Ryan Straschnitzki says there is nothing like the feel of being back on the ice.
The former Humboldt Bronco junior hockey player, paralyzed from the chest down when a semi-trailer blew through a stop sign and into his teamBԪַs bus three years ago in rural Saskatchewan, has been spending time playing sledge hockey on a pond behind his familyBԪַs home in Airdrie, Alta.
The rippled outdoor ice isnBԪַt what heBԪַs used to, but he says itBԪַs a welcome change after COVID-19 closed hockey rinks and limited the 21-year-old to workouts at home.
BԪַItBԪַs great. I mean any time you can get on the ice, especially during COVID, is just kind of a blessing,BԪַ Straschnitzki told The Canadian Press during a recent pond practice.
Since the bus crash, which killed 16 people and injured a dozen others, StraschnitzkiBԪַs focus has been on making the national sledge hockey team and winning a gold medal for Canada at the Paralympic Games
He made AlbertaBԪַs sledge hockey team last year and was preparing for the national championships.
BԪַIt got cancelled last year. It got cancelled this year. So itBԪַs just another year of training and IBԪַve gotta work harder than ever to be more prepared and hopefully win another championship.BԪַ
It was tricky getting Straschnitzki to the pond. After placing him into his hockey sled, his family put him on a toboggan and slid him down a snowy hill and onto the ice.
His younger brother, Jett, who plays junior hockey in Fernie, B.C., made the four-hour drive home to join him in a skate for the first time in a few years.
BԪַI thought I might as well make the drive and see him on the ice,BԪַ he said.
StraschnitzkiBԪַs mother said it was heartwarming to see her entire family on the ice. Her oldest son remains positive, but the past year has been hard on him, she said.
BԪַHe doesnBԪַt talk to us too much about it, but IBԪַm sure inside itBԪַs been a struggle. It took him a long time to come out on the pond with the family and neighbours,BԪַ said Michelle Straschnitzki.
BԪַItBԪַs not the same for him and he misses his teammates. He works out constantly. He is absolutely a Hercules when it comes to that. He just carries on.BԪַ
Tom Straschnitzki said it was good to see a smile on his sonBԪַs face.
BԪַIBԪַll probably be leaving him and his brother out there. ThatBԪַs the way theyBԪַve always done it.BԪַ
Ryan Straschnitzki said his Paralympic dream in still in focus.
BԪַItBԪַs never going away. And IBԪַm gonna just keep training and then see where it takes me.BԪַ
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Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
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