For Steve Nearman, the father of a son with autism, life can be isolating. Families with kids that have developmental challenges can be afraid to go out to sporting events, worried people will stare and call their children names. Putting their kids on sports teams can be even trickier, with a fear of bullying or that other players will quit for not wanting to play with someone different.
Then there’s the constant worry of what their children will do after graduating from school, where there is a baked-in social network and programming. Outside of school, the options for sports and other activities can be limited. “Once you graduate and are out of school, you basically have nothing,” Nearman said.
These are the motivations behind a hockey initiative that Nearman launched In 2019.
That, and to give his 26-year-old son Jonathan the joy of hockey.
Nearman, having recently moved to Plymouth and with little programming within an hour’s drive, decided to launch what is called the Great Blizz, short for the Great Blizzards of Massachusetts Special Hockey. They started at a hockey rink in Kingston. In short, the program is for pretty much anyone from the age of 4 up to 100 that can’t play on any other hockey team due to cognitive, intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities.
And what started out as just a small collective on the South Shore has spread over the last several years. They have added players that skate on rinks in Dennis on the Cape and in Winthrop. The program currently serves more than 85 players across the three locations.
“It brings parents and guardians out to a safe zone,” Nearman said. “If a player has a meltdown on the ice, the other parents and players won’t look at them funny. We embrace it. It’s a different place.”
This week, Nearman and the Great Blizz, along with a collection of Island parents and coaches, announced that the program is expanding to Martha’s Vineyard. And on an Island with deep roots in hockey, there has been great interest.
“This is huge,” said Brooke Avakian, chair of the Island Autism board, who has been part of the effort to launch the local Great Blizz. “I can’t wait.”
The program will host an open house on the Island on Oct. 19 at the Vineyard Ice Arena at the YMCA before launching the 2025–2026 season.
The initiative to get the attention of the Great Blizz was started by Avakian, as well as her close friend, special education teacher –– and coordinator of the school’s Voyager transition program –– Jen Woods. Jared Andrews, a school administrator and youth hockey coach, has been involved as well.
As Avakian and Woods tell it, the idea is to open up new doors for Islanders, and their story goes back more than a decade.
The two Islanders raised their kids together after their boys were both born 12 years ago, within a week of each other, at Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. Their children grew up playing hockey together.
Avakian’s son Cooper is autistic. He learned to skate and play at a young age, but as he got older, it was harder to keep up with the other players. Eventually, he stopped playing. He is still a big fan of hockey and goes to his sister’s games, on and off Island. But there’s a big difference being a cheerleader on the sidelines versus playing on the rink with other friends.
Avakian described a similar loneliness to Nearman and not being able to provide the space for her son to be on the rink with his peers. Avakian’s husband was also a big hockey player, born and raised on the Island and having played in college. Not seeing their son being able to play on the rink, Avakian said, there’s a feeling deep down that is similar to grieving.
So, she and Woods researched ways that they could help provide an outlet for Cooper and other Vineyard kids. They both kept stumbling on the Great Blizz website and social media sites. They considered replicating the program, but instead of reinventing the wheel, they thought maybe they would reach out to Nearman.
And in recent weeks, they made the call and were surprised and warmed by the enthusiasm of the Great Blizz’s founder. Instead of considering the program down the line, Nearman recommended starting in November.
For Avakian and for Woods, the program will not only provide a space for kids to get on the rink, it will help Island children, teens, and adults form friendships that can last a lifetime and provide a weekly outlet. It’s about inclusivity and fairness.
“The rink should be for everyone with every ability,” Avakian said. “It’s just going to make it that much more special, that our kids won’t just be sitting in the bleachers and watching, but out on the rink.”
As for the logistics, practices and games are slated for Sundays at 10 am beginning Nov. 16 and continuing through the end of April. Nearman said that they will have scrimmages and games between the four groups across Southeastern Massachusetts. But, as they have been doing from their original Kingston location, they will travel to tournaments across the country, and even internationally. Vineyard players who are interested are welcome to join the Great Blizz for tournaments. The team is currently practicing for tournaments in Maine and New Jersey. Some of the more adventurous players are getting ready for the Special Hockey International Tournament in Toronto in March, where teams from around the world compete.
Nearman is hopeful that some Vineyard kids will be on board for the international tournament. Given the enthusiasm from the parents he has worked with so far, he’s optimistic that there will be a good turnout for the program in general.
The Vineyard program will host an open house on Sunday, Oct. 19, from 10 am to noon at the Vineyard Ice Arena at the YMCA. It’s an opportunity to meet the team’s management and coaches, and to register for the 2025–2026 season. Aside from players, they are also looking for volunteers who may be interested in coaching.
