"The coaches and the junior coaches and the volunteers get more pleasure out of this than even our kids," Lederman said. "Currently, there is no waiting list for players, but I have a waiting list for coaches."

For many of the special-needs children who participate, this is the first sport they have ever played. Renegades head coach Don Korth said many struggle early on to pick up the basics of shooting and skating.

After working with them for several weeks, though, Korth — who has coached or played hockey for 30 years — is genuinely impressed by their growth as players.

He cannot think of anything better than seeing them embrace hockey as they have done.

"I've had a lot of great things happen to me in hockey, but this is one of the most rewarding things I've done in hockey for quite some time," Korth said.

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E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com