Being a goaltender is in Mitchell Garrett’s DNA. No matter what sport he plays, he always wants to be the last line of defence.

After playing as a catcher in baseball and a goaltender in soccer growing up, the Surrey, B.C., product began playing hockey at 10 years old.

“My dad grew up as a soccer player,” Garrett says. “Telling him that I wanted to switch into hockey was not necessarily the news he wanted to hear.”

Garrett played between the pipes for 12 years, usually in house league or occasionally in rep. After high school, he continued to play recreationally with some of his minor hockey teammates.

“I remember when my accident happened, it was like a month before the new season started,” the 29-year-old says. “So that was a shock to them hearing that I wasn’t going to be able to play for them ever again.”

On July 29, 2017, Garrett was camping when he decided to take a friend’s ATV for a drive. When he didn’t return, a search party found Garrett had crashed on the side of the road.

He was airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital and diagnosed with a T4 complete spinal cord injury. Despite his prognosis, Garrett progressed quickly and completed rehabilitation within three months.

“It was a really fast process. I remember everybody telling me this is going much faster than what it’s typically supposed to,” he says. “I really wanted to make myself goal-oriented when I was in rehab because I didn’t want to be there. I just wanted to get going in my life, and I knew it was going to be a major change.”

Matteo Pellizzari (left), Mitchell Garrett and Brendon Hurst.

Throughout the entire process, hockey was always on Garrett’s mind.

“I don’t remember my injury at all. I woke up in the hospital and I’m like, ‘Where am I right now?’ [They told me I’m] in the hospital, and I was like, ‘Oh, well I have a playoff game tonight, I need to go play hockey.’”

Now paralyzed from the chest down after his injury, Garrett immediately shifted his focus to how he could get back on the ice and began researching para hockey.

“I studied [Team Canada goaltender] Dom Larocque. I watched every single interview I could find of him,” he explains. “I remember watching it three or four times over and pausing on the on-ice clips, just really analyzing his setup and trying to figure it out for myself. [He] was a huge inspiration.”

More than nine months after his accident, Garrett returned to the ice and got back in net—this time in a sled.

“It was pretty monumental for me getting back to being a goaltender. My parents were there; my dad was on the ice and my mom was watching,” Garrett recalls. “I remember that skate, I just looked like a fish out of water.

“When I got off the ice, my mom was just like, ‘Is this for you? Do you really want to do this? It looks like you’re struggling out there.’ I just told her eventually it will be smooth, and everything will be good.”

Although he was back on the ice, his new reality did present some challenges for playing para hockey. Without the ability to move anything below his chest, it provided some limitations for being a goaltender again.

“[Other goalies] have their entire core to use and they have their legs and their knees to stand up on. I remember everybody telling me how much of a disadvantage I was at, [but I] never even consider that a disadvantage for a second,” he says. “We’re still playing the same game. We’re still going after the same goal.”

Mitchell with his dad, Ken Garrett.

Garrett set his eyes on his next goal—earning a spot on Canada’s National Para Hockey Team—and got to work. After every ice time, he would look at his sled setup and make adjustments.

“I have a shed at my place and that’s like the tool shed. That’s where all the hard work off the ice goes down, just to ensure I’m in tip-top shape when I’m out there,” he says. “I was consistently tweaking my sled for the longest time; moving it up, moving it down, figuring out where my blades go.”

His home rink, the Langley Sportsplex, provided free ice time so he could practice throughout the year. On the ice, Garrett’s dad Ken joined him to be a shooter for his practices and he became the head coach of British Columbia’s para hockey team.

“I know I wouldn’t be able to do it without him,” Garrett says. “My dad has been an enormous help throughout this entire process, making sure that it’s the most enjoyable for me.”

His hard work on and off the ice began to pay off, and Garrett was invited to participate in his first selection camp with Canada’s National Para Hockey Team ahead of the 2022-23 season.

“It’s always good to have somebody involved that has experience playing the position and the game prior to their accident,” says Russ Herrington, head coach of Canada’s National Para Hockey Team. “That was the one thing that we noticed right away with Mitch was that both glove hands and his ability to track the puck, that was something that transferred over from his previous experience.”

“It didn’t really go as I planned,” Garrett says about selection camp. “To be honest, it wasn’t a great showing for me. I think maybe I was a little starstruck at the camp. [I had never] played with these caliber players and these are players who I’ve wanted to play with for so long.”

After camp concluded, Garrett took the experience to heart and got back to training even harder for his next opportunity.

“I just told myself that I’m starting to trend in the right direction and just to stay on track and continue what I was doing because I noticed that it was working for me,” Garrett says.

Corbyn Smith (left) and Mitchell Garrett celebrate after beating Czechia at the 2023 Para Hockey Cup.

When he returned to selection camp in September, his improvements were evident to the coaching staff.

“I think he’s more comfortable in a sled,” Herrington says. “I think he was a little timid [getting to the top of the crease] early on, and now we see him be a little more assertive in his positioning and challenging the shooter.”

After dreaming of making Team Canada for over six years, Garrett finally got the phone call that he would be making his international debut at the 2023 Para Hockey Cup in Quispamsis, New Brunswick.

“That’s one of the best parts of this job is delivering that type of news. We’re really excited to have him here with us,” Herrington says. “Our veterans do such a good job of celebrating opportunities like that because it wasn’t too long ago that they were donning the jersey for the first time.”

“From my family to my friends to my girlfriend, everybody has really played a part in this process,” Garrett says. “That was a really cool moment on the phone (telling my parents I made the team); you could just feel how proud [my dad] was through the phone.

“For my mom, after that first ice time with her being like ‘Is this right for you,’ and then being able to tell her that I made the team—it was a full-circle moment.”

In Quispamsis, Garrett is looking forward to putting on the Maple Leaf for the first time, playing on the international stage and hopefully inspiring more members of the paraplegic community to start playing para hockey.

“I have to hold back my tears every single time I think about it because [playing for Team Canada] is a goal that I’ve had since I was eight,” he says. “Most people consider other sports just because of my disability… I’m very excited to be changing that narrative.”

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has unveiled the 20 players who will don the Maple Leaf with Canada’s National Para Hockey Team at the 2023 Para Hockey Cup, Dec. 3-9 in Quispamsis, New Brunswick.

Two goaltenders, six defence and 12 forwards were selected by head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON/York University, OUA) and Marshall Starkman (Thornhill, ON), manager of hockey operations. Assistant coaches Mike Fountain (Gravenhurst, ON), Greg Ireland (Orangeville, ON) and Greg Westlake (Oakville, ON) also provided input.

“We are anticipating a high level of play at the upcoming Para Hockey Cup where we will aim to build off of our evaluation camp and International Para Hockey Cup play earlier this season,” Herrington said. “It is always exciting to have the opportunity to play in front of a home crowd and we are eager to get on the ice in front of our fans at the qplex in December.”

The roster features 12 players who won a silver medal at the 2023 International Para Hockey Cup in Ostrava, Czechia (Burnett, Cozzolino, Dunn, Halbert, Henry, Jacobs-Webb, Kingsmill, Kovacevich, LeBlanc, McGregor, Messaoudi, Smith), 12 who won a silver medal at the 2023 World Para Hockey Championship in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (Armstrong, Crane, Cozzolino, Dunn, Henry, Jacobs-Webb, Kovacevich, Lavin, LeBlanc, McGregor, Messaoudi, Smith), five who won a silver medal at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, China (Dunn, Henry, Jacobs-Webb, Kingsmill, McGregor) and two players making their international debut (Daigle, Garrett).

Canada’s National Para Hockey Team selected its roster from the 30 players who participated in evaluation camp, Sept. 2-9 in Calgary.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcast partners of Hockey Canada, will broadcast the medal games on Saturday, Dec. 9; please check local listings for details. All games are available on a pay-per-view basis at HockeyCanada.ca.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

CALGARY, Alberta – Hockey Canada has unveiled 27 players who will attend Canada’s National Para Development League (PDL) at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park, Nov. 16-19 in Calgary.

The PDL is an effort by Hockey Canada to create more competitive touchpoints with its para hockey athletes through the season, and provides an opportunity for NextGen athletes to gain experience alongside national team members.

Three goaltenders, nine defence and 15 forwards were selected by Marshall Starkman (Thornhill, ON), manager of hockey operations, and Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON), head coach of Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, to participate in small-area training sessions and three intrasquad games.

“We are eager to introduce a new component to our in-season evaluation process, featuring national team and NextGen athletes,” Starkman said. “The PDL will be a unique opportunity to enhance our game play, while providing valuable experience to the next wave of aspiring national team players.”

The roster features 11 players who won a silver medal at the 2023 International Para Hockey Cup in Ostrava, Czechia last month (Boily, Dunn, Henry, Hurst, Jacobs-Webb, Kingsmill, LeBlanc, McGregor, Pellizzari), eight players who won a silver medal at the 2023 World Para Hockey Championship in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan (Boily, Cozzolino, Dunn, Henry, Jacobs-Webb, LeBlanc, McGregor, Smith), five who won a silver medal at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, China (Dunn, Henry, Jacobs-Webb, Kingsmill, McGregor) and five rookies (Boutilier, Buchanan, Clements, Topping, White).

Hockey Canada has also announced that Mike Foligno (Sudbury, ON), Greg Ireland (Orangeville, ON) and Greg Westlake (Oakville, ON) will work with the players on the ice and behind the bench. Tara Chisholm (Medicine Hat, AB), head coach of Canada’s National Women’s Para Hockey Team, will also participate as a guest coach.

Foligno most recently won silver as an assistant coach with Canada’s National Para Hockey Team at the 2023 World Para Hockey Championship. He has been an assistant coach with Team Canada since 2018, having won a silver medal at the 2022 Paralympics. Foligno made his para hockey coaching debut during the 2017-18 season as a guest coach, and also led Canada's National Para Hockey Development Team as head coach. He played more than 1,000 career NHL games and represented Canada on three occasions at the IIHF World Championship (1981, 1986, 1987), winning a bronze medal in 1986.

Ireland spent the 2022-23 season as head coach of Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). His coaching career began in 1992 with the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and includes stops with the Grand Rapids Griffins (2003-07) and San Antonio Rampage (2007-10) of the American Hockey League (AHL), Owen Sound Attack (2011-15) of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), HC Lugano (2016-19) in the National League (NL) in Switzerland and HC Bolzano (2019-22) in the ICE Hockey League (ICEHL) in Italy. Internationally, he has served as head coach for Italy at the IIHF World Championship (2020, 2021) and for China at the Division 1B Worlds (2022).

Westlake will make his international coaching debut after concluding his playing career with a silver medal at his fifth Paralympic Winter Games in 2022. He made his Team Canada debut in 2003 at age 17 and finished his career with 369 points (175–194—369) in 240 games played. His résumé includes a Paralympic gold medal (2006), three IPC World Para Hockey Championship gold medals (2008, 2013, 2017) and four Para Hockey Cup/World Sledge Hockey Challenge gold medals (2008, 2011, 2011, 2013).

Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will head to Quispamsis, New Brunswick, for the 2023 Para Hockey Cup, Dec. 3-9.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

QUISPAMSIS, NB – With less than two months until the puck drops at the 2023 Para Hockey Cup, Hockey Canada and the local organizing committee have announced the official tournament schedule for the event, set for Dec. 3-9 in Quispamsis.

Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will compete for gold against three international entries – China, Czechia and the United States – at the 15th edition of the tournament, which is set to take place at the 1,140-seat qplex.

“The unveiling of the Para Hockey Cup schedule is an important step as we continue our preparations to welcome world-class para hockey athletes to our community,” said Aaron Kennedy, chair of the local organizing committee. “Fans should secure their seats at the qplex to watch four highly skilled teams compete for a gold medal right in our city, as we know we are going to be treated to a week of fast-paced action.”

The schedule features three preliminary-round games for each team between Dec. 3-6, kicking off on with Czechia taking on the United States at 12 p.m. AT and Canada facing off against China at 4 p.m. AT on opening day. All teams will advance to the medal round, with the semifinals on Dec. 8 and the medal games taking place at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. AT, respectively, on Dec. 9.

Fans looking to secure their seats can purchase a full tournament package, which includes one ticket to all 10 tournament games, starting at $97.20 at HockeyCanada.ca.

Prior to the start of play, Canada and the United States will face off in pre-tournament action at the qplex on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. AT, with tickets available at the venue.

Further information regarding pre-tournament games, single-game tickets and more will be announced in the coming weeks.

TSN and RDS, the official broadcaster partners of Hockey Canada, will provide coverage of the gold medal game. All other games will be livestreamed at HockeyCanada.ca.

Quispamsis has previously hosted the 2016 TELUS Cup, co-hosted the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge with the city of Saint John, NB, and was the site of a 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship pre-tournament game between Finland and the United States.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2023 Para Hockey Cup, please visit  HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

OSTRAVA, Czechia – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team earned a silver medal for the second consecutive year at the International Para Hockey Cup, falling 4-1 to the United States in the gold medal game Sunday at Ostravar Arena.

Captain Tyler McGregor (Forest, ON) scored on the power play in the third period to cut the deficit to two, but Canada was unable to get any closer. James Dunn (Wallacetown, ON) and Dominic Cozzolino (Mississauga, ON) both registered an assist.

“We got back to making it difficult for our opponents to get good scoring opportunities. Our defensive coverage was good, we moved the puck pretty well when we had it and had some good looks up ice that we were not able to capitalize on,” said head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON/York University, OUA) “That is as good an effort as our lineup can give and for that, the staff is all happy with their performance. We saw a lot of growth from our younger players who have never been in this situation, and they put on a good performance today.”

Canada finished the preliminary round with a 1-2 record, besting Czechia in its first game of the tournament and dropping its next two games to the United States and Team IPH. Canada earned its spot in the gold medal game with a 4-1 win over Team IPH in the semifinals on Saturday.

Adam Kingsmill (Smithers, BC) turned in a strong performance, making 28 saves, while Canada’s penalty kill went 2-for-2 on Sunday. Micah Kovacevich (Edmonton, AB) was named Canada’s player of the game.

“We did a really good job of keeping ourselves in the game. We had a couple of important penalty kills, everyone was playing hard, and everyone was positive,” McGregor said. “It is obviously disappointing, but there are a lot of good things that have come from tonight’s performance. We have been trying to grow individually and collectively as a team, we had the opportunity to do that, and the experience will pay dividends in the long term.”

Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will now focus on the 2023 Para Hockey Cup, Dec. 3-9 in Quispamsis, NB. Full-event ticket packages are on sale now, starting at $97.20 for all games.

For more information on Hockey Canada and the 2023 International Para Hockey Cup, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

CALGARY, AB – Hockey Canada has announced the 30 players who will attend Canada’s National Para Hockey Team evaluation camp, set for Sept. 2-9 at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary.

Four goaltenders, nine defencemen and 17 forwards were selected by head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, ON/York University, OUA) and Marshall Starkman (Thornhill, ON), manager of hockey operations. Assistant coaches Scott Walker (Cambridge, ON) and Mike Fountain (Gravenhurst, ON) also provided input.

“We are looking forward to kicking off a new season and bringing this hard-working group together at our evaluation camp in Calgary,” Herrington said. “This camp will allow us the opportunity to continue to build off a strong performance at the World Para Hockey Championship last June as we look ahead to competition this season.”

The roster features 16 players who won a silver medal at the 2023 World Para Hockey Championship in Moose Jaw, SK (Armstrong, Boily, Cozzolino, Crane, Dunn, Dixon, Halbert, Henry, Huneault, Jacobs-Webb, Kovacevich, Lavin, LeBlanc, McGregor, Tousignant, Smith) and eight who won a silver medal at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games in Beijing, China (Armstrong, Crane, Dunn, Henry, Jacobs-Webb, Kingsmill, Lavin, McGregor).

“We’re excited for the start of our evaluation camp and to begin year two of the quadrennial following an incredible first year,” Starkman said. “Our veteran leadership will continue to push the level of play to our younger athletes in preparation to represent Canada in international competition this year.”

Following camp, Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will head to Ostrava, Czechia to compete for gold at the 2023 International Para Hockey Cup, Oct. 2-8. The season schedule also includes the 2023 Para Hockey Cup, scheduled for Dec. 3-9 in Quispamsis, NB.

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or follow along via social media on Facebook, X and Instagram.

MOOSE JAW, Sask. – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team came up short in its bid to claim gold on home soil, falling 6-1 to the United States in Sunday’s gold medal game at the 2023 World Para Hockey Championship.

Canada would have its chances, but it was the United States that held a two-goal advantage after the opening 15 minutes. The Americans would continue to add to their lead until captain Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.), who was named Player of the Game, would finally solve netminder Jen Lee 4:22 into the third period for Canada’s lone goal.

“I’ve been doing this a long time and the expectation and hope is to leave every tournament with a gold medal. You have to be reasonable as well and understand that the path for doing that is different for everybody,” McGregor said. “To be quite honest, for a core group of us, that has been really, really hard. We’ve had so many heartbreaks, but we’ve had new people that inject our room with so much passion and energy. You have to show up to the gold medal game under a lot of pressure, play your best, make plays under pressure and be ready for whatever comes your way. I think we’re capable of doing that and we showed that we’re at least on the path to doing so. It looks like a 6-1 game; we had our chances, we didn’t capitalize and that’s one of the differences right now. When they get the chance they make the most of it, that’s part of our process and we’ll get there.”

Dominic Larocque (Quebec City, Que.) made 17 saves.

A full game summary and recap can be found at HockeyCanada.ca.

“I think our players should be really proud of what they invested this year,” said head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, Ont.) “We talked a lot about not defining yourself by what you do or what you achieve; you define yourself by who you are and how you invest in the process to get there. We’re so proud as athletes and staff of the steps we’ve taken. It’s an arduous journey and we feel like we’ve excelled the process a little bit, but there’s a road still to travel to get to the top of podium.”

Canada finished with a 2-1 record in the preliminary round, finishing second in the Group A standings with wins over Korea (15-1) and Czechia (2-1) before falling to the United States (3-0). Canada then booked its spot in the gold medal game with a 5-0 semifinal shutout of Czechia.

In 12 appearances, Canada has captured four gold medals at the World Para Hockey Championship (2000, 2008, 2013, 2017), in addition to four silver (2015, 2019, 2021, 2023) and three bronze (1996, 2009, 2012).

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca, or following along through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The rivalry continues as Canada’s National Para Hockey Team meets the United States again in the gold medal game at the 2023 World Para Hockey Championship.

Last Game

The Canadians rebounded from a preliminary-round finale loss to the U.S. with a 5-0 shutout of Czechia on Saturday night in its semifinal. Dominic Cozzolino scored 26 seconds into the game, James Dunn scored two goals in 18 seconds and Zach Lavin added one of his own for a 4-0 lead after 15 minutes. Cozzolino rounded out the scoring in the third period, while Dominic Larocque made 11 saves for the shutout.

The United States booked its spot in the gold medal game with a 10-2 victory over China on Saturday afternoon. Declan Farmer had a hat trick and two assists, Malik Jones notched two goals and three helpers, and Brody Roybal also recorded a hat trick of his own. Jen Lee made two saves and Griffin LaMarre made three in the American win.

Last Meeting

Canada closed out the preliminary round on Wednesday with a 3-0 loss to the United States. Captain Tyler McGregor led the team with five shots on net, while Larocque made 14 saves.

What to Watch

Most of the Canada’s offence has come from the top line: Cozzolino, McGregor and Corbyn Smith. Together, the trio has combined for 23 points and 38 shots. Look for that chemistry to continue throughout Sunday’s game in Canada’s pursuit for gold.

On the other end of the ice, the Canadians face two talented netminders that have had strong tournaments. Together, Lee and LaMerre have given up only three goals. Heading into the gold medal game, Lee sports a .909 save percentage and LaMarre sits at .900.

Look Back

Although Canada has the historical edge over the United States, the Americans have been tough competition as of late. Canada has not beaten its southern neighbour in nearly two years, recording a 4-2 win on Oct. 29, 2021, during a two-game mini-series in St. Louis, Mo.

All-time record: Canada leads 59-56-1
Canada goals: 232
United States goals: 232

GAME STATISTICS | LIVE GAME BLOG

MOOSE JAW, Saskatchewan – Canada’s National Para Hockey Team will face the United States in the gold medal game following a 5-0 shutout of Czechia on Saturday night at the Moose Jaw Events Centre.

• James Dunn (Wallacetown, Ont.) had a pair of goals, scoring them 18 seconds apart in the first period.
• Dominic Cozzolino (Mississauga, Ont.) also scored a pair of goals.
• Zach Lavin (Essex, Ont.) added Canada’s other goal.
• Adam Dixon (Midland, Ont.) added two first period assists to give him 250 career points with Canada’s National Para Hockey Team. He finished with three assists in the game.
• Tyler McGregor (Forest, Ont.) chipped in with a pair of helpers.
• Auren Halbert (Calgary, Alta.) also added an assist.
• Dominic Larocque (Quebec City, Que.) stopped all 11 shots.
• Canada outshot Czechia 24-11. 

Next Game:

Canada vs. United States – Sunday, June 4 (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT)

All games from the 2023 World Para Hockey Championship are available via livestream at HockeyCanada.ca.  

Quotes:

“The start by our first line was big and it started the game well for us. We had the momentum early, but we also had to battle through and get back to our defensive structure for the win. Even with a few moments where we lost our touch, we’re a young group and I like the path that we’re on. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Tonight, we’ll get our rest, flip the page and get excited for the next game.”

• Lavin on the team’s performance

 

“I think we just played the way we wanted to: playing defensively which led to offence early on. We continued that throughout the game and it worked well for us. They’re a very physical and strong team, we knew that and we just adapted well to it. I think getting pucks deep and getting on the offensive attack really helped us.”

• Dunn on withstanding the physicality and play of Czechia

 

“It’s going to require the same of what it required tonight—our best version. The difference is our best version has to be better than today’s, which had to be better than Wednesday (when we played the U.S.). They’re the best team in the world and if you want to become the best you have to beat the best, so we’re looking forward to the opportunity. We also have to go into the game with some belief because there have been lots of games we have played [against] them and we don’t. They are a great team and we appreciate how good that forces us to be. I think that we have the belief that we can hang in long enough and take advantage of a raucous crowd to push us over the hump we haven’t gotten over in quite awhile.”

-           Head coach Russ Herrington (Unionville, Ont.) on facing the United States for gold

For more information on Hockey Canada and Canada’s National Para Hockey Team, please visit HockeyCanada.ca or follow through social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.