Children with disabilities that keep them from playing on other hockey teams are getting a chance to take the ice thanks to the Capital City Condors.
The volunteer-run team was started by the Perkins family in 2008, working team members through on-ice drills and intra-squad games.
“We started out with three players our first week . . . the Condors has become its own family, now we're almost up to 100 players,” said co-founder Shana Perkins.
“It’s so much more than hockey, it's a conduit really for these guys to have a team of their own, a group of their own.”
Charlene White’s ten-year-old son Brennan has Down Syndrome and has spent three years with the Condors.
“It's a perfect fit because he just loves sports of any kind,” she said,
“Certainly he's a Canadian and adores hockey, so this finally gave him an opportunity to come out and feel like he's on a real team.”
“He just loves to sit there, stickhandle, skate down the ice and imagine he's one of the players out there with Daniel Alfredsson and the other guys that he really admires,” said Steve Riley of his 12-year-old son Dylan.
The team depends on fundraising and donations for ice time, uniforms and other expenses.
You can donate or learn more about volunteering at the Capital City Condors website.
With a report from CTV Ottawa’s Claudia Cautillo
