Canadian Blind Hockey is officially halfway to our $100,000 fundraising goal! THANK YOU to all our generous supporters who have helped get us here!
Blind Hockey player Mark Bentz has a plan to help get us the rest of the way: he’s contributing up to $25,000 in matching donations! Double your impact and join our Donor-Wall-of-Fame by donating today here.
Learn about the life-changing impact of Blind Hockey programs from Mark in his own words:
I was diagnosed with cone-rod dystrophy at age nine. It’s a degenerative condition, and today I have about two percent vision with a prognosis of eventual total vision loss. Sports were a huge part of my life growing up, but by my early teens I could feel my vision affecting my ability to keep up. By 13, team sports had become too fast and dynamic so I stepped away. Someone suggested Para Alpine Skiing and after I discovered the sport I progressed quickly, competing provincially and nationally within two years.
I was picked at 15 to compete in the 1984 Innsbruck Austria Paralympics for Para Alpine Skiing. At a time when school was a struggle and I knew I was limited due to my eyesight, having the Paralympic dream gave me direction and hope. Between the ages of 14 and 18 I want two gold medals at the Paralympics and two gold medals at the World Championships. After reaching that peak, I chose not to return to the Paralympics and stepped away from competition.
The years that followed were difficult. Without sport and without my vision, I lost purpose and struggled, including a period of addiction. Thankfully by 23, I returned to school, studying kinesiology and then massage therapy. I knew I wanted to own my own business, and massage therapy fit perfectly as I adjusted to life with vision loss. That decision changed everything. I went from feeling like I was losing to feeling like I was winning again. Over time, I opened several clinics and eventually founded Electra Health, now one of the largest multidisciplinary clinics in Canada.
At 30, someone walked into my clinic and mentioned Blind Hockey. I thought he was joking. I hadn’t skated since elementary school. I decided to try an Eclipse practice, and I was instantly hooked. I wasn’t the best player, but it was fun, and it felt incredible to be part of a team again. With a degenerative disease, you’re always aware that life can change suddenly, but Blind Hockey gave me something I could grow in and hold onto. It restored a sense of purpose and belonging.
Today, being able to give back through Canadian Blind Hockey feels like coming full circle. It brings up a lot of emotion, but also a lot of gratitude. Blind Hockey gave me purpose later in life, just as Para sport did in my teens, and it’s a privilege to support the next generation. My hope is that Blind Hockey continues to grow toward the Paralympic stage, giving athletes opportunities that didn’t exist for me in regards to Blind Hockey at the competitive level. Building strong youth and children’s programs is how we get there and not if but when we make that historic moment possible.
When you donate now until March 22, 2026, you are helping Canadian Blind Hockey reach its fundraising goal of $100,000. I pledge to match up to $25,000 to ensure they reach their goal and continue to help inspire hundreds of Canadians who are blind or partially sighted: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/141041
