When Tyler McGregor made his debut with Canada’s National Sledge Team at the 2012 World Sledge Hockey Challenge as the youngest player on the roster, he brought a unique hockey background to the national side.
The Forest, Ont., native played minor hockey at a high level, taking to the ice with some of the top NHL draft-eligible prospects in his age group before being diagnosed with spindle cell carcoma, a type of bone cancer, in early 2010, midway through his Minor Midget season. The cancer forced the amputation of his left leg above the knee, ending his stand-up hockey career but starting him on the path to sledge hockey.
After first getting into a sled in late 2011, McGregor cracked the roster of Canada’s National Sledge Development Team just months later, and one year after beginning his sledge hockey journey was pulling on the national team jersey for the first time.
Goaltenders |
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Marc-André Fleury |
Roberto Luongo |
Carey Price |
WHY?: Luongo was an obvious choice for me, having the experience of winning in Vancouver in 2010. As for the other two, I decided to go with Carey Price, as I feel he is one of the top goalies in the game right now and one of the most consistent. For my third choice, I decided to go with Marc-André Fleury. Although he has been struggling the past couple years, when he is at his best, he is without a doubt one of the best there is. |
Defencemen |
Dan Boyle |
Drew Doughty |
Duncan Keith |
Alex Pietrangelo |
Brent Seabrook |
Marc Staal |
P.K. Subban |
Shea Weber |
WHY?: I decided to go with a mixture of highly-skilled, offensive defenseman like Subban and Doughty. Then I went with guys like Keith and Seabrook, providing speed, physicality and tons of experience, each winning two Stanley Cups and Olympic gold in the past four years. I think Marc Staal and Shea Weber would be great shutdown defenseman. Boyle was a tough decision, but I chose him to provide some veteran leadership. He's one of the most experienced players on the roster I've chosen, and has the ability to provide offence from the back end. |
Forwards |
Patrice Bergeron |
Sidney Crosby |
Ryan Getzlaf |
Claude Giroux |
Taylor Hall |
Rick Nash |
James Neal |
Corey Perry |
Mike Richards |
Patrick Sharp |
Eric Staal |
Jordan Staal |
Steven Stamkos |
Jonathan Toews |
WHY?: I chose a mixture of speed, size and skill, as well as guys that play physical. Guys like Crosby, Giroux and Stamkos were easy decisions for me, provided that Stamkos is healthy and ready to play. I also decided to go with a few role players, guys that can do all the little things right to help you win games, which is why I chose Bergeron, who can win key face-offs at any point in the game. I also chose guys like Jordan Staal and Mike Richards for a similar reason; two of the best defensive forwards in the game and outstanding penalty killers. I rounded out my forwards with a mixture of size, speed and skill. All guys that love to play that physical, Canadian-style hockey that has made our country so successful in the past. Lastly, I chose Taylor Hall to add a little youth to the line-up. I feel as though he adds a ton of speed and has the ability to be a game changer. |