Apr 30, 2025
OBSERVER sports writer Christian Storms, a 2014 Jamestown High School, will play in USA Hockey’s Sled National Championships Thursday through Sunday at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs, Fla.
My co-worker, Christian Storms, has taken to golf in a big way in the last couple of years. If the weather is even marginally decent, he’ll spend his free time chasing a little white ball from tee to green at a course somewhere in Western New York or northwestern Pennsylvania.
To show my appreciation for his love of the game — after a recent victory in a match against Matt Spielman, our other Post-Journal sports writer — I rewarded Christian with an old sport coat that hadn’t been taken out of my closet in decades. Its color is mauve, better described as a soft, light purple. Think of it as a poor man’s “green jacket.”
Since that “formal” presentation last week, the coat has now found a home draped over the back of Christian’s chair in The Post-Journal newsroom. He hopes that it will remain there the rest of the golf season because that would mean he was having continued success on the links.
But beginning today, there will be no golf for the 28-year-old Jamestown resident. Instead, he will be wearing a different type of outer garment — a numbered sweater — at least three evenings this week and, hopefully, four during a trip to the USA Hockey Sled National Championships Thursday through Sunday at the Florida Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs, Florida.
For as passionate as Christian has become with golf, nothing compares to his love for sled hockey, which is a modified version of ice hockey. A sport developed years ago to accommodate individuals without the ability to play traditional ice hockey, he was first introduced to it as a 7-year-old.
More than two decades later, the son of Bob and Kathy is a member of the Buffalo Sabres sled hockey team and he remains at the top of his game.
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Christian graduated from Jamestown High School in 2014, but an argument could be made that he had passed more figurative tests than anyone in his class long before he received his diploma. Born with a bad left hip that required reconstruction, paralysis in his left leg below the knee, a left leg that is shorter than the right and a severe case of scoliosis, he has always maintained a positive attitude.
“It sounds bad, but I’m kind of thankful that I was born with my disability and have the support of my family,” Christian said. “My brother (Bobby), my mother and my father, have never looked at me as being disabled. We just kind of went on with life like it was normal, so you never had the chance to pout about it.”
Being introduced to sled hockey helped, too.
Christian Storms
With a huge early assist from Shriners Hospital in Erie, Pennsylvania, Christian began playing with the Jamestown Lakers under the watchful eye of Rod Kolstee.
“That guy is about as good a person as you can get,” Christian said.
And with support from all corners, he has developed into one of the sport’s best players.
“Even now, I can skate with the best in the world,” Christian said. “In my opinion, at my peak, I was a top 20 … player in the world. If I didn’t live in the United States, I believe I would have gone to several Paralympic (Games), but it is so difficult in our country to be one of those guys selected.”
Christian’s figurative stage will be big enough this weekend, though, as his Sabres will be in a four-team, round-robin field that also includes the Vegas Golden Knights, the Colorado Avalanche and a squad from the University of New Hampshire.
“This is a good opportunity to show other people on the national level that I can still do it if I want to do it,” he said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to. It’s also kind of a good building block when we get to play against the South Korean National Team (next month).”
The South Koreans will be in Buffalo for the World Championships at the Harborcenter and will prepare for it by playing Christian and the rest of the Sabres on May 17-18.
“I played in the national championship a couple years ago for the Minnesota Wild,” he said. “To go again and represent the Sabres and some of the great tradition our team has had is kind of cool to get to do that again.”
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A couple of years ago, Christian was participating in a benefit sled hockey game at Northwest Arena in Jamestown. Having never seen him play, I decided to attend so I could check out his talents in person.
Upon arriving at the rink, however, I realized that I had failed to ask Christian what jersey number he would be wearing. I figured it would be difficult to identify him as he would be protected by a helmet and facemask.
Silly me.
Once the game started, it was abundantly clear who the best player on the ice was. Weaving his way effortlessly through traffic, Christian displayed his speed, stick-handling and scoring talents, confirming why he is held in such high regard by his sled hockey brethren, both near and far.
Now it’s on to Coral Springs. A golf match and his bid to keep possession of that “handsome” mauve sport coat will have to wait.
“(Sled hockey) is just a game and it should be fun,” Christian said. “The moment you’re not having any fun, you’re in trouble. While it’s something that’s going to be hard, at the end of the day, you’re playing at the top level against the top players. I can’t ask for anything more than that.”
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