An adult program that gives skaters another chance to learn the fundamentals of hockey

BUFFALO, N.Y. — They may not be tomorrow’s Stanley Cup champions, but getting people on the ice and familiar with the game of hockey is the goal of a new adult hockey program in Western New York.

“We teach all the adults who want to play hockey and haven’t had the opportunity to,” said Matthew Torres, the Sabres’ youth hockey coordinator, who is working with a slightly older age group this time. “A lot of them have kids who play hockey or they’re just used to it as a social sport. You see people playing kickball or softball or something like that.”

Torres and his staff are giving players like Nick Green a second chance to be part of a team.

“Before the pandemic, I wanted to look into it and started looking at some clinics,” Green said.

After two years, he has gained new skills, a better understanding of how the game works on the ice and, most importantly, a new community.

“It’s a lot of fun,” he noted. “The environment here and all the different people you learn from is very welcoming.”

When you have about 40 participants in a class training on the ice, you may be able to see the difference in skill level.

“What these adults do is not easy,” Torres said. “They’re there to have fun. But some of them get a little frustrated sometimes.”

But exercise after exercise, we see improvement, even at an advanced age.

“It’s one of the drills we use with our kids. Usually, kids have to move with their hands,” he said, explaining a drill where skaters drop their sticks and kick a gym ball, which is more like ice soccer. “But everybody here could have back problems tomorrow if we do that.”

The blue and yellow jerseys under the program may be the closest thing these players get to a spot on the professional team, but it opens a lot of doors.

“They can go practice with their kids or play in a rec league or skate with their friends. Their perseverance is impressive and I’ve had a lot of these guys since 2021, honestly, and they’ve made huge strides, literally,” Torres said.

The progress, he said, is considerable compared to where most of these players were before they even knew an adult hockey program existed.

“When I was younger, I didn’t have enough money to play hockey and we didn’t know there were resources for young sports stars and all that,” Green said. “And now, as an adult, I can be a part of this program.”

“We’re teaching them how to play hockey, but we’re not teaching them how to be the next Wayne Gretzky, right?” Torres said. “They’re just having fun on the field. And that’s all we want to do at the end of the day.”