Along with bringing an NHL game to town, Lumby is hoping to score a game with the Canadian Blind Hockey team.
A request has been made for the team to come to the village sometime around the Oct. 2 pre-season NHL game (at Kal Tire Place in Vernon).
Alana Bosquet, teacher for the visually impaired, asked that an invitation be given to the Canadian Blind Hockey team to participate in the events during Kraft Hockeyville.
“It would be an amazing opportunity to not only showcase and promote a growing sport that is working at becoming part of the Winter Paralympic Games in 2026, but also to support a local Lumby family whose two boys, Logan and Matthew Leach, are facing the loss of their sight and love the sport of hockey,” said Bosquet in a letter to the Regional District of North Okanagan.
Kim Leach, mom to Logan and Matthew, was one of the people who nominated and wrote the community’s official nomination for Kraft Hockeyville.
She was quoted as saying, “To be able to host a pre-season NHL game in our tiny village would be a memory our children and community would cherish and remember for their entire lives.”
It is her family’s love of hockey that inspired her to become involved in the local hockey club.
Matthew, eight, continues to play on the local house teams but Logan, who is now 13, has had to give up the sport he loves due to his vision loss.
“It would make this a truly remarkable experience not just for this family but for everyone who would have the opportunity to watch an exciting game of hockey played by visually impaired athletes,” said Bosquet.
Matt Morrow, Executive Director of Canadian Blind Hockey and Sport Director of IBIHF, has indicated there is a willingness on the part of the Vancouver Eclipse Blind Hockey Team and other national team players to participate in the Kraft Hockeyville events.