WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. — Every morning when Andrew Einstein doesn’t wake up on time, he’s greeted by wet licks from his service dog, Cassidy.

Einstein can’t hear on his right side due to war injuries. He takes his cochlear implant off before going to bed, and he can’t use an alarm system since the buzzing likely would lead to him having a migraine.

“She comes right up and plants kisses on my face and lays on me,” Einstein said. “She won’t leave until I physically get up. If I want five more minutes of sleep, I have to hide under the covers.”

Service dogs Cassidy and Gunnar have helped Einstein take part in events like the 2025 USA Hockey Long Drink Warrior Classic, which took place Nov. 6-9 at AdventHealth Center Ice. 

More than 600 players from 10 states and 33 teams competed. Eight teams are affiliated with the NHL, and the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the eighth annual event.

Teams were grouped into different tiers based on their skill level, starting from the highest skill level, Elite, followed by Tiers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in descending order.

The Warrior Hockey discipline of USA Hockey is focused on supporting injured and disabled U.S. military veterans who have served our country and enjoy playing ice hockey. Participants had to be discharged from service under honorable conditions with the ability to provide official documentation from their designated military branch.

Honorably discharged from the Marines, Einstein was stationed in Afghanistan in 2011 when an explosion caused a traumatic brain injury and led to him losing his hearing.

When he returned home and returned to his police officer duties and the reserves, he hid being deaf for five years, so he didn’t lose his job or stop serving in the Marines.

“I got very good at reading lips,” he said. “I’d drive and watch my passenger. I had to do a lot of adapting.”

However, Einstein wasn’t adapting well enough. In 2012, he hit a deep depression. Only through his first service dog, a sliver lab named Gunnar, did he overcome his despair.

“Gunnar saved my life,” Einstein said. “Gunnar gave me purpose again. I soon started to acknowledge my hearing loss and tried to figure out good ways to cope with it.”

Another part of his therapy was returning to the ice after playing hockey as a kid. While watching his son Jacob’s team compete, he got the urge to lace up the skates. Now, he plays and coaches.

Einstein has been part of the Philadelphia Warriors for four years. In the Warrior Classic, he had four goals and two assists for the Philadelphia Warriors Charlie in Tier 6. 

“It was a great weekend,” Einstein said. “Anytime you’re with the Warriors, it’s great, win or lose. We saw each other at the airport, and we were talking and hugging.”

Devon Richio, who served with Einstein in Iraq, said he also got a service dog as well thanks to another officer, Chris Diaz. When Diaz died while on duty in 2018, Einstein and Richio walked from The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to the Statue of Liberty in New York to raise money for Diaz’s foundation.

“You go through cycles and hills and valleys trying to figure things out,” Richio said. “You don’t know what to expect unless you’re going through it.

“We know each other’s families. Guys tend to brush things off if they didn’t lose a limb. We keep an eye on each other to make sure we’re doing well. It’s not a text message. We’re seeing each other at games.”

In 2016, Einstein received a bone-anchoring hearing aid (BAHA). He then received a bone conduction with a cochlear nerve stimulator to make his ear function even better.

When Gunnar retired earlier this year, Andrew kept him as a pet and brought in Cassidy. A fellow veteran encouraged him to get the black lab, and they’re now best friends.

“She’s what I call a hearing-assistance dog,” Einstein said. “She alerts me to things I can’t hear. When I’m at home, I take the cochlear device off. Not using a muscle for 10 years, then using it all the time, it can be overwhelming. I enjoy my peace and quiet.”

Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.