Bruce Green Audette isn’t letting his lack of hearing hinder his hockey career.
The Wilmington resident and deaf hockey player will represent Team USA at the inaugural Jeff Sauer International Deaf Hockey Series, April 11-14 in Buffalo, N.Y. The four-day event will feature the best deaf and hard of hearing hockey players from around the world, with teams from Canada, Finland and the Czech Republic also taking part in a round robin format.
Green Audette will be part of a star-studded roster that includes veterans Garret Gintoli, Jake Schlereth and Tyler Balcerak.
“I’m so excited I made the team,” said Green Audette, 17.
This will be the first time team USA will play in a tournament setting since 2019, when the USA Deaflympic team enjoyed its gold medal run. About half of that team is returning this year, with Green Audette as one of the newest recruits.
A 5-foot-9, 170-pound defenseman, Green Audette was put through the paces during a rigorous five-day tryout over the summer, with two practice sessions each day. At the end of tryouts, the team played the University of Buffalo’s Club Hockey team, which plays in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA).
A blueliner, Audette was competing with 12 other defensemen for seven roster spots. The team was originally supposed to be unveiled in mid-October, but due to a conflict with the Deaflympic Committee, the players didn’t find out until late January.
Born deaf, Green Audette has managed to make the most of his other senses to get his way around the rink.
“Being deaf hasn’t affected my impact on the game at all,” said Green Audette, who turns 18 in April. “I have a similar approach to how any player would have on the ice. I just want to win, and willing to do anything for that win.”
Although the game remains the same, he utilizes subtle nuances over the course of a contest.
“I would use the glass reflection to see where opposing players are,” he said. “Or take a very wide angle to see more of the ice. I’ve done something similar to this when I played in two exhibition games against the Canadian team. Players were not allowed to wear their hearing aids or implants, so most of us couldn’t hear much.”
A lifelong Wilmington resident, Green Audette received his first cochlear implant, an electronic device that improves hearing, at 18 months. He picked up his first hockey stick at age 5, getting his second implant a year later.
“I first started skating at age four,” said Green Audette. “I initially wasn’t attracted to hockey at all, but eventually got around that initial displeasure and now I love the game.”
A senior at Malden Catholic, Green Audette has committed to the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he’ll major in Game Design and Development.
A member of the American Hearing-Impaired Hockey Association, the blueliner is eager to reunite with some familiar faces back on the ice.
“I know most of the players on Team USA,” said Green Audette. “Most of them go to an AHIHA camp every summer.”
As for the inaugural tourney itself, he’s ready for anything and everything thrown his way. It is really anybody’s game.
“There is no clear favorite when it comes to this tournament,” said Green Audette. “I don’t know how good Finland and the Czech Republic are, but I think the U.S. team can make it to the finals. It will be a good competition regardless.”
According to Team USA coach Joe Gotfryd, Green Audette will bolster the blueline brigade
“Bruce is a young player, but plays with confidence and patience,” said Gotfryd. “No panicking with the puck. He’s a good defenseman and an excellent skater. He gets better handling the puck every time I see him, and he’s smart. He doesn’t get caught out of position. That takes a lot of pressure off a young guy when he plays smart.”
Gotfryd first took notice of Green Audette’s skills a couple of summers ago in games against Canada, and has grown over that time.
“He’s more mature and probably chomping at the bit to get out there,” said Gotfryd. “This is going to be his first taste of international competition in a tournament venue. We played Canada during our hockey school in June. We didn’t have our full team, they did, and they beat us up pretty good. I think that might change this time around.”
Named after Jeff Sauer, former head coach of the USA men’s deaf team, the four-day Sauer International Deaf Hockey Series will showcase the four men’s teams, as well as a pair of women’s teams from the United States and Canada. The series will be hosted by the American Hearing-Impaired Hockey Association (AHIHA) and the Stan Mikita Hockey School for Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
A member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, Sauer spent more than 40 years coaching hockey. He is also remembered for his work coaching hockey players with disabilities. Sauer was president of the American Hearing-Impaired Hockey Association.
He helped select the last five U.S. Deaflympic Ice Hockey teams and led them as head coach at three Winter Deaflympics, including earning a gold medal at the 2007 Deaflympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
As he preps for the tournament, Green Audette is staying positive.
“I just want to keep improving on my craft and get into even better shape,” said Green Audette. “So by the time the tournament rolls around, I’m ready to compete and maybe even lead the team to victory.”
Christopher Hurley
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