Western Canadian sledge hockey teams converge on Calgary for tournament

The Calgary Sledge Hockey Association is getting ready to host a tournament with 24 teams from all over Western Canada.

The 19th annual Matt Cook Western Canadian Sledge Hockey Tournament kicks off April 4 at WinSport.

Twenty-four teams from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will face off against each other in three days of action-packed games.

It’s the most the tournament has had sign up.

The event is hosted by the Calgary Sledge Hockey Association (CSHA).

“It’s in honour of national team player Matt Cook,” said Auren Halbert, player and organizer.

“I never got to play with him, but I have a couple of teammates who did. He unfortunately passed away from cancer a number of years ago.”

Halbert started playing the sport when he was eight years old.

Now 22, he is on the national team and hopes to make it to the 2026 Paralympic Games in Milan, Italy.

“There’s plenty of teams all across the world right now that are super competitive,” he said.

“China’s getting really good, Czech Republic’s getting really good, USA is always really amazing to play, so it’s super fun to be able to compete against great countries that really have a passion for the sport.”

Halbert uses a prosthetic on his lower left leg, and while he can walk, his teammates say he’s a speed demon on the ice.

“(Sledge hockey) gives me a sense of mobility and freedom and ability to compete as much as I want to,” he said.

“It gives me an avenue to play as hard as I want to against people that have been through similar situations as myself.”

The CSHA is for players of all levels and abilities from five years old and up.

The tournament is a chance for the league to showcase the sport in Calgary, and the weekend event is free to the public.

Christen Cook, 47, was involved in a quad accident and almost lost the lower part of his left leg.

He played hockey for years as a goaltender and never thought much of sledge hockey.

“I would see it on TSN, and I’d flip through it,” he said.

“It just wasn’t for me … but as soon as it was for me, it’s now a big part of my life.”

Cook brought his goaltending skills to the sport, and while he’s on the ice twice a week at the club level, he has also made the Alberta provincial team.

This will be his second Matt Cook memorial tournament, and he is hopeful a lot of people come to watch.

“It’s a crazy sport to watch, especially when it gets physical. The physicality of the sport is pretty awesome,” he said.

Sledge hockey is a Paralympic sport played at all levels around the world.

Players sit in a moulded shell that’s over two skate blades with a support under their legs.

They use two modified hockey sticks that are equipped with cleats on one end to help propel them across the ice at high speed.

The sport incorporates the same rules and strategies as stand-up ice hockey.

This will be Troy Clemmer’s fourth Matt Cook memorial tournament.

“Being born with cerebral palsy that wasn’t diagnosed until I was one year old, this allowed me to find this sport that I could actually enjoy, instead of just sitting at home doing nothing,” he said.

Clemmer, 22, enjoys sharing his skills through ‘Try-It’ events hosted by the CSHA where people of all abilities can get into a sled and onto the ice to experience the sport.

“It’s just a blast. It always is,” he said.

“I’ve been playing the sport for realistically half of my life, so I’ve enjoyed it ever since. It’s a huge passion of mine.”

You can learn more about the tournament at http://www.calgarysledgehockey.ca/.