Blind hockey goalie plays first league game in Edmonton
Nelson Rego is a rec league goaltender in Edmonton — and he's also blind.
Rego lost his sight in 2001 Specialists expected the decline to be gradual. But one morning, shortly after his diagnosis, he woke up and his sight was gone.
“It was a difficult moment,” he recalled.
While it took a few years to adjust, Rego said it never held him back from pursuing his goals.
“I’ve got a beautiful wife and child so I can’t say that I would take that all back because I wouldn’t have what I have now if I didn’t go through that circumstance,” he said.
John Hunter, a rec hockey player in Edmonton, met Rego online when he reached out to inquire about gear modifications and a chest protector.
A few weeks later, Hunter said he was injured before one of their games and put out a call on Facebook for a substitute goalie. He got no bites, at first…
“Nelson calls me, and he kind of starts out with, ‘Hey, how's the chest protector going? By the way, I’m not sure if this is a good idea or not but I saw your post for a goalie sub for your league game tonight. What do you think about me playing?’”
Hunter ran the idea past the team and everyone was “all in” on giving Rego a shot.
“He could be the first blind goalie anywhere to play a league game,” he said. “For sure here in Edmonton nobody 100 per cent blind has ever played a league game.”
“We didn’t tell the refs until puck drop,” he laughed.
Nelson Rego, a blind goalie for the Edmonton SeeHawks.
'I THINK HE'S JUST GOT SPIDEY SENSES'
To ensure he’s centred in the net he’ll tap his stick on the right side and his glove off the left, he explained.
“As long as I don’t drift far from the net, then I know where I’m at.”
According to Rego, his hearing is “tuned” and that’s how he gauges his play strategy.
“The subtle cues that people with their vision see, I pick up on those subtle cues with my hearing.”
“I think he’s just got spidey senses,” Hunter smiled. “The rest of it is all the hockey gods speaking to him.”
The game came down to one goal, 9-8, and according to Hunter, Rego held his own throughout the night.
“I came to watch obviously. I am screaming left, right, butterfly, centre.”
“He played just like any other normal person would in a league game,” he said.
“They made no accommodations for me,” Rego added. “It was just like being one of the guys on the team and that whole comradery thing that you get with a team that’s the thing that I really love the most.”
Rego said playing in that game was a huge moment for him as it brought awareness to blind hockey.
“Anything you set your mind to regardless of the obstacles, it can be done.”
With files from CTV news Edmonton’s Dave Mitchell
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America announced after 114 years that it will change its name and will become Scouting America in an effort to emphasize inclusion as it works to move past the turmoil of bankruptcy and a flood of sexual abuse claims.