Finding the Puck: Leadership Lessons from My Journey Through Blind Hockey

by Craig Fitzpatrick

Overview

Ice hockey has long been considered one of the most dangerous sports. It's full-contact, played at high speeds on freshly sharpened blades while chasing a small puck. Despite the physical and visual demands, ice hockey is also the only professional sport to have a blind league. 

Craig Fitzpatrick is nearly completely blind but has taught over 300 blind adults and children to play ice hockey at a competitive level. As a member of the US Blind Hockey team, he competed at the international level, studied the game under NHL trainers, and brought disability awareness to the forefront through his Try Blind Hockey program that partners with NHL teams.

Part inspirational memoir, part leadership parable, Finding the Puck traces Fitzpatrick's experience of losing his sight but finding himself once again after improbably lacing up his old skates. What follows is a journey of openness, humility, ambition, and advocacy that has served him on the ice as well as on the cutting-edge of the business world.

Readers are invited for the first time into this community of blind hockey, where resilience, trust, risk-taking, and perseverance are put to the test every day in illuminating, transformative ways.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781637279106
Publisher:	Triumph Books
Publication date:	01/27/2026
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Craig Fitzpatrick played forward for the U.S. Blind Hockey Team, competing across North America. He has helped found numerous blind hockey teams. Craig is a longtime Colorado Avalanche fan and trained in Colorado during his competitive hockey career.

He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and served five years in the U.S. Air Force before being diagnosed with Stargardt disease, leading to his near-complete blindness and 100 percent service-related disability. He is currently the chief innovation officer at Akira Technologies, an AI and cybersecurity technology company in Washington, D.C.

Craig holds a master’s degree in public administration (Summa Cum Laude) from Saint Louis University. His charitable work focuses on serving as a senior technology fellow at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies, where he guides C4ADS’ technology commercialization efforts.

He has worked with the National Hockey League to build charitable programs that expand access to sport for disabled children across the United States and Canada, including programs with five NHL teams. Craig and his wife, Jenny, reside in Great Falls, Virginia, and welcomed their son, Pace, in February 2024.