The Orangeville Wolves Special Hockey team has the honour of hosting an international tournament to be held this weekend in Orangeville.

The Jim Gregory Friendship tournament, like any of the hundreds if not thousands of tournaments that have been organized throughout Canada this year, will feature a series of great goals, great saves, and great plays.

Take a closer look however and you are sure to enjoy hockey as you’ve never seen before.

You could see a big winger about to head in on a sure breakaway, stop to help up a smaller opponent that he accidentally knocked down on his way to the net.

If you are lucky you might see a veteran goalie “accidentally” raise his stick to allow a younger player to score

goal.

Listen in as coaches from opposing teams try to arrange lines to keep things fair rather than gaining the upper hand.

Finally, watch in wonderment as two teams raise their arms in victory at the end of each game regardless of the score, simply from the sheer joy of being able to play hockey.

You see the players at this tournament are special. Not only because of the way they carry themselves on the ice but because they are developmentally challenged.

700 athletes from 42 teams, many with Down’s syndrome or Autism, will participate in the 16th annual version of the event. NHL Vice-President Jim Gregory has lent his name to the tournament in recent years in to raise the profile of this growing segment of hockey.

Special Hockey International or the Heart League as it has come to be known began in Grandravine in the 1970’s when Pat Flick tired of seeing a young developmentally challenged boy show up at the rink each week only to watch his brother play.

The two players that he started out with in his first year gave birth to the Grandravine Tornadoes.

The league became international when the first tournament was played in St. Louis in 1994.

The league has grown to close to 60 centers including a team from London, England.

The schedule of events for this years tournament includes:

Thursday, April 15th – 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM – Opening Ceremonies

– Red Rink, Alder St. Arena, 275 Alder St., Orangeville

Thursday, April 15th – 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM – Meet and Greet – Interactive games for players including a hockey skills event, boxing demonstration, bouncy castle for the smaller players, food, drink, & good times. Orangeville Fairgrounds – 247090 – 5th SR Mono Thursday, April 15th – 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Friday Apr. 16th & Saturday Apr. 17th 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM –Games, Alder St. Arena, Orangeville and Teen Ranch Caledon. Saturday, Apr. 17th – 6:00PM to Midnight –Closing banquet – Orangeville Fairgrounds.

If you would like more information on Special Hockey International please visit:www.specialhockeyinternational. org

If you would like more information on this year’s tournament please visit www.orangeville- wolves.com