Make a suggestion around Vinnie Matteo — even in jest — and you best be prepared for him to follow through. Matteo runs Avalanche Kidz — a Montreal-based program designed to introduce people with autism and other special needs to hockey — and even at 67 years old, he’ll take on a new task in the blink of an eye.
Still, he likes to know what he’s getting into. That’s why, when a few parents chatting to him at the rink joked about getting to learn the game themselves, the guy who specializes in solutions got the bright idea to incorporate a family skate into the program’s year-end party to gauge where these parents were at.
“Let me see what you can do before I start another program!” Matteo says with a laugh.
Even if he never helped another soul at the rink, Matteo has already done enough good to fill five hockey lifetimes, and has been recognized this year as a finalist for the NHL’s Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award. Avalanche Kidz, founded in 2022, is his latest in an endless stream of hockey projects and it’s safe to say — of all the work he’s done — Matteo is most gratified by what he sees every Sunday morning from the people aged four to 40 who are part of the program.
Part of the reason some view Matteo as a hero is likely because he himself has no time for labels. “I don’t like to call them ‘special needs,’” he says of the participants in his program. “I call them kids. They’re just kids. I have a hard time saying ‘special needs.’ These are children, just having fun.
“I’ve seen a thousand kids who can’t skate. We’re going to teach them how to skate.”
That can-do approach is how Matteo — who’s done everything from elite skills training to owning a squad in the now-defunct National Women’s Hockey League — got Avalanche Kidz going in the first place. It came about when Matteo was involved with a program in Montreal that helped reduce barriers to hockey for low-income families. One day, he got a call from a woman who said she could not find a place for her autistic son to play. The response was classic Coach Vinnie: Come to the rink, we’ll figure it out.
Once the two connected, the mother said she knew loads of parents in her position who would love to find their kids a place to play.
“From that day on, here we are,” Matteo says.
Matteo is the first to tell you Avalanche Kidz would be nowhere without the fleet of volunteers — including his daughter, Linda — devoted to making the program work. Most of those people put their hand up to help, but some are told to be there.
“When I do training for these more elite [hockey players], I tell them, ‘We have a program for autistic children and I expect you to come give your time and help out,” Matteo says. “We’re just trying to teach everybody to give a hand; it’s a better world [if you do].”
However they get there, every person associated with Avalanche Kidz is attempting to help families who are used to things others take for granted presenting huge hurdles.
“The biggest challenge is for the parent to trust us,” Matteo says. “It’s not easy at times because they’re going into the unknown. We try to make the process a little easier for them.”
For participants in the program, everything from the noise of a buzzing rink to the feeling of putting on a helmet has the potential to unsettle a moment. Once the off-ice obstacles are cleared, though, the benefits of the on-ice experience become apparent.
“They feel part of a community,” Mateo says. “Part of a team, right? Once they start going on the ice, sure it’s hard for them at first, but week in, week out they get the gist of it. They start having fun. And it’s like their own world. You build a safe environment for them. They get comfortable. And the parents get comfortable watching kids play hockey (when they probably) never thought they could play. Now parents can say, ‘My kid can play hockey, too.’”
Matteo points out with a chuckle that teaching is often a two-way street with the Avalanche crew, as program participants sometimes help Coach Vinnie when he can’t figure out how something works on his phone. And to be sure, the entire experience is a boon for highly taxed parents who suddenly find an entire community to lean on and share life experiences with.
“They already have hardship as it is,” Matteo says, emphasizing the importance of making the program accessible and fun. “I see it. I see it every Sunday.”
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Over time, Matteo has come to realize his true hockey calling is that of an organizer, and few people have a network as deep as his to draw on. From three-time Canadian Olympic gold medalist Kim St-Pierre — the goalie for Matteo’s Quebec Avalanche in the NWHL some 25 years ago — to all the kids he trained who grew up to find success in hockey and other places, Matteo has quite the rolodex to flip through when a donation is needed, a special tutor is required or an available sheet of ice needs to be found.
“I see both worlds,” he says of the disparate ends of the hockey spectrum. “But the world that’s closer to my heart is the autistic children and low-income families.”
Speaking of a gulf, there’s certainly some differences on the ice when you’ve got both children and adults alike participating in Avalanche Kidz. Matteo has two grown men in the program he calls the “Twin Towers” and they share the ice with friends just beginning their journey in hockey and life.
“But it works,” Matteo says. “It’s crazy how it works.”
That’s because one person, in particular, always believes it will.
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