Team Profile: Metro Detroit Sled Hockey
Metro Detroit Sled Hockey is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Brighton, Michigan. Parents founded it in 2018 so their children, who already loved recreational sled hockey, could learn to compete. At the time, Metro Detroit had no competitive youth sled hockey team. This program was the region’s first.
The competitive teams used to take the ice as Belle Tire Sled Hockey. On September 23, 2025, the club said that season they would compete as Metro Detroit Sled Hockey. Metro Detroit had already been the nonprofit behind those teams. The players, coaches, and donors stayed the same.
What is Metro Detroit Sled Hockey?
The mission is to give any disabled athlete a chance to reach their full potential on and off the ice. The organization started with seven kids. It now supports four teams of youth and adult players. Adding adults created mentorship: younger athletes skate with role models who look like them.
Players range from first-time skaters to athletes chasing Team USA and Team Canada Paralympic spots. Everyone in the program has a physical disability that keeps them from stand-up hockey.
The club lists skill development, sportsmanship, teamwork, and inclusivity as its values. Development includes everyday living skills, not only winning.
Programs
The nonprofit backs Detroit-area sled hockey teams with administration, fundraising, and recruiting. It also:
Runs outreach so people can sit in a sled, hit a puck, and see what the sport asks of athletes
Works with USA Hockey and the Michigan Amateur Hockey Association on inclusive and adaptive competition
Helps teams with money. Specialized sled equipment can cost five to ten times what stand-up gear costs, on top of medical supplies, wheelchairs, and prosthetics
Loans sleds, sticks, pads, and helmets so new players can try the sport and then apply for grants for custom equipment
Helps athletes find and complete adaptive-sport grant applications for gear and pay-to-play fees
2024–27 goals on the club site include a women’s team with Mary Free Bed Wheelchair and Adaptive Sports, an adult house team, a second youth novice team, and cutting the cost of playing.
Belle Tire teams and home ice
Belle Tire AAA Hockey still lists adult and youth sled hockey teams. Games are weekly at the home rink, Taylor Sportsplex, or at the opponent’s rink. The Belle Tire sled page lists the club as Heartland League champions for 2023–2024. Heartland League is not the Northeast Sled Hockey League.
That program page also lists a Detroit sled hockey tournament hosted January 17–19, Channel 4 interview coverage, Metro Detroit’s women’s tournament, and a University of Michigan hockey feature, Belle Tire Sled Hockey Featured at U of M Hockey.