Sled hockey reform gives U.S. momentum for Paralympics

Competing at the Paralympics for the first time, Joe Howard took the ice in his enormous prosthetic legs and a sled so big, it made the thing Santa Claus rides look like a compact.

After a handful of lopsided losses, he dumped the prosthetics in his locker. Then he found a sledgehammer and chopped his 20-pound sled in half, hoping it would make him faster.

“We were kind of a ragtag bunch of guys,” Howard said.

Gone are the amateur antics that practically derailed the U.S. sled hockey team, the No. 1 seed entering the Paralympics next week in Vancouver and a serious threat to Canada in a much-hyped bid to prove the gold medal it won in 2002 was a starting point, not a fluke.

The upstart Americans have rebuilt their image since they claimed a bronze in 2006, with an overhauled coaching staff, a dedicated off-ice conditioning program and a businesslike approach to international travel. And they now have financial support from USA Hockey, which assumed control of perhaps the most visible Paralympic sport three years ago.

When Howard, 43, of Kingston, Mass., played in Nagano, Japan, in 1998, hardly any of his costs were covered, so he footed the bill for his airfare, his hotel and his meals. He even had to pay for his equipment as part of a $12,000 annual tab. “We didn’t have any real support from anybody,” said Howard, an auto mechanic.

Few players other than Howard worked out away from the rink, and those who did wind up in a gym lacked an effective training program, nothing compared to the cardiovascular exercises, weightlifting, hand cycling and swimming that rounded Howard into shape in the buildup to Vancouver, where the U.S. could play five games in eight days.

On the ice, the Americans missed chemistry, as well as the offensive spunk, the defensive tenacity and the hot goaltending that carried them to a gold at the world championships in May. Their penalty killing was porous, and their power play was pitiful. Goose eggs were common, and losing 9-1 or 13-2 was considered an accomplishment because they scored.

“Nobody told me if I took my legs off, I could make my sled this big and I could be that much quicker,” said Howard, who marked a double hat trick (six goals) in the final game of the 1998 Paralympics, a record that stands today.

Funding from Colorado Springs-based USA Hockey has resulted in increased resources for a 15-player team that concluded a training camp Thursday at World Arena. Players no longer have to pay their own way to the Paralympics, they have more sticks than they can count and goaltender Steve Cash’s helmet is sparkling, like something from the NHL.

One look at the Americans in practice, and you’ll notice the discipline preached by coach Ray Maluta, who replaced Keith Blase in 2008. Their speed also stands out, along with a mobile defense that includes Berthoud resident Nikko Landeros and converted forwards Taylor Chace and Andy Yohe. And of course, there’s Cash, the top goalie in sled hockey.

“We couldn’t do half the drills we’re doing,” Maluta said. “We threw something new at them, and it would have been panic central. Now we throw something new at them, they get it. It might take a little bit, but they get it. Our hockey sense has gotten a lot better.”

The U.S. split six games this season with Canada, four of which went to overtime, giving Maluta confidence his team is “truly a .500 team with them. It’s not that Cash is coming up huge for us and saving a game or winning a game. … Our team has improved, and we are definitely competing with them on an even scale.”

Howard isn’t bashful in specifying the expectations for Vancouver.

“We’re going to Vancouver to win gold,” he said. “Anything less than gold is going to be disappointing. … We know we’re capable of beating any team in the world right now.”

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