TULSA, Okla. — Sometimes all you need to feel better is a good slap, a slap shot that is. For the players who make up the Tulsa Warriors Hockey Club, those slap shots go a long way to help heal.
“So we’re made up of disabled veterans, first responder and family members and supporters of that. It’s just a way for us to all, kind of help with our mental health awareness. Suicide awareness in the Veteran community is a huge thing. So this is a way that everybody has somebody they can reach out to,” said Chad Olson, president of the Tulsa Warriors Hockey Club.
The Tulsa Warriors Hockey Club play other hockey organizations with members just like theirs from all over the United States. The group is inclusive with several different teams under their hockey umbrella.
“We do have co-ed players. We have several women that are on our team and in our organization. We have several female Veterans that are disabled Veterans that play for us. We also have some sled players, which is sled hockey, so it’s for mobility impaired players. They sit on a sled and use their arms to go through the ice,” said Olson.
Men or women, disabled or not, amateur, pro or first timer, anyone can play.
The teams have also been invited to take part in a special honor.
“We’ve been invited to the Hendrickson Foundation National Hockey Festival. The Hendrickson Foundation is up in Minnesota and they are a foundation that tries to help promote all disabled hockey. So, blind hockey, sled hockey, warrior hockey, anything that’s considered a discipline of hockey is what they try to raise funds for, and awareness, to get people out on the ice,” said Olson.
The Warriors are having a garage sale to raise funds to send the entire team to the event, which is estimated to cost around $12,000.
“For a lot of us, when we leave the service, we lose a lot of the camaraderie and brotherhood or sisterhood with our fellow service members. This is a way for us to regain that once we become civilians and are no longer active,” said Olson.
On top of everything else, they have fun.
You can learn more about the Tulsa Warriors Hockey Club by clicking here.
The team’s garage sale will be held at 101st and Aspen on May 10 and May 17 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.