I played hockey today for the first time since February.

I crashed into all of the other players.

I ran feet first into the boards - twice.

I couldn’t even raise the puck off the ice.

It wasn’t that I lost all of my hockey skills over the last four months - it was just that I was experiencing the game from a whole new angle.

Today I played sledge hockey for the first time - and it gave me a whole new appreciation of the game of hockey, with all of its different disciplines and players.

The main difference between sledge hockey and able-body hockey is the equipment and the manoeuvering. Sledge hockey is played on a low-lying metal sledge (sled) and athletes use two short hockey sticks with spikes attached at the end to propel themselves around the ice surface.

This different equipment definitely adds a new dimension to the game with athletes being able to hit each other and peg opposing players into the boards with their sledges (much like what I was doing today - except that I was actually trying to avoid hitting other players and myself into the boards).

Since I was moving around the ice using my arms instead of my legs, I am sure that I will experience soreness in a whole new set of hockey-specific muscles tomorrow morning.

But as tired as my arms might be tomorrow, I will feed off the enthusiasm and energy of the amazing athletes I met today and will be inspired by their tremendous talent and ability for years to come.

Until next time,

Kim