Michigan man is first to play in a professional hockey game from a wheelchair

There's an old sports saying: "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game."

While that may be true, Steven Kirkpatrick has proved that playing the game at all — even for just a few seconds — can mean everything.

This year, Kirkpatrick, of Sandusky, Mich., became the first person who uses a wheelchair to play in a professional hockey game when he started as goalie for the Indianapolis Ice, a minor league team in the Central Hockey League.

The 22-year-old suited up in Ice jersey No. 78, a number he picked for the year he was born, and stayed in the action long enough to record a save (a blocked shot) in the official record.

Kirkpatrick's professional career only lasted about 10 seconds on the game clock, but it was the culmination of a lifetime of dreaming.

"It was awesome," said Kirkpatrick, who has limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. To make his stint with the team official, he signed a one-day contract and earned $39 (prorated from the league's $275 weekly minimum salary). He framed the check instead of cashing it.

  No April Fool's Joke   

Kirkpatrick's rookie debut in Indianapolis was carefully planned by himself, the Ice and its opponent, the Huntsville, Ind., Tornado, for April 1.

The plan was for Kirkpatrick to start the game, and the Ice would surrender the opening face-off to Huntsville. The Tornado players would then skate down and take a shot on goal, Kirkpatrick would stop it, play would be stopped, and a substitute would be sent in.

Steven Kirkpatrick gets ready to defend the Ice goal.

Players on both teams were told to skate at full speed, just as they would in any other game.

To boot, "Mr. Hockey" himself, Gordie Howe, would be there to drop the puck to start the game. The Detroit Red Wings star of the 1950s and 1960s and his wife, Colleen (known as "Mrs. Hockey"), have become good friends with Kirkpatrick, and attended the game and an autograph session beforehand in support of him.

Despite the date, there was no April fooling involved, and no one could foresee the added drama that would surround the game. Turns out it was an all-or-nothing game for the Ice: Win, and they'd advance to the league playoffs; lose and the season was done.

Kirkpatrick's debut was scheduled weeks in advance when the Ice appeared to be in a comfortable position in the standings, explained Ice General Manager Brad Beery. But then the Tornado caught fire with a string of victories late in the season, and the pressure was on the Ice to secure a playoff spot.

Kirkpatrick knew well that an 0-1 start in the beginning seconds of the game would not sit well with any of the Ice players or, especially, the fans.

Kirkpatrick, wearing about 35 pounds of protective equipment, wheeled to the customary spot in front of the net and readied himself for the face-off. Spectators were on their feet and making noise, and Kirkpatrick was plenty nervous.

Huntsville right wing Chris George secured the puck, sprinted down the ice and zinged a slapshot at the Ice's goal. But Kirkpatrick was ready.

"It was about a 40- or 50-mile-an-hour shot," he said. "I used my right kick pad, and kicked it away and that was it. I stopped it."

  The Real Thing   

Even though he attends any hockey game he can, Kirkpatrick said nothing could prepare him for the speed of the action.

"It was just crazy. I didn't think it was that fast. When you're on the ice and they're coming at you, you're just like, 'Oh, man, I'll go hide behind this net here.' I didn't think it was going to be that fast but it was," he said.

Immediately following his save, play stopped, and Kirkpatrick exited the game to a cascade of congratulations from players on both teams.

"It only took 10 seconds off the clock, but it seemed like an hour," he said.

Beery said Kirkpatrick's brief goalie stint had a surprising effect on the players and the crowd alike.

"There's not many times in this business when you want to see your audience cry, but the tears were really flowing there," he said. "They were tears of joy and people were glad to be part of the event."

Players on both teams approached Beery to thank him for having a chance to participate, he said, noting that Huntsville's George had been designated to make the shot since he and his wife are active in fund raising for MDA.

"It was amazing how the players got into it... He was a member of the team and always will be a member of the team after that," he said of Kirkpatrick.

  World's Greatest Fan   

Kirkpatrick's quest to get into the hockey record books started after he turned 22, making him too old to attend MDA summer camp. He'd looked forward to camp because it was there that he would play hockey with very good friends.

Gordie and Colleen Howe have become good friends with Kirkpatrick.

"I thought this would kind of make up for it," he said.

Kirkpatrick began approaching hockey leagues with the idea, fueled by his motto, "It never hurts to ask."

"The first league turned me down, and the second league said, 'Yeah, let's do it,'" he said, and got the official go-ahead from Tom Berry, Central Hockey League commissioner.

When the game plan was solidified, Kirkpatrick got on the phone to the media. He soon found himself in the national spotlight, including a feature in USA Today two days before the game.

The game was covered by Indianapolis newspaper and television reports, and he was told that footage was included in nationwide sports news broadcasts on Fox Sports Net.

He's also been interviewed for several sports radio shows around the country, including that of Dan Patrick of ESPN. About two weeks after the game, he was due to be filmed by a crew from the ESPN show "NHL Cool Shots," and was busy trying to get appearances on Conan O'Brien's and Rosie O'Donnell's television shows.

At the game, Kirkpatrick was presented with a commemorative plaque from the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. He also received a package that included a Swiss Army watch and other goodies from Gary Bettman, commissioner of the National Hockey League.

In turn, he'll donate his game helmet to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and his jersey to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

  Howe Sweet It Is   

Kirkpatrick said that having the Howes back him at the game added even more credibility to the event. He met the couple at a hockey game in Detroit a few years ago.

Kirkpatrick and Colleen Howe share the same hometown, and he spearheaded an effort to have the city's hockey arena named for her.

"Having Gordie and Colleen come up and shake my hand and recognize me, I mean, I got their approval. You get somebody's approval like that, it doesn't matter what anybody else says," Kirkpatrick said.

Kirkpatrick was also flattered to hear Gordie Howe describe him in local interviews as "gutsy" and compare his courage to that of Mario Lemieux, the current hockey star who returned to the game despite a battle with cancer.

Kirkpatrick takes Howe's words to heart, and hopes that others — especially people with disabilities — hear a message in his achievement: not to give up hope, and not to give up the fight.

"Anything is possible. Even though this disease is tying you down, it doesn't have a full grip on you," Kirkpatrick said. His disease has him in a wheelchair, but "I don't have time to sit back and pout about it.

"If you have a goal, then do it."

  His Next Goal   

For now, Kirkpatrick is juggling media appearances and working on his Web site, www.worldsgreatesthockeyfan.com.

And, chances are, the hockey world hasn't heard the last from Kirkpatrick.

"I got something for next season already brewing in the old noodle," he said.