Together with Special Olympics, the National Hockey League (NHL) sets an example for more inclusion in our society: Special Olympics athlete Juliana Rößler and former German-Canadian NHL professional Rob Zepp opened the NHL's Germany guest game in Berlin with the puck drop.
It was a great honor to open the game.
Instead of ice time, equal participation: During the NHL Global Series game between the San Jose Sharks and the Eisbären Berlin at the Mercedes-Benz Arena, the claim of the Special Olympics World Games 2023 in Berlin could be read on the helmets of all Sharks players: #UnbeatableTogether (German: #ZusammenUnschlagbar).
"I was insanely excited before the start of the game," told successful canoeist Juliana Rößler.
"At the same time, it was also a great honor to open the game. It feels good to have the NHL by our side when it comes to standing up for openness towards people with intellectual disabilities," said the gold medalist at the 2019 World Games in Abu Dhabi.
"Setting a visible example for diversity is important to us as the NHL, and inclusion is of course an essential part of this. That's why we wanted to draw attention to the Special Olympics World Games Berlin 2023 with our visit to Germany.
We can only support promoting the power of sports for equal participation of all people in all areas of life," said Marc Black, NHL Vice President International Operations, about the commitment in Berlin.
In the NHL's guest game, the San Jose Sharks beat the host Eisbären Berlin 3:1 in front of 12,000 visitors at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
