Did you know that aside from the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning, that Benchmark International Arena also plays home to a Para Ice Hockey (also known as sled hockey or sledge hockey) Team? And they’re just as aggressive and tough of a team as the NHL team. And now, because of her success on the ice, former collegiate skier and now co-captain of the Lightning Para Ice Hockey team is set to represent the Lightning and the United States of America at the first ever Women’s Para Ice Hockey World Championships in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia.
Para Ice Hockey debuted in Stockholm Sweden in the early 1960s according to USAhockey.com. It is a team sport that inclusive for players with many different forms of disabilities and limitations that prevent them from playing stand-up hockey.
Sled hockey follows most of the similar rules to ice hockey except players sit in a sled that is designed with two blades and in a way that allows the puck to go under the sled. Players use two sticks instead of one and they both have metal picks on the end that allow players to propel themselves. It is a full contact sport that includes pads just like stand-up hockey and teams train at the same high-level that stand-up teams do as well. It’s a sport that challenges athletes mentally and emotionally as does any other sport.
The Tampa Lightning sled hockey program began in 1996 and has continued to get more competitive, traveling to compete against teams that include their biggest rival, the Space Coast sled hockey team. Their season runs parallel to the NHL hockey season from September to April. Quimby serves as the team’s co-captain. Most recently, the Lightning’s sled team was the runner-up at the National Championships this past April.
Now, for the first time ever, there will be a women’s Para Ice Hockey World Championship and Tampa Bay Lightning co-captain Monica Quimby will represent the Lightning and the United States of America as she participates in the six-team tournament as a part of the Team USA squad heading to Slovakia later this month. The United States will be one of six teams competing. The tournament will also include Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Norway, and Team World (comprised of players from other nations not mentioned).
Quimby’s athletic career did not start with hockey. She began her athletic journey as a skier, competing for the University of New Hampshire before an accident left her paralyzed. A driven athlete, Quimby knew she had to do something. “As soon as I was paralyzed, I knew I had to do something,” she told USA Hockey’s Tom Layberger in 2023. “I knew I had to keep getting up in the morning. Even though those mornings were hard,” she stated.
She first tried paracanoeing before switching over to sled hockey in 2012. Succeeding quickly in the sport she earned a spot on the 2014 U.S. Women’s Development sled hockey team and led team USA to the Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Challenge Championship in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Para Ice Hockey has continued to grow up to this point and as mentioned above, later this month, Dolny Kubin, Slovakia will host a milestone event for the sport, its first ever Women’s Para Ice Hockey World Championships. And Quimby, the co-captain of the Lightning sled hockey team, will represent the United States when their sled hockey team takes the ice.
“I just can’t wait to see where the sport goes,” said Quimby to The Hockey News’ Diandra Loux in an interview. “We’re on the road to the Paralympics. The great thing about the sport is there’s literally a place for everybody,” she stated.
The inaugural World para Ice Hockey Women’s World Championships takes place ten days from now on August 26-31, 2025 at the Winter Stadium in Dolny Kubin, Slovakia.