This morning while Craig and I were still fast asleep, my brother-in-law, Drew Rigden was playing with the Canadian Men's Sledge Hockey Team in Asahikawa, Japan. In case, like me, you were unfamiliar with the particulars of sledge hockey, "Sledge hockey is the Paralympic version of ice hockey and, since its debut on the Paralympic program at the 1994 Lillehammer Paralympic Winter Games, it is quickly becoming one of the biggest attractions for spectators at the Paralympic Winter Games. It is fast-paced, highly physical and played by male athletes with a physical disability in the lower part of the body." Taken from the Canadian Paralympic Committee/ International Paralympic Committee.
Anyway, they were finishing up the round robins this morning and Drew was put in in the second period to tend goal. From http://www.hockeycanada.ca/ "...the Canadians, who got a 14-save-shutout performance from goaltender Drew Rigden (Kincardine, ON) in his first-ever appearance for the national team. ... Rigden made the most of his first start for Canada, making six saves in each of the first and third periods on the way to the shutout, quieting the pro-Japanese crowd of 250 at Taisetsu Arena." We ended up winning the game 2-0, which advances us to the gold medal game, Saturday at 3am Eastern ST , 5pm local time. Sadly there's no coverage here, so we'll have to wait to hear how the last game goes down.
No matter what, the Canadian Men's Sledge Hockey Team is coming home with something!
If YOU want to be there to congratulate them, the Team will be arriving at:
Toronto's Pearson Int'l Airport, Terminal One (YYZ),
Sunday, January 27, 2008
5pm.
Drew Rigden's (#30) new "support our troops/always remember" helmet.
One side (above), depicts flanders field cross and poppy with rifle, while the other (below) shows the statue at Vimy Ridge.
GO TEAM CANADA!!!
WE'RE CHEERING FOR YOU A WORLD AWAY!
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