As he stood at the back of the stage with the rest of the players and staff from the 2002 U.S. Sled Hockey Team listening to goaltender and de facto team spokesman Manny Guerra deliver an acceptance speech as only Manny can, Rich DeGlopper scanned the crowd of hockey dignitaries that assembled in a Pittsburgh ballroom to celebrate the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
Seated among the hundreds in attendance were current and future Hall of Famers in their own right including Mario Lemieux, Brian Leetch and Sidney Crosby. Also in attendance were members of DeGlopper’s family, including his wife Peg, son Jeff, daughter Teri and grandson Parker.
Sled hockey has long been a family affair for the DeGlopper clan dating back to their first involvement with the New York State Games for the Physically Challenged where Rich would lug around a VHS recorder and videotape the athletes competing in their individual events. He would then spend his evenings editing the tape into a finished product to show families during the final ceremony.
Little did he know at the time where volunteering would lead.
“My mantra is when you volunteer, you never know where that road is going to take you, who you’re gonna meet along the way and how many lives you’re going to impact,” said DeGlopper, an assistant coach with the 1998 U.S. Paralympic Team and team leader with the 2002 squad.
“I’ve been to the White House twice. I’ve been to Japan and Salt Lake and was part of a team that won a gold medal. Are you kidding me? I never ever would’ve thought anything like that would’ve happened from the days we started going to Brockport University.”
Not bad for a man whose previous hockey experience was skating in his backyard in Western New York. But his willingness to help others and give disabled athletes a chance to experience the joys of competition and teamwork helped pave the way for future generations and laid the foundation for what has become a sled hockey dynasty.
“It’s been an amazing process and an amazing journey. The fact that it’s been 20 some years since it all happened, you kind of have a lot of time to reflect on what it was,” said DeGlopper, who was a teacher and administrator in the Kenmore school system before retiring and working another 10 years as an adjunct professor at Buffalo State University.
“The thing is, when it happened none of us really had any idea of the long-lasting impact it would have on the sport across the country.”
DeGlopper had no idea where sled hockey would take him when a group from Ontario staged an exhibition of a new sport called sledge hockey. He would help form a non-profit group to support disabled sports in western New York, which included the creation of a sled hockey team that included a young Chris Manns, who would become a defensive anchor on U.S. Sled Teams for years to come. Joining Manns on the Buffalo blueline was DeGlopper’s son, Jeff, who while able-bodied would go on to a playing career that continues to this day.
One of the few people with the connections and knowledge of the fledgling sport, DeGlopper was asked to host the first U.S. National Team tryout camp at Buffalo State College from which the final roster would be picked to compete at the 1998 Paralympics in Nagano, Japan.
DeGlopper’s hard work and dedication led to the role of an assistant coach for a team that didn’t win a game until the final consolation game. With the next Paralympics set to take place on home ice in Salt Lake City, the team returned home determined to fix its flaws and prove it deserved the automatic bid it would receive as the host country.
“When we came back from Japan we were motivated because we knew that we needed to improve,” DeGlopper recalled. “We knew we had to get more skilled players. We knew we had to be faster on defense. That’s what happened to us, we got burned on a lot of breakaways because we just didn’t have the speed on the back end. We also knew that if the program was going to go anywhere, we needed to get funding.”
Along the way the team had its share of squabbles over who should lead the team heading into Salt Lake. Finally, Rick Middleton stepped up and volunteered to coach the squad. As a long-time Sabres fan, DeGlopper knew all about the superstar forward who played 14 seasons in the NHL, including 12 with the Boston Bruins, a long-time divisional rival of the Sabres.
Middleton’s first camp with the team took place in Tampa, Fla. While his players still tease him about his command for them to start skating backward during one drill – something sled players don’t do – everyone involved in the program knew they had the right man for the job.
“I could see right then and there what our options were and I made the decision to move forward with Rick,” DeGlopper said. “I went back to the board and I said, ‘Rick’s our man,’ and history has proven that was a good decision.”
Always thinking about what was best for the team and the sport, DeGlopper sadly gave up his place on the bench as an assistant coach but seamlessly shifted gears to become the team leader. His calm and steady hand helped guide the team’s preparations through the tumultuous days after the terrorist attack rocked the country on 9-11. With the world turned upside down, the U.S. team was forced to cancel several tournaments leading up to the Paralympics and could only scrimmage against themselves. The result was a team that had no way of knowing how good they were, and neither did the rest of the competition.
The U.S. steamrolled through the preliminary round before edging out the defending champs from Norway in a dramatic shootout victory to win the gold medal. More than just the team’s heroics on the ice, the months and years the followed had a tangible impact on the growth of the game as players led the charge. More than just great hockey players, they were true ambassadors for the sport, making appearances at various disabled festivals and hosting sled hockey clinics around the country.
“For me to sit back and watch them when they came back with their medals, it’s just like the proud pop. Your kids have achieved this and you knew the feeling of what they were experiencing,” DeGlopper said. “And then the fact that all these guys were so willing to share their medals, go out to places and let people handle them and get that experience was huge.”
Back home in Western New York, the sport continued to take off as talented youngsters from DeGlopper’s Buffalo Sabres program would join Manns on the U.S. National Team.
“Those kids were motivated by the results of what had happened with Chris through the program,” he said. “That kind of thing happened all across the country.”
The ripple effect of the event of 22 years ago are still felt today. Along the way the hockey world has taken notice and has given the 2002 U.S. Sled Hockey Team its due by enshrining the squad in both the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame and now the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.
As DeGlopper likes to say, “when you volunteer, you never know where that road is going to take you.” For him and the other members of that iconic team, it’s taken them all the way to the top.