COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The sixth annual USA Hockey Sled Classic, presented by the NHL and hosted by the Florida Panthers, will take place Thursday through Sunday (Nov. 19-22) in Coral Springs, Florida, at Florida Panthers IceDen, the official practice facility of the Florida Panthers.
Tournament play will include six games on Thursday, 20 contests on Friday, 14 games on Saturday and seven games – including the four championship games – on Sunday. Fans can attend all games free of charge. In addition, FASTHockey will stream all games live at USAHockey.FASTHockey.com.
A record 20-team field will feature 250-plus athletes, including 20 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.
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.
For full tournament results, statistics and game recaps, click here.
NOTES: The event is part of the fifth annual Come Play Hockey Month, a joint effort between USA Hockey and the NHL … 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 … For more information on the sport of sled hockey, click here.
