History of Wheelchairs On Ice - 1983 to 2024

Background: What follows is a brief overview of the chronology of Wheelchairs on Ice involving KW AccessAbility and the Kitchener Waterloo Skating Club (KWSC).

1983 - KWSC debuts the Fleet brothers (Jamie and Peter) in their wheelchairs playing Ice Hockey at the Rink-in-the-Park. Articles appear in the K-W Record and on CKCO. Wayne Gretzky hears about this phenomenon and autographs a photo of the event for the boys.

1989 - Using a special studded Over-Ring for the electric wheelchair pneumatic tire, KW AccessAbility forms the first Electric Wheelchair Ice Hockey team – ‘The Storm’  - and gets invited to a scrimmage with the University of Waterloo Warriors and with the Toronto Maple Leafs at Maple Leaf Gardens.

1991 – KW AccessAbility takes the team to Sunrise Florida for an exhibition fundraising game against former NHL players at the Sunrise Hockey Arena.

1993 - The studded Over-Rings for pneumatic drive wheels had to be discontinued after wheelchair manufacturers transitioned to solid tires, which were incompatible with the original traction system. Developing a new solution proved too expensive, leading to the suspension of the Wheelchairs on Ice initiative.

2023 - The thought of "Wheelchairs on Ice" resurfaced, when thirty years later while visiting the KWSC the creator of the original Over-Ring design discovered that there was renewed interest in helping disabled individuals to learn to skate. Skate Canada had just introduced the Adaptive CanSkate program for those who could wear skates. Traction was still a challenge for those people using wheelchairs. A solution needed to be found!

2023 - 2024 - In our renewed effort to solve the traction problem, KW AccessAbility connected with AutoSock AS in Oslo, Norway—a company that had developed and patented a textile-based traction device for vehicles, designed to replace pavement-damaging snow chains, which were being banned in many countries. (See autosocks.ca.) Through their Canadian distributor, Shift Products in Winnipeg, Manitoba, AutoSock provided us with sample SnowSocks tailored for both electric and manual wheelchairs. These were tested at the Kitchener Waterloo Skating Club (KWSC), and once again, the traction challenge was successfully overcome.

Potential - The success of the Wheelchair AutoSock opens the door to a number of mobility benefits for a people using either power or manual wheelchairs in moderate to severe winter climates. It offers a return to the ice for activities like family skating, curling, ice hockey and ice fishing to name a few. 

We extend our sincere thanks to Greg McNeice for his original development, design, and creation of the Over-Ring, as well as for his tireless research and efforts in building connections with AutoSock. His dedication has played a vital role in empowering wheelchair users with greater mobility in icy and snowy conditions, helping to make the Wheelchairs on Ice initiative a reality.