Algonquin College Alumnus Wins Silver Medal at World Deaflympics Championships

Posted on Thursday, January 2nd, 2020

Sean Kyte was hoping for a better result. He had represented Canada at the World Deaf Hockey Championships in 2017 in Buffalo, New York and had felt the sting of losing in the gold medal game to the United States, but two years later he was confident his team could beat the Americans.

L to R: Thomas Kyte, Johnny Kyte, Sean Kyte

Kyte, along with two of his cousins, Thomas and Johnny Kyte, had made the Canadian team that had travelled to Chiavenna, Italy to play against the best hearing impaired hockey players in the world at the Winter Deaflympics hockey tournament. To participate, players must have a minimum hearing loss of 55 decibels in the better of their two ears.

Through the round-robin, the Canadian team cruised to four consecutive wins, beating Russia 3-1, Finland 5-1, Kazakhstan 18-0 and the United States 4-1. The undefeated record, including the win against the Americans, gave the Canadians confidence they could prevail in the gold medal game. Unfortunately, that confidence was shattered as the Americans took command of the game early and won 7-3, meaning Kyte and his teammates would again have to settle for a silver medal.

“After losing to the U.S. two years ago, and losing again this year, it was really heartbreaking. It was a hard pill to swallow, but it was an unbelievable experience,” says Kyte.

Part of that experience was playing in an arena that offered a breathtaking open-air view of the Alps. The arena had seating on only one side, and while the playing surface was covered, the other side of the building faced the mountains and was wide open, providing a picturesque setting for the championship game that was played in front of a sold-out crowd.

“It was stunning. Sitting on the bench, you could see the mountains across from you, which is something I will never forget,” says Kyte.

Players were not permitted to wear their hearing aids during games, so in addition to whistles, strobe lights were used to alert the players of a stoppage in play. The arena also had only one door on the player’s bench, making it more difficult to make line changes.

Hearing impairment is prevalent within the Kyte family. Sean’s father, Murray Kyte, also has hearing loss and won a bronze medal when he played in the tournament several years ago in Russia, while his Uncle Frayne Kyte won a gold medal in Switzerland. Sean’s Uncle, Jim Kyte, was the first deaf player in the National Hockey League, and through his 16-year professional career and following his retirement as an athlete, he continues to be a great advocate for deaf athletes.

Kyte is a double graduate of Algonquin College. He completed the Construction Techniques program (now Carpentry and Renovation Techniques) at the Pembroke Campus after graduating from high school, picking up some fundamental carpentry skills that have turned him into a “handyman,” for his family and friends. He then enrolled at Saint Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia where he earned a Business Degree, but his educational journey at Algonquin College wasn’t over.

His passion for sports led him to enroll in the post-graduate Sports Business Management program at the Ottawa Campus. “I knew I wanted to work in a career that centred around sports,” says Kyte, who landed his first job with a start-up company called “Fan Saves.”

Fan Saves has developed a mobile sports application that helps companies promote their products and sell them to support local sports teams and organizations. The app gives users discounts and deals from brands affiliated with their favourite clubs and businesses, whether it be a local baseball team or a professional hockey club.

For Kyte, it has been exciting to be in at the ground level of the new company and watch it grow. With the title of business development executive, Kyte spends plenty of time on the road and making pitches to prospective clients. “It has been a blessing to be able to work within the sports industry while learning every day about the app world within business,” says Kyte.

To be able to play for Canada at the Deaflympics, Kyte required the support of his employer as he needed to be away from work to attend tryouts and training camp, plus travel to Italy to compete in the tournament. He was grateful to have had the opportunity to again play against the best deaf hockey players on the planet, but he is not satisfied with having two silver medals under his belt. He is still craving a gold medal.

In 2021, the World Deaf Hockey Championships will be played on Canadian soil in Vancouver, a city that has a golden hockey history, having hosted Sidney Crosby’s “golden goal” in the 2010 Winter Olympics. If Kyte can again make the team, he hopes Crosby’s game-winning overtime marker against the Americans will provide the inspiration for Canada’s deaf team to win it all. If that happens, it will truly be a golden moment for both him and his country.

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