Four all-service member hockey teams recently took to the ice during the Veterans Showcase at the NHL Stadium Series in Nashville, Tennessee.
“It was honestly a once in a lifetime experience,” said retired Marine Corps Cpl. Dale Vogel, a captain on the Fort Worth Patriots team.
In addition to Fort Worth, the North Carolina Warriors, San Diego Guardians, and Silver Spring United faced off at the Ford Ice Center Bellevue in West Nashville on Feb. 26. The event was sponsored by Navy Federal Credit Union.
Participating teams were selected by Navy Federal, the United Heroes League, and Bespoke from among veteran’s teams nationwide. Many of the players on the teams have service-related disabilities or are adjusting to civilian life.
“While military hockey tournaments exist, we wanted to create a national platform for veteran hockey teams to share their talent and their stories,” said NFCU Executive Vice President of Branch Operations Keith Hoskins.
Vogel, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, began playing hockey as a kid.
“One of my best friend’s dad owned a hockey store and I started working there when I was 15 and kind of just gradually got into it from there.”
Related
He went on to play both high school, travel, and junior hockey before joining the Marine Corps in 2002.
“It’s a very competitive, fast speed sport, you have to think while on your feet and I think that’s why a lot of veterans gravitate towards ice hockey,” he explained.
Vogel was stationed at Marine Corps Base Quantico and also served as a body bearer in Washington, D.C.
“It was the most honorable thing I did when I was in,” he said of being a body bearer. “It was hard, but also rewarding to give them that last greeting back home.”
When servicemembers transition out of the military, they often lose the sense of camaraderie they enjoyed with their brothers and sisters in arms, he explained.
“I think that’s what hockey brings to these veterans, whether they started up six months ago or grew up playing like I did,” Vogel said. “The camaraderie that comes with a hockey locker room and being there for each other on and off the ice, supporting each other not just during the games but in life, we’ve really developed a family here in Fort Worth.”
Related
The Fort Worth Patriots are an all veteran/active duty/Reserve ice hockey team and non-profit that provide opportunities for veterans to compete while playing hockey and supporting one another through camaraderie and fellowship.
The Forth Worth Patriots have three different teams, a lower level team for those just starting out in hockey, a mid-tier and upper-tier team. Vogel is also a member of the Dallas Fort Worth United Hero League board.
“The UHL actually collect gear and donate gear to veterans and their children when they are deployed so they can get involved in sporting activities,” he said.
To make a donation, visit here.
Following their games, the players had the opportunity to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning down the Nashville Predators in the 2022 NFCU NHL Stadium Series.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.