POWER OF SPORT SALVAGES HOPE FROM TRAGEDY
Past member of national sledge hockey team seeking to mentor Humboldt crash survivor
Seconds after being told he might never walk again, Humboldt Broncos crash survivor Ryan Straschnitzki told his parents he’d just have to go out and win Olympic gold in sledge hockey instead.
It spoke to the tremendous resilience of a young man dealing with the unthinkable.
It also spoke to Chris Cederstrand, who like many Canadians, was wondering what he could to do to help.
When he heard of Straschnitzki’s new goal, the former Red Deer Rebels forward-turned national sledge team player knew immediately how he could assist.
After losing his right leg in a horrific construction accident in 2005, Cederstrand struggled for years with finding meaning and direction in his life.
He’s determined to ensure that doesn’t happen with Straschnitzki, by not only teaching him the sport, but by counselling him through a transition he can relate to.
Reaching out to Straschnitzki’s mom through social media, Cederstrand is in the midst of arranging a trip to Saskatoon to meet the 18-year-old Airdrie, Alta. native with an eye on forging a relationship designed around giving him the support and opportunities Cederstrand wished he had early on.
“If I would have had somebody in my shoes now that would have come to talk to me after my accident, it would have made a world of difference,” said Cederstrand, a 37-year-old Okotoks, Alta. resident who recently retired from the national team with which he won silver at the 2015 world championships.
“It’s something I hope I can bring to him. When I had my accident almost 13 years ago when someone came in to talk to me the best Paralympic sport they could offer was bowling.
“There weren’t a lot of options out there and it was so disheartening for someone who had played hockey, was very active and played every sport under the sun.
“I had sort of made it my mission once I got better I wouldn’t let that happen to anybody else. I try to get to as many people with traumatic injuries to show them there’s a lot out there still.
“Your life has changed and you take a different path but that path can take you to some absolutely incredible destinations. You’re still the same person in the inside.”
After completing his firefighter training, Cederstrand was working a construction job in 2005 that saw a 30,000 kg road packer he was driving flip onto his right leg.
When he woke up in hospital, the leg had been removed above the knee to save his life, sparking years dominated by phantom pain, nightmares and depression.
“My accident was different than Ryan’s obviously as nobody else was injured. With these guys losing friends and brothers within the hockey world, it’s a different dynamic I obviously can’t speak to,” said Cederstrand who is from tiny Martensville Sask., and played his triple-A hockey in Tisdale, Sask., which is the closest city to where the Humboldt Broncos’ bus crashed.
“But I can relate to being an elite athlete like him and having that taken away from him. The parallel is that life has to go on and there are similar challenges. Sport is the one thing that really got my life back on track.
“To be able to bring sport back into someone’s life, especially when he has this incredible mindset already, is huge. When they have that sort of goal already in their head it makes life a lot easier.”
Cederstrand does some motivational speaking but his real passion is his sledge hockey school at WinSport where, with the help of sponsors, he’s able to coach disabled kids for free.
He has a sled waiting for Straschnitzki, which warmed the heart of a young man who still has no feeling below his chest.
“That would be awesome, for sure,” said Straschnitzki of meeting Cederstrand and taking him up on his coaching offer. “I’m looking at things positively and trying to be optimistic on this side of things.
“If I’m not able to play hockey anymore or strap up the skates I
If I would have had somebody in my shoes now that would have come to talk to me after my accident, it would have made a world of difference.
want to be able to still be on the ice somehow and win gold.
“It’s always been my dream to play an Olympic sport, so I’ve decided if hockey doesn’t work out, sledge hockey would be my next option.”
It’s an option that took Cederstrand six agonizing years to figure out, attracted only to the sport after seeing it during a demonstration at a Flames game and then watching the world sledge challenge in Calgary.
“It was sport that really brought my life back around because it was such a huge part of my life before the accident,” he said.
“It left a big void and that’s the way I see it for these kids who have had this tragedy. It’s finding that normality in your life and sport is the norm for them.
“For them to be able to get back into them and see there’s a huge world out there of sport no matter what disability they have.
“It wasn’t looking at what I couldn’t do anymore, it was embracing a new challenge.”
A challenge he wants to help Straschnitzki with, supporting him on and off the ice.
“We’re both athletes from a similar background that had something taken away from us. It would be very easy for me to make that personal connection and help him,” said Cederstrand.
“Life goes on, and having this amazing life skill and having that support system around you helps in recovery. The faster you can get on with things the better it will be.”