Ben Cobbs remembers the exact year he fell in love with hockey: 2018. The right answer—and his favorite team? The Florida Panthers. Today, Cobbs is living his dream as a participant in the Florida Panthers’ Adaptive Skate and Hockey Programs.
“When I get on the ice, I leave everything off the ice,” Cobbs said.
The programs take place at the Baptist Health IcePlex, located inside the revitalized War Memorial complex in Fort Lauderdale. Melissa Fitzgerald, General Manager of the IcePlex with the Florida Panthers, says launching an adaptive hockey program was a top priority from the start.
“We made sure that we we connected with the resources that ASHA–the American Special Hockey Association–could provide like equipment and insurance,” Fitzgerald said.
The program currently serves 50 participants, from children to adults, who face a range of cognitive or physical challenges, including autism, Down syndrome, and mobility impairments. Some players use wheelchairs and receive physical assistance just to step onto the ice.
Each Friday night, participants are divided into two groups. One group focuses on simply learning to skate and enjoying the ice. The other builds foundational hockey skills—with hopes of transforming beginners into players and Panthers fans alike.
Coach Wayne Whitmore, who has spent much of his life around the game, calls working with this group the highlight of his week.
“Anytime you get to work with kids and players in that capacity, it’s by far my favorite hour on the ice,” he said. “Teaching them the five skills of hockey—skating, passing, shooting, puck handling, and hockey IQ—we just want them to feel that when they put their skates on, their helmets on, and their Panthers adaptive jersey on, they’re a hockey player just like everyone else.”
And for players like Ben Cobbs, there’s no better place to be than skating on the same ice as his favorite NHL team. Well—almost no better place.
“Being in the building for Game 7 and watching us win the Cup,” he said is the only thing that beats being a part of the Adaptive Skate and Hockey Program.
For more information, visit ftlwarmemorial.com/hockey/adaptive-skating.
