About The Team
The Central Park North Stars is an ice hockey program for New York City’s athletes with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. The emphasis is for players to have fun through teamwork, social interaction, and improving their quality of life, regardless of disability or skill level. The team is a member of the American Special Hockey Association, representing 135 teams and 8,000+ members across the United States. Please visit the ASHA website for more information about special hockey.
Practices will be at the new Davis Center in Central Park and the LeFrak Center in Prospect Park.
The team also plays games against regional teams and participates in tournaments against regional and nationwide teams. Athletes include children and adults with a wide array of developmental disabilities, of all ages, and all skating and hockey abilities. The season generally runs from late October through early to mid-March, depending on the weather.
The Central Park North Stars was formed in 2014.
About Special Hockey
Special hockey is an adaptive version of ice hockey for athletes with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities. The players are diverse in ability, diagnosis, and age, with each program providing support to meet the individual needs of each player. Special hockey is played “upright” with standard hockey equipment, adapted as needed for each individual. It is non-contact and non-competitive, allowing players to participate safely and confidently.
Team management
Robert Epner, Founder and Director. Robert founded the team when his son, who has autism, was taking “Intro to Hockey” classes at Lasker Rink in Central Park, NYC. After four years, while David grew in size but remained in the same class, Robert sought out other options and discovered ASHA. The idea of a special hockey team was pitched to Lasker, who was incredibly supportive. Robert and Lasker found a willing and eager set of parents to join the program and it grew from there.
Bill Tobias, Head Coach and Team Manager. Bill is a lifelong New Yorker and hockey fan who got his start with the North Stars when responding to a flyer looking for coaches posted at Lasker Rink in 2014. After acting as an enthusiastic and well-respected coach during the first few years, Bill was asked to take over as head coach when the original head coach left the city. Bill was honored to become head coach and has dedicated his time and efforts to growing the team and making it an accessible, fun, and overall great experience for everyone. This task was made easier thanks to the support of many other involved coaches, parents, Robert Epner, and the help and guidance from the American Special Hockey Association (ASHA).