USA Hockey/The North Carolina Warriors

Cam Ward's Helmet

My husband, Donald, loves hockey, he's from HockeyTown USA. He is a die hard Detroit Red Wings fan, and wanted nothing else but to play goaltender for his own team.

He was injured in Baghdad in a car bomb on his way to an elementary school and lost his right eye in the blast. One evening while playing Texas Holdem at the Malone House a woman named Anne Moore came over and asked if anyone wanted to go to a Washington Capitals game. Donald, a few other guys, and I accepted. During the game, Anne asked the guys if they played hockey and wanted to get back into it.

Of course Donald wanted to get back into Hockey! He played in high school, and would have loved to play again. Anne had found some people to donate equipment, the local rink was kind enough to donate ice time for the guys to go skate around and have a good time, they called themselves The USA Warriors. Donald was the goalie, the "One Eyed Goalie". They played with some geriatric teams and some Senior Citizen teams around the DC area. Eventually others joined in, including a man who skated on a prosthetic leg.

After a few months the Washington Capitals heard about them and asked the guys if they would like to do a bowling event for free, they got to bowl and hang out with the Caps players like Olaf Kolzig, Matt Bradly, and Alex Ovechkin.

Drew Hill & Donald Urbany

Things died down for the guys, and they really didn't do much more after that. But then Donald got a
call from a guy named Drew Hill. Anne had given him Donald's number, and Drew wanted to get as much of the original players back together as possible. Drew, who is now considered family to us, then became the foundation of USA Hockey. USA Hockey, spread like wildfire. Warrior teams were popping up all over the country.

After my husband got his medical retirement from the Army we moved to North Carolina. Once we got here, he looked around for some "beer league" teams to play on. He found the Tropical Depressions in Hillsborough, NC. He played in that league for years. He was once again the "one eyed goalie". After games, he would pull off his goalie mask and people who didn't know him would be like "WHOAH THAT GOALIE ONLY HAS ONE EYE!", shocked because Donald is a pretty good goaltender, even with only having one eye. After the games they would hang out have a few beers and the guys would inquire about what it was like to only have one eye and play goalie. Most were in disbelief that he could play so well, and only see half the ice.

One day Donald received a phone call, and his face just changed. Of course, with my nosy personality I start mouthing, "Who is it?", "Who called you?", "What's going on?"! Of course he keeps trying to move away from me mouthing "Hold on!" and giving me the "just a minute" finger.

Donald gets off the phone and his jaw was on the floor, and I'm like "WELL WHAT HAPPENED??". He calmly looks at me and said, "That was...the USA Warriors...and they want me to come play goalie for them in Dallas". So I'm like "What are you talking about USA Warriors? We left that behind years ago, how is that possible...What? I'm so confused.".

Brian, Donald, Jeremy, and Travis

Donald played with the USA Warriors a few times, here and there at big events when they needed a goaltender, but he lost that real bond of veterans, hockey, and veterans who love hockey. That one year a week was great, but what about the rest of the year?

So one day a few months ago Donald fell down the FB hole. You know when you're looking at something then something else catches your attention, then something else, then something else, so on and so forth? He found a page with a post by a guy named Travis Harris (now the president/captian) who was also a veteran who loved hockey and he wanted to start a Warrior team for North Carolina. Donald reached out and told him about himself, and Drew.

And it started...

Very First NC Warriors Practice

Word got out! These guys, these veterans, these hockey players, these hockey loving, hockey playing veterans started pouring in from all over the Carolinas and Tennessee too! Donald's dream was coming true! He is the goaltender for his very own Veteran Warriors hockey team! Again, he is the one eyed goalie!  The guy that when he takes his mask off the other team says "Whoa, that guy only has one eye!"!

Cam Ward and Donald

Someone even had connections to Cam Ward, former goaltender for the Carolina Hurricanes, and he
donated one of his personal masks that he played on the ice with to Donald and the whole team chipped in and had it personalized for Donald.

They hype, the excitement, it's all coming back!

So far the Carolina Warriors have had 3 games, and 4 practices. Love and support keeps flowing in from fundraising by the team and on FB so they are able to buy ice time to have their games and their practices.

Hurricanes Summerfest

The Carolina Hurricanes gave them a booth at Summerfest to promote themselves and their first game, because of that their first game was a huge success and had a major turnout.

On September 28th they had 2 more games, "The Battle at Center Ice". The Beltway Warriors came down from Maryland, DC, and Virginia to play in their first ever Warrior event, the NC Warriors won 7 -6, Their first win as a team! Then Sunday September 29th the team had another booth at the Caniac Carnival again to promote their team, then after we attended the Capitals v. Canes preseason game.

Come the first week in October the North Carolina Warriors will be flying out to Vegas to play in the USA Hockey Warriors Tournament.

What is one of the best parts of this Hockey team is, that they are more than just a Hockey team. They are also a 501(c)3 nonprofit. They want to be able to help and support other veterans in their time of need.

Fellow hockey Wife Nikki Harris and Me

So far, the friendships, bonds, and mutual love of hockey has done amazing things in these guys lives. Donald has made new friends, I have made new friends with wives and girl friends, and the kids have even made friends with other children of players on the teams. This is more than a group of veterans getting together twice a month to play hockey. This is a family. This is our family.

My heart overflows with happiness when I see these veterans on the ice. I am so proud of what they have all accomplished, and how far they have come. I am a proud Army Wife, Veteran Wife, and Hockey Wife.