When Justyne Bennett became paralyzed from the chest down after an accident when she was 17, she thought she’d never play hockey again. Today, she’s on Team Canada’s Women’s Para Ice Hockey team.
Bennett is a first-year Welding student at Loyalist College but works for Queen’s at Q Services.
Though Bennett played hockey growing up, it never crossed her mind she would be playing national hockey.
Following her accident, Bennett didn’t want to give up playing hockey. Some of her nurses put Bennett in contact with a man who helped Bennett get onto the ice as a sledge hockey player.
When starting sledge hockey, Bennett explained to The Journal the frustrations she felt having to start back with the basics of hockey, this time on a sledge.
“I had to learn so many ways of how my body works again. Along the way, I’ve met a lot of great people who taught me different skills and helped me with my sled,” she said. “The game is definitely like stand-up hockey. It’s a little bit different, but it’s still hockey.”
Other than at practices, Bennett honed her skills at tournaments here and there. Her name was mentioned to scouts for the national team by one of her friends at a tournament.
As a goaltender, Bennett attended training camps, and from there was invited to selection camps for the Women’s Para Ice Hockey national roster.
“I definitely did want to try my best to make the team just because of everybody who has been in my life and helped me,” she said. “I’ve come such a far way since the beginning of my accident. I’m not here to give up and I just want to continue.”
She was overwhelmed with excitement and joy when she found out she was one of three goaltenders to make the roster.
“I almost cried because the person who helped me get into sledge hockey passed away just last year, and I was like, ‘I’m doing this for him,’” she said.
Bennett further explained though this opportunity is huge for her as she continues fighting,seeing his reaction would have been special, since it was both of their dreams.
Representing the country at a national level is another special takeaway, Bennett said.
“Even though you can get knocked down in life, you can still do so many things, like making the national team. You don’t know what can happen,” she said.
“[I want to show] other women who have disabilities they can still do so many things in life, it doesn’t have to be the end of their life, you can do so much more.”
Tags
Justyne Bennett, National Team, Para Ice Hockey, Sledge Hockey, Team Canada
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