Stan Mikita Hockey School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing still changing lives after nearly 50 years
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Nearly 50 years ago, Blackhawks Hall of Famer Stan Mikita helped start a hockey school for young players who were deaf or hard of hearing, and his namesake camp is still changing lives.
The Stan Mikita Hockey School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Bensenville looks like a hockey camp, but feels like a family reunion.
"It's more than hockey. It's the family atmosphere, it's the friends – the lifelong friends that you have while you're here," said school president Kevin Delaney
And while deaf and hard of hearing players from all over the country come together for just one week every summer, many of them keep coming back.
Delaney started as a hard of hearing player in the 80's. Now, he's the president of the organization.
"We have two coaches here now that were original players," he said.
Launched in 1973, the camp was the idea of Chicago businessman Irv Tiahnybik, whose son Lex was discriminated against because he was deaf. Tiahnybik wanted to create a safe place for his son to play hockey, so he enlisted the help of his friend, Mikita.
"Irv said to Stan, 'Hey, what are you doing this summer?' And Stan said, 'I'm playing golf.' He goes, 'no, you're not. You're running a school,'" Delaney said.
Nearly 50 years later, the school still carries the hockey legend's name, and has become a kind of high-level feeder school for the U.S. Deaflympic Hockey Team.
"I feel that, because they're like me, deaf or hard of hearing, they communicate. It's easier to communicate with my friends here," said Detroit native Stewart DeLange, who has been coming to the school for a decade.
This year, DeLange will get to wrap the week playing his first international game - an exhibition against the national deaf team from Canada.
"The last time these two teams played was in 2019 in Chiavenna, Italy, at the Deaflympics, and the United States won the gold," Delaney said.
COVID-19 put a pause on international deaf hockey play, so Delaney is hoping this week serves as a jumpstart to bring the Deaflympics and World Championships back.
But for now, like every year, DeLange and other players are just glad to be back to that special sense of belonging.
"I like when I'm able to communicate with other deaf people, and have friends that are deaf or hard of hearing. We're all the same here," DeLange said.
Delaney says about 70 percent of the players from the Deaflympic team from 2019 are returning this week, with some opportunities for new, younger players like DeLange involved too.
The USA Deaf hockey team will take on Team Canada Saturday at 2:20PM and Sunday at 9AM at The Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville and are open to the public.
