Delaurier flips the script through sledge hockey

Everyone knows the saying: you play the hand you’re dealt.

But, that sentiment is easier said than done in the case of Rainey Delaurier, who was told he wouldn’t be able to use his legs again after being diagnosed with a rare bone disease at age six. The devastating news came during his first season in recreational hockey, when he crashed leg-first into the boards during a game.

Quickly, the game he had originally fallen in love with became the background of a life-changing injury.

“They said I couldn’t skate anymore,” Delaurier recalled of his visit to the doctors after his injury. “That really had so much effect on me, watching all my buddies growing up playing hockey, it just made me feel a little left out.”

After years of neglecting the sport he once idolized, Delaurier discovered he could return to the ice, but in a different way than he might have expected. Delaurier had become familiar with the adaptive sport of sledge hockey, and soon after attending a camp three years ago, his light was rekindled.

Delaurier realized he didn’t just play his hand — he turned it into a full house.

“As soon as I heard about sledge hockey and found out about it over the years, it really shifted my mindset and got me super excited,” said Delaurier. “It’s really amazing, honestly, to see my progress over the years and just how much I’ve dedicated to the sport and how much my hard work has been paying off. So it’s just really great for me to see that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve anything.”

That includes cracking Team Manitoba’s sledge hockey squad for the 2025-26 season — a type of mark Delaurier never would have even begun to believe when the Brandonite first tried the sport. Now, the 17-year-old is relishing his opportunity and has shown he’s the true representation of resilience.

“It was a sigh of relief, for sure, knowing all the things I had done to get here, but I was just pretty pumped when I found out,” Delaurier said of his reaction to making Team Toba. “You know, I’ve been working hard all summer going to camps, so showing that hard work paid off really felt good and just like encouraged me to keep going.”

Delaurier and Manitoba recently wrapped up their first tournament of the year this weekend in Mississauga, where they posted a 0-2-1 outing at the Cruisers Cup — a 4-4 tie against the Elmvale Bears, followed by a 12-0 loss to Canadien de Montréal and a 2-1 defeat to the Durham Steelhawks. Although his team didn’t register a win in Ontario, his play on the ice spoke for itself, as Delaurier was able to notch two goals and one assist through the three contests.

In the summer, five times a week, Delaurier spent building up his upper body strength, which he believes is a big part of why he’s improved heading into this season. He also attended sledge programs in Calgary and Minnesota to build up his experience beyond Manitoba, which gave him the chance to even meet some para hockey players on teams Canada and the United States, including states captain and Paralympic gold medallist Josh Pauls.

He said it’s an opportunity that’s given him a lifetime of memories and lessons he can take back with him to his hometown.

“It definitely helped me become a better player and a better person,” he said. “I definitely learned a lot from him (Pauls), especially leadership. All the leadership he was saying in his speeches and one-on-one talk, so that’s just a great experience I will remember for a long time.

“It’s just really amazing to see all the hard work I’ve put in and all the great people I’ve met throughout my couple of years playing and how much I build off that. Just like, really made me have a positive mindset and really helped change my life in a great way.”

Delaurier wasn’t sold on sledge hockey when he first heard of it. In fact, his mom, Cher, had to really push for him to even sign up for the camp that he did more than three years ago. Going into it, he said his mentality going in was that it would be a good way to get some cardio in and nothing else.

The saying “Moms know best” couldn’t be more fitting in this situation, as Delaurier would find out he couldn’t have been more wrong.

“As soon as I played a couple games, I met some great people that were on my team, and really, I watched them, and it just started to show how much I wanted to play and be just like them,” Delaurier said. “I decided to dedicate so much to be just like them, and just having so many great role models and great people in this program just really helped me drive to love the game even more.

“Just all the teammates I’ve met and all the people showing how many similarities we have and all the different stories just really keep me going and how much strength they all have to keep going every day. And just like, I want to have that mindset also and just keep going every day and just, yeah, build off that.”

He hopes to do that by volunteering as a coach at the Sportsplex every Tuesday night with the new local sledge hockey program started by Manitoba Possible this year. After having some doubts himself about his future in sport following his life-altering injury, he hopes others can see just how great the sport is and how many opportunities there are for athletes interested in playing para hockey.

And the idea of him being one part of the next generation of sledge athletes couldn’t sound any better to him.

“It feels surreal,” he said. “Honestly, I wouldn’t have seen myself three years ago being a coach for a brand new league, so now building off what I learned from everyone else, it really makes me so happy, and I just like love the game even more. I’m just so pumped for it, and just learning what I got from all these people and now being able to apply it for the next generation in Brandon is super cool.

“I can’t wait for what the future has for it.”

What was once a tragedy for Delaurier is now a gift. And now, it seems to be one that keeps on giving.

» mdelucataronno@brandonsun.com