Check out this fascinating story about former Winnipeg Jet Jim Kyte.
Jim Kyte was like any other tough guy in the NHL – big, tough and intimidating – except for one thing; he was legally deaf.
When Kyte entered the league in 1982-83, he became the first legally deaf player to suit up in the NHL. He was also the first player to wear hearing aids while playing and required a special helmet to protect them.
Kyte was born with perfect hearing, but when he was three-years-old, it was discovered that he had a hereditary condition causing his audio nerve to degenerate.
