, Nov. 22. All games will take place in Coral Springs, Florida, at Florida Panthers IceDen, the official practice facility of the Florida Panthers.
Each of the 20 competing teams are affiliated with NHL clubs, including the Anaheim Ducks, Arizona Coyotes, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and St. Louis Blues. Each team will represent their affiliated NHL club by wearing official NHL licensed jerseys with local club marks and logos.
Among the record 250-plus competitors slated to participate, 20 are current or former members of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. Of those skaters, 13 helped Team USA claim gold at the 2015 International Paralympic Committee Sled Hockey World Championship in Buffalo, New York.
All games will be streamed live at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com. Current subscribers of FASTHockey can watch the games with their active subscription. Users whose subscriptions have expired can simply log in to their existing FASTHockey account and activate a new subscription. New users to FASTHockey should go to USAHockey.FASTHockey.com and register for an account.
The event is part of the fifth annual Come Play Hockey Month, a joint effort of USA Hockey and the NHL. For tournament details and a complete schedule, click here.
NOTES: Five NHL clubs – the Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators and Pittsburgh Penguins – will represent two separate teams in this year’s USA Hockey Sled Classic … The Colorado Avalanche hosted the inaugural USA Hockey Sled Classic in 2010 in Denver, where the Colorado Avalanche Sled Hockey Team won the four-team tournament … In 2011, the Philadelphia Flyers held the event in Voorhees, New Jersey, where the Buffalo Sabres Sled Hockey Team took first place among nine teams … In 2012, the Buffalo Sabres put on the tournament in Williamsville, New York, with the Dallas Stars winning the ‘A’ Division and the Washington Capitals capturing the ‘B’ Division … In 2013, the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the tournament in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and the Dallas Stars and Washington Capitals repeated as the ‘A’ and B’ Division champions, while the Nashville Predators won the inaugural ‘C’ Division … A year ago, the Washington Capitals hosted the tournament in Arlington, Virginia, where the Chicago Blackhawks captured the Tier I Division, the Philadelphia Flyers claimed the Tier II Division, and the Minnesota Wild won the Tier III division …
