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PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Ben Cobbs is a hockey player. He said his favorite team got him hooked back in 2018.
“The short answer, the Panthers,” he said.
Cobbs is a participant of the Florida Panthers adaptive skate and hockey programs.
“When I get on the ice, I leave everything off ice,” he said.
He said the ice is where he gets to be free.
“Absolutely,” he said.
Melissa Fitzgerald is the general manager of the War Memorial and Baptist Health Iceplex with the Florida Panthers. She said the organization was dead set on setting up an adaptive skating and adaptive hockey program.
“We made sure we connected with the resources that ASHA, American Special Hockey Association, could provide—.equipment and insurance and resources,” she said.
Fitzgerald said those who take part in the programs face a variety of cognitive or physical challenges.
“Those could be people who have autism, those could be people with down syndrome,” she said. “I don’t know if you noticed one of our participants who’s in a wheelchair downstairs and just needs physical assistance to be able to experience the ice.”
At the moment, the Panther’s programs are able to accommodate 50 participants of children to adults. The sessions run on Friday nights. Those attending are divided into two groups, one where kids learn to skate and just enjoy the ice.
“But for other kids it’s also enabling them to learn the basic skills they need for us to be able to make hockey players and panthers fans out of them,” Fitzgerald said.
Being involved in hockey his whole life has given coach Wayne Whitmore a passion for coaching and teaching hockey.
“Anytime you get to work with kids and players in that capacity, it’s by far my favorite hour on the ice,” he said. “It’s my favorite group to work with.”
Whitmore said he takes the same approach with these skaters and hockey players like anybody else.
“So, teaching them the five skills of hockey, skating, passing, shooting, puck handling and hockey IQ,” he said, “we just want them to feel like when they put their skates on and their helmets on and their Panther’s adaptive jersey on, they’re a hockey player just like anyone else.”
Cobbs said nothing beats skating at his favorite team’s practice facility except for one thing.
“Being in the building for game seven and watching us win the cup,” he said.
