LOUISVILLE - In a small ice arena on the outskirts of Louisville, a beer league hockey team plays for much more than a game.

Jon Atchison founded the Louisville Ice Warriors to give veterans a place to enjoy each other’s company, stay active, and possibly reach out. They may not know it while they’re out having fun, but if they need it it’s a support group on skates.

"My goal is, actually, with this team, to help any veteran who is having issues with things that they had or seen in service," Atchison reflected. "I want them to feel normal again, be able to sit down with their wives and have a dinner and not be affected with the things they used to see."

Atchison only plays in emergencies, the result of years-worth of concussions from the military, police work, and arena football. He also says he suffers from PTSD. Coaching the Warriors seems to help him as much as his players. So much so that he often spends his own money on extra registration or jersey costs to keep his players on the ice. He says it costs $800 to equip one player, and around $10,000 to get the team ready and on the ice for a full season. Atchison wants to create more teams, including a sled hockey unit for disabled veterans, but he admits he is in dire need of sponsors. When asked why he quickly moved from learning how to skate with his kids to coaching rowdy military men he said with a full body laugh, "I'm insane!"

While Atchison holds the team together, player Johnny Watson is the straw that stirs the drink. During practice, the retired navy seaman flies around the rink, when he can stay on his feet that is. The New Jersey native is new to hockey, claiming instead a meteoric baseball career. Now, he's a professional stand-up comic, with regular appearances at top comedy clubs, and an upcoming special. 

He’s always smiling, and always running his mouth. That's how we found Watson in the rink's locker room post-practice, as copies of the team's recent feature in the Voice-Tribune made their way around the room. Johnny eyed the pages with a smirk before announcing, "I'm so f****** good looking," to unanimous laughter from his teammates.

Life on the road as a stand-up comic can get lonely in a hurry. In the Warriors, Watson has found instant companionship, and a bond shared by those who have also served.

"The patriotism that this team has put back into myself has been amazing," Watson said, in a tone much more gracious than his magazine observation. "It’s been nothing but a thrill to be part of this team and this community."

Later, Atchison spoke of his efforts to bring as many veterans into the fold as possible. "If they can have a normal life again and it’s through hockey, or being able to just sit down and talk with someone who went through what they went through, I’m all for it," he said. 

Humor and hockey; healing the wounds of the past.