Pittsburgh Warriors offer much-needed competition and brotherhood for veterans
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Here in Pittsburgh, when most people think of hockey teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins immediately come to mind.
Sidney Crosby and company have obviously made an impression on thousands around our area, but there's another team in town that's having an even greater impact on one of our country's most valuable groups of people.
The Pittsburgh Warriors have one mission: to help veterans with service-connected disabilities heal both mentally and physically through the sport of hockey.
"Hockey and the military line up perfectly," said Warriors defenseman Dave Jackel. "Hockey has a warrior mentality to it and that allows us to keep that warrior mentality active and sharpen that knife. Basically, when we jump over the boards we are competing. We've known competing our whole life. We've known stress and mental strife our whole lives and this provides that adrenaline rush."
But that mentality sometimes leads to mental anguish. The suicide rate for veterans is nearly three times higher than the rest of the U.S. population. Goalie Aidan Kitching served in air reconnaissance for the U.S. Army in Iraq and has seen many soldiers struggle with depression.
"I know personally guys not only on this team but on other teams who have been facing that demon head-on," Kitching said. "Some are here to keep playing ice hockey with us and some aren't. We just gotta keep being that outlet, keep being that resource for those guys and just let them know that we're all in this together."
Wally Paciorkowski is one of the lucky ones. He also served in Iraq as an infantry gunner with the Marines and has strong feelings about the importance of the Pittsburgh Warriors.
"This program saved my life," Paciorkowski said. "I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the Warriors. It goes far beyond hockey. It goes deep down into our souls when it comes down to helping each other and holding each other up."
Jackel served 20 years in the Navy as a radar technician and stories like Paciorkowski's are what motivates him to help promote the Warriors' mission any time he can.
"When you have a friend, a brother, a new family member who is on the edge of making a decision that they can't come back from and we are able to create that buffer for them and bring them back, that means the world to us. That's what this program is all about," Jackel said.
In addition to helping veterans deal with disabilities, the Warriors also like to compete. This past weekend, the Pittsburgh Gold version of the Warriors claimed the Tier 3 championship at the national Disabled Hockey Festival held right here in Pittsburgh, so congratulations to the Warriors for everything they've accomplished both on and off the ice.