Many of the extraordinary feats that happen around the globe are made possible by the impressive teamwork that goes into them.
This is especially true for the story behind the world’s Highest altitude game of ice hockey, which not only involved the inspiration of Adam Sherlip and The Hockey Foundation, but players from different countries all over the world.
"The idea to pursue this record came about in 2014 from one of the Hockey Foundation's coaches, Antoine Jouvet, from Montreal, Quebec," said Adam.
"It took us a few years to plan the record attempt, as we knew that we wanted it to tie in to our organization's charitable mission."
Adam discovered the Hockey Foundation in an effort to help communities around the world and in North America, after a 2009 volunteer trip he made to Ladakh, the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.
After spending a few weeks there, little did he know this city would have such a profound influence it would inspire the origination of the charitable foundation, as well as be the backdrop for an incredibly difficult record attempt eight years later.
"Since 2009 we've donated nearly 7,000 pieces of hockey equipment to programs around the region, donated hundreds of books to schools, improved the overall level of hockey in the region/country, helped establish men and women national hockey teams, and provided a number of life changing experiences for program participants on both sides of the coin, whether it be coach, player, volunteer, club, association or beyond.
"With all of that in mind, our message for this record attempt was that hockey has the power to change lives."
Above everything, Adam and the mission of the foundation wanted others to see the success of their record and understand that whether physical or mental, it is possible to accomplish even the most impossible feats.
By doing so, they were hoping to bring awareness and support for hockey to the Indian city.
After two years of planning, Adam, players from the foundation as well as other international ice hockey enthusiasts who caught wind of the record attempt had agreed to play the game on 6 February 2018.
Many came from the United States, India, Germany, Asia and other parts of Europe, eager to take on different roles for the event which was not being called 'Hockey Goes Higher', a reference not only to the altitude but also the charitable goal being set by the foundation.
This included an NHL veteran referee Mike Leggo who flew in to oversee the once-in-a-lifetime game.
The entire event required extensive planning up until that point, including a way to get supplies up to an altitude of 3,500 m (11,500 ft) for the match, but first getting them to India as they were not available in the area.
Shipping materials from Austria, participating organizers had their own share of difficulties trying to get them on location in the Himalayan region of Ladakh where the game would be played.
This was critical, as the materials were needed to build the ice hockey rink itself.
"If it wasn't for our long-term relationship with the Ladakh Winter Sports Club, this would've been impossible, but they persisted and got the boards to Ladakh.
"Then the challenge became building the rink in time for the game, since everybody was already in Leh, waiting to drive six+ hours through the Himalayas to Changtang region where the event was being staged.
"We used some of that time in Leh to allow all participants to acclimate to the higher altitude, even though the event was going to be played above 4350 m (14,000 ft)."
Despite several players experiencing jet-lag, exhaustion from the hike, altitude sickness, and some even the flu, enough players were able to participate to meet the guidelines of playing a standard game, achieving a new record title.
After completing the match, memorabilia from the game was displayed in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, including a worn jersey and puck.
The Hockey Foundation had also succeeded in raising $30,000 for charity, and donated the supplies used for the attempt to the Ladakh Winter Sports Club to help them finish the construction of their first full-sized ice hockey rink, helping to bring jobs and activities to the locals in that region of India.
