Houston – Whether you have a disability or not, the Houston Hellhounds Sled Hockey WANT YOU!
The Houston Hellhounds is Houston’s only competitive sled hockey team, and they’re truly unique. They’re looking for passionate members who don’t necessarily have experience on the rink. They don’t just want the program to grow, they want it to thrive.
Andy Toppin, Josh Yarbrough, and Dave Fleming are all captains of this closely linked team. They all grew up in the great state of Texas and didn’t realize they’d end up playing hockey as adults!
Toppin served in the United States Army and lost a leg during a deployment to Iraq. He simultaneously is a no-nonsense guy with a great sense of humor. He played football and basketball in high school but loves the intensity of sled hockey. He’s built a brotherhood with his team.
“We talk a lot of crap to each other, so it’s kind of a lot like the military in that aspect. We can kind of josh each other and no one gets their feelings hurt. A lot of people tend to, especially when you are disabled, people try to coddle you,” Toppin said.
Their passion for this typically northern sport brings them to Bellerive Ice Rink once a week. Separately, they drive from Port Arthur, Beaumont, and New Waverly. The commute is long, but what they get out of the time, is priceless.
Fleming runs his own business and runs a small farm. He played wheelchair basketball on a full college scholarship at Wisconsin Whitewater.
“A lot of people don’t realize when you have a traumatic injury, people have their friends and family, but they can’t truly relate to them. I mean, they can empathize with you but until you get around a group of people with similar injuries and stories and issues, those are really the people that can get you through those times. For me getting around a group of disabled athletes, really helped me transition through my injury and get back to wanting to achieve more for myself,” Fleming said.
Yarbrough stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) in Afghanistan when he served our country as a Marine. He’s blind in one eye because of that accident. He commutes 110 miles every week to practice because he likes the contact of the game. He says other sports can’t deliver what sled hockey does. It’s also a way he bonds with his teenage son.
“He’s 17, he’s playing with us, we get to take our frustrations out in a productive way,” Yarbrough laughed.
The team admits sled hockey can be intimidating, but they also say it’s a great way to beat the Texas heat during the summer!!
“The only way you’re going to find out is if you come, what do you have to lose? You have everything to gain,” Yarbrough said.
Here’s how you can connect with the Houston Hellhounds:
Email: andy@starskaters.org