Portland Winterhawks and Paralympic Gold Medalist Josh Sweeney
Teaming Up To Start Sled Hockey in Portland
On August 23, 2015, a long-held goal for Josh Sweeney finally came to fruition: that evening he and Paralympic teammate Luke McDermott hosted a sled hockey clinic for nearly 30 people at Winterhawks Skating Center.
The clinic featured kids as young as six and adults as old as 60 trying the sport, having the opportunity to participate in something specially designed for people with disabilities who want to remain active in sports.
If there’s anyone who can make sled hockey a reality in Portland it’s Sweeney. He’s the captain of the U.S. Paralympic sled hockey team, and was assistant captain of the United States 2014 Paralympic sled hockey team, and scored the winning goal in the gold medal game against Russia. A recipient of a Purple Heart during his time serving in the Marines, Sweeney went to become the winner of the inaugural Pat Tillman Award for service at ESPN’s 2014 ESPY awards.
Sweeney and his wife Amber moved to Portland to be closer to family, and since arriving has wanted to start a sled hockey program. Teaming up with the Winterhawks, that goal is getting closer to reality.
If you’d like for info on sled hockey in Portland, please contact Jill Boeschenstein by email.
For more coverage of the August 2015 sled hockey clinic see below: