It's their turn to play
Mar. 23, 2008



George Kasparian, 29, dresses for morning practice.                      
His autism hasn't kept him from sports, but it's his first time               Goalie Justin Doran, 22, blocks a shot during practice at  playing hockey.                                                                                          at  the Suburban Ice in Farmington Hills. 
(Bryan Mitchell / Special to The Detroit News)

New hockey team a big win for disabled adults

Charles E. Ramirez / The Detroit News
FARMINGTON HILLS -- The members of the Stars hockey team skate with a variety of challenges, from autism to cerebral palsy to Down syndrome.

But for players like George Kasparian, the benefits of the new team go beyond the physical. It's a chance to stretch skills in an arena not normally open to adults with developmental disabilities.

"I had never played hockey before," the 29-year-old from Royal Oak said. "This is my first time on a (hockey) team." 

A nonprofit group has teamed up with a former professional hockey player and Olympian to form the new squad, which is working toward getting good enough to play other teams and eventually travel to other states to play.

Kasparian, who is autistic, isn't a stranger to sports. He's played several, including soccer and basketball, since he was a boy. He can be seen often working out at a local YMCA and remains an active bowler.

Now he's trying his hand at the pastime Hockeytown derives its name from.

"One of my friends plays on a team and I went to go watch him," he said. "That's when I decided I wanted to try it."

The Stars started out last summer and the team's season will wrap up in mid-April. The team, with a roster of about 14 players, uses donated equipment, down to the team jerseys. The Suburban Ice rink in Farmington Hills has donated the team's ice time for practice on Sunday mornings as well as space for the players to store their gear.

The genesis of the Stars resulted from a partnership between the Macomb-Oakland Regional Center Inc. and Rochester businessman Peter Ciavaglia.

The Macomb-Oakland Regional Center, or MORC, is a Clinton Township-based nonprofit that provides human, housing and support services to roughly 4,000 Metro Detroiters with developmental disabilities.

"Playing a sport like ice hockey can benefit people with developmental disabilities in so many ways," said Patricia Sims, MORC's director of recreation. "It's exciting for anyone with a disability to be a part of an organized sport. But there are also other great benefits -- the exercise, the discipline and the camaraderie."

Ciavaglia, 38, is the founder and president of wealth management and investment consultant for PAC Capital Management in Rochester.

He led Harvard to an NCAA Hockey Championship in 1989 and went on to play for the Buffalo Sabres in the National Hockey League and the Detroit Vipers in the International Hockey League. He also was a member of the 1994 U.S.A. Olympic hockey team.

"I've always liked being involved with charities," Ciavaglia said. "And I thought about how there aren't a lot of outlets in athletics for people with developmental disabilities."

Ciavaglia said he borrowed the idea for the Stars from a hockey team for athletes with developmental disabilities in Oakland County called the Michigan Far Flyers. The Far Flyers have a varsity and a junior varsity team. The varsity team practices and plays at the Viking Arena in Hazel Park.

The Far Flyers -- and eventually the Stars -- play against teams of players with developmental disabilities who are at a similar skill level. Players all use regulation equipment, but the rules differ a little from conventional hockey. For instance, body checking and slap shots aren't allowed.

Ben Niemiec, the Far Flyers' head coach, said he welcomes the Stars and looks forward to the day when the teams can regularly play each other.

"The more the merrier," Niemiec said. "There aren't a lot teams like ours in Michigan, so it'll be nice to have another one around."

For Nicole Letourneau, who is playing on both the Far Flyers and the Stars, another chance to play hockey is a godsend. Letourneau has cerebral palsy, but doesn't let that stop her.

"I love hockey," the 22-year-old from Hartland said. "I've been playing for years and I would move to Alaska just to be able to play all year."


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