‘I think they should be receiving the same level of funding’

Jim Kyte defied the odds to have the hockey career that he did.

The hard-nosed defenceman from Ottawa made history by becoming the first legally deaf NHL player when the Winnipeg Jets drafted him 12th overall in 1982.

“Right now, I’m the only one in history to play in the NHL, but I’d like to be able to say I am the first player — which would imply that there would be a second player, and hopefully a third, fourth, fifth,” Kyte recently told the Free Press.

Between 1982 and 1996, he suited up in 598 career NHL games, including 399 as a member of the 1.0 Jets.

It was a dream come true, but one thing Kyte wishes he could have experienced was the feeling of pulling on a Team Canada sweater and representing his country on the world stage.

While that never came to fruition, Kyte is doing his part to ensure the next generation of deaf athletes — and not just hockey players — get to wear the Maple Leaf.

Kyte was recently named an ambassador for the Canadian Deaf Sport Association’s (CDSA) national fundraising campaign, which aims to help Canadian athletes take part in the upcoming 2027 Winter Deaflympics in Austria in January.

Twenty-eight athletes have qualified across three sports — hockey, cross-country skiing and curling — but in order to compete, the association needs to raise $75,000 by December.

Delegations from the United States, France, China and Germany have already confirmed their attendance.

“Almost every deaf athlete is going to have to come up with their own personal funds in order to go represent their country. I don’t know if that happens at the Olympic level, and I don’t know if that happens at the Paralympic level,” said Kyte.

“Many of our athletes, they are parents, or they are students, or they have to support their families and, at the same time, they’re trying to get to the highest pinnacle of sport for them — which is the Deaflympics — and they’re not being supported at the same level that able-bodied athletes on the Olympic side are, or Para athletes on the Paralympic side.”

“I think they should be receiving the same level of funding, just like every other athlete that represents the country does,” Kyte added.

The Deaflympics have been held every four years since 1924. It’s the longest-running multi-sport competition after the Olympics and the top worldwide competition for deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes.

Canada withdrew its participation from the 2024 Winter Deaflympics in Turkiye due to safety concerns.

A lack of funding has been an ongoing challenge for Canadian deaf athletes for decades, but it’s become even more problematic with the overall cost of living on the rise and fuel prices skyrocketing.

Hannah Brown, a 31-year-old from Winnipeg, plays second on Canada’s women’s deaf curling team. The last event her team played in was the 2025 World Deaf Curling Championship in Minneapolis, where they finished in second place.

The CDSA didn’t have the funds to send them there, so it was up to the team to track down sponsors. Thankfully, they did, but not every team or athlete is so lucky.

“It’s quite financially stressful,” said Brown.

“There’s so much that goes into attending these events, like needing practice ice for training weekends, or when at an event, we need accommodations, food, transportation, that type of thing. It’s been a tough few years of trying to make ends meet while still being able to go compete and show that Team Canada is a strong team. We keep living up to that title by playing in gold medal games, but we just want the financial support to feel that people support us and are ready for us to go win that gold.”

As of writing, the campaign had raised $9,412.

In addition to the funds raised, the CDSA hopes the campaign will raise awareness within the federal government about the need for increased support and inclusion for deaf and hard-of-hearing athletes moving forward.

Kyte, 62, is the assistant coach of the deaf men’s hockey team, and two of his nephews are on the roster.

“I want every Canadian athlete — whether they’re curling, skiing, or playing hockey — to be the best that they can be and I will be there cheering them on,” said Kyte.

“It’s really important that they get the government support. And hopefully they get the corporate support, too.”

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