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Tyler Seguin and Bob Bassen Suit Up for Sled Hockey at StarCenter Farmers Branch

Even an NHL star can be forgiven for not knowing all the intricacies of sled hockey equipment. That said, he’ll still get the business for it, just so you know.

“Once again, folks, the only professional player is the one holding up the game,” joked the P.A. announcer after telling the crowd that the match could begin after Tyler Seguin had put on his ankle pads.

Seguin and Bob Bassen, president of the Dallas Stars Alumni Association, joined the Southwest Wheelchair Athletic Association at StarCenter Farmers Branch on Saturday night for an exhibition game with some of the best sled hockey players in Texas, benefiting the Dallas Sled Hockey Team. Seguin suited up as No. 61 for the Dallas Sled Stars, with Bassen wearing No. 28 for the visiting Houston Imperials.

There was plenty of good-natured ribbing to go around as Seguin and Bassen hustled up and down the ice. But make no mistake: These guys were serious about playing their best, and they would need it to keep up with the experienced sled snipers on the ice with them.

It was interesting to see how even a charity game can provide a demonstration of how Seguin finds chemistry with other elite players. In this case, that player was forward Taylor Lipsett (No. 57), the North Texas native who has won three consecutive sled-hockey medals – the last two of them gold – as a member of the USA Winter Paralympic team. The pair traded goals and assists en route to a 6-0 victory for the home team. Seguin opened the scoring with an unassisted tally, pictured above.

If you’ve been to a Stars game in American Airlines Center in the past two seasons, you’re familiar with Seguin’s Stars. At every home game, Tyler provides tickets and a luxury suite to wheelchair-bound individuals of all ages in partnership with SWAA. It’s a cause close to Seguin’s heart: Derek Moseychuk, his friend since childhood, was paralyzed in a car accident in December 2012. Seguin’s Stars was created in Moseychuk’s honor.

And the Stars go way back with Dallas Sled Hockey. The team’s original equipment was donated by former head coach Ken Hitchcock, and the squad uses StarCenter Farmers Branch as its practice facility at no charge to participating athletes.

If you missed last night’s game, you can still make a donation to the Dallas Sled Hockey Team. Pay them a visit at swaasports.org.

It definitely wasn’t all serious business on Saturday, though.

When it’s dinnertime on a weekend and a fan offers to bring you a burger, you go for it. Even if it’s not Whataburger, anything tastes good when you get a snack on the bench between periods.

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