Founder Of OKC Disabled Veteran Hockey Team Nominated For NHL Award

An Oklahoma hockey team has drawn the attention of the National Hockey League.

The founder of the Oklahoma Warriors is nominated along with four others nationwide for the “Stick Tap for Service” program. 

The award comes with a $30,000 grand prize. The team's founder, Kyle Rausch, said regardless of the outcome, his club has already won.

Rausch got the first few players together in 2020 to help deal with the transition from military into civilian life. Since the first group suited up, the team has grown to more than 30 skaters who look to dish out an assist to their teammates on and off the ice.

"A day that we continue to combat veteran suicide, provide a place for veterans to go and play hockey, we've won. No amount of money can take that away,” Rausch said. 

Whether it's group push-ups on the ice or the way they talk, Rausch said Warriors hockey integrates some aspects of military life into the locker room and into games.

"We understand what we're saying even though we use a lot of acronyms," Rausch said.

Those are a few examples of how tight the bond is between the men and women who don the sweater. It's a bond created through shared experiences of serving our country and coming back with physical or mental trauma.

"I was in a few helicopter crashes, a few IEDs, so at the end of it all, I was kind of forcibly medically retired," Warriors team captain Anthony Goforth said. "We're used to working with teams. We're used to having that camaraderie out on the battlefield.”

That camaraderie and sense of belonging is one of the hardest parts, the players said, of their transition out of the military.

"You're just kind of fishing around for something to do. Something to take up your time, mind. Keep you occupied,” Goforth said.  

“You go from being important to not being important or feeling like you're not important,” Rausch said.

Many learn to skate and play hockey at the same time. The team's skill level and ages have a wide range. Each skater gets better with every pass.

"As they see themselves improve, it's a great pat on the back to them that they know that they're out there and they're achieving something,” Rausch said. “They're putting in a lot of hard work and they're getting results.”

Stick taps in hockey is akin to applause from a crowd, especially when someone gets back up after they're down. The “Stick Tap for Service” award and sentiment that fits for the founder of a team whose players lift each other up consistently.

"It's indescribable because you want nothing more your teammates to succeed,” Goforth said.

The winner will be announced June 13.