This year’s World Para Ice Hockey Championship kicks off on May 4 at Calgary’s WinSport Arena.
It is a first for Alberta, which has never hosted this event before.
“I think what we’re trying to do is become a reflection of what we think Canada stands for, and in particular, that means being present, assertive, and resilient,” said Russ Herrington, coach of Canada’s 2023-24 national Para hockey team.
Here’s more about the championship and some Team Canada’s members.
The Tournament
Canada will be part of Group B alongside Czechia, Italy, and Japan. Group A includes China, Korea, Slovakia and the United States.
The USA and Slovakia kick off preliminary action at 10 a.m. MT in Calgary (noon ET), while Team Canada plays Japan in the preliminary round at 5 p.m. MT (7 p.m. ET).
Following the round-robin, the two leaders from each group go to the semifinals, while the second- and third-place teams in each group crossing over in the quarterfinals.
The gold medal showdown is set for May 12 at 5:30 p.m. MT (7:30 p.m. ET). Canada’s 17-player roster was picked by the coaching staff led by coach Herrington, who began as an assistant coach in 2016 but became the head coach at the 2022 Para Hockey Cup.
Greg Westlake, Assistant Coach
During a lengthy Para hockey playing career, Westlake won a gold medal in the 2017 worlds alongside multiple players participating this year. He also won golds at the worlds in 2013 and 2008 and at the 2006 Paralympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy.
Westlake said some younger players are getting introduced to high-performance Para hockey and understand it, but there is also the grassroots – children trying to find their path.
“The kids with disabilities who might not even know that high-performance sport is an option for them,” Westlake said. “So, when I’m with Team Canada, it’s very much about high-performance. It’s about, ‘How do we try to topple this strong American team and win a gold medal again?’ “
On the grassroots side, he said education and awareness are key focuses, along with trying to get more children involved in Para hockey at a young age. He says the younger they start, the better their career may be.
A bilateral below-knee amputee, Westlake learned to skate standing up as a young child on two artificial legs and switched to Para hockey with the Mississauga Cruisers in 2001.
“So, I grew up playing stand-up hockey and found Para hockey when I was about 15, 16 years old and made the switch over and never went back since.” Westlake said.
The Oakville, Ont., native notched a silver medal in the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games and is the second-leading scorer in Team Canada history, with 175 goals and 194 assists for 369 points. He began as an assistant coach with the Canadians at last year’s Para Hockey Cup, winning a silver medal.
James Dunn, Forward
Dunn, 23, said he loves the sport and was fortunate to find Para hockey and rise to the level he has.
Dunn notched a gold medal at the 2017 World Championship. He also won silver at last year’s worlds and at the 2018 and 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.
The St. Thomas, Ont., native started playing Para hockey as a child in 2012 with the London Blizzard after his right leg was amputated due to cancer.
“It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever found,” Dunn said of Para hockey.
“Being able to meet some great people along the way – it’s great teammates,” he added. “Being able to kind of travel the world a bit and see some things that I may have never would’ve seen before without playing Para hockey, as well as just playing this great game.”
Mathieu Lelievre, Forward
Lelievre has an extensive Para hockey resume for an 18-year-old. The Levis, Que., native has won gold medals with the Montreal Canadiens at the 2023 NHL Sled Classic and with Team Quebec at the 2022 and 2023 Canadian national championships.
He also helped Team Canada win silver at the 2022 Para Hockey Cup.
After his left leg was amputated in 2012 due to cancer, he began playing Para hockey in Beauport in 2013.
“Now with sledge hockey, I can do everything I want to,” Levis said. “Hockey was my main sport before, hockey and soccer, and with hockey being my favorite sport… it just really translated really well, and it’s my passion. It’s my way of living life.”
Liam Hickey, Forward
Liam Hickey, who also won a gold medal in the 2017 worlds and multiple silver medals, was introduced to Para hockey at a young age and said it is crucial to his life.
“It’s probably the main piece of my life right now – it has been for many years,” Hickey said. “Obviously, that’s evolved as I’ve gotten older and my mindset with the sport has changed a bit. But that ultimate goal of winning gold at the Paralympics is still there, and I’m still hungry for it.”
Born without a femur in his right leg, Hickey started playing competitively as a child in 2009 with the Avalon Sled Dogs.
Later, the St. John’s, Nfld., native won silver at the 2018 and 2022 Paralympic Winter Games.
The 26-year-old said his friendships with the team will last a lifetime.
“I consider the guys I play with now in the national team my brothers, and there’s an even closer group within the team and with people I’ve met that are now retired, etcetera,” he said. “It’s really special to be able to make those bonds through sport but then also just carry that on through other aspects of life.”
Tyrone Henry, Defenseman
Tyrone Henry, a 30-year-old blueliner whose hometown is Ottawa but was born in Winnipeg, won a worlds gold in 2017 alongside Hickey and Dunn. He also won silvers in 2019, 2021 and last year.
Whether playing, volunteering or officiating, Henry said he thinks everyone has the same mentality of enjoying the game and developing shared bonds.
“It’s part of the DNA of the country, being able to play hockey, whether it’s at a high level like we’re trying to do, or it’s just grassroots or pick-up leagues or beer league, whatever it is,” Henry said. “Everybody loves the game. Everybody enjoys playing, watching, just being involved in the hockey community.”
The veteran also won silver medals at the Para Hockey Cup in 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016.
Henry was paralyzed from the waist down in a September 2010 auto accident and started playing Para hockey in 2011 with the Ottawa Falcons.
Russ Herrington, Head Coach
“We feel like we’re progressing towards the ultimate goal, which we’ve set out as to be the Team Canada which we feel properly represents what we as a collective are trying to achieve,” Herrington said.
At the helm for his second World Championship, Herrington coached last year’s team as they won a worlds silver. He said the team is a tremendous group of individuals and terrific Canadians.
“I think they really enjoy and have learned to appreciate how difficult it is to achieve what we’ve set out to achieve,” Herrington said. “As a result, I think they come to the rink every day open to the challenge of trying to be better than they were yesterday.”
As an assistant coach, he helped Hickey, Henry, Dunn and the rest of the team get the gold at the 2017 World Championship.
Herrington was also the team’s coach during the Para Hockey Cup last year and in 2022, with them winning silvers both times.
The Unionville, Ont., native has also been the head coach of men’s stand-up hockey at York University in Toronto since 2017.
Mike Fountain, Assistant Coach and Goaltending Consultant
Fountain has been an assistant coach for the national team since 2018 and is a former professional goaltender.
His long hockey resume includes being an NHL goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators. He notched a shutout in his NHL debut with the Canucks in 1996, the 19th goaltender to do so.
Fountain was also a goaltending coach for the United States Hockey League’s Muskegon Lumberjacks.
In recent years, Fountain helped coach the Para hockey team as it won numerous silver medals in World Championships, Para Hockey Cups and the 2022 Paralympics.
“Para hockey is hockey,” he said, despite nuances such as being in a sled and having two sticks.
The Gravenhurst, Ont., native fell in love with the game and strategies, and he was blown away by the athletes’ gameplay commitment.
“It’s physical – it’s in some ways more physical than stand-up hockey at times, which blew me away,” he said.
Fountain said he feels Canadians are very humble but have a much-justified pride in hockey. Despite other countries catching up, he said a Canadian hockey player brings something special.
“They bring a passion, a grit, and a tenacity that some players from other countries might not have and I truly believe it is because we are Canadian.” Fountain said.
Related: Growing the Game: USA Wins at 2023 Para Worlds
News Summary:
- World Para Ice Hockey Championship Preview: Meet Team Canada
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