Blind hockey goalie plays first league game in Edmonton
EDMONTON -
Nelson Rego, a blind goalie for the Edmonton SeeHawks.
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
Doctors call for action as growing number of Canadians dying from common food preservative
Doctors are among those calling for tighter regulation of sodium nitrite as a growing number of Canadians are dying after intentionally ingesting unsafe quantities of the common food preservative in its pure form.
Well-known Brampton, Ont. real estate agent, media personality savagely attacked outside home
A well-known real estate agent and media personality in Brampton, Ont. was viciously attacked in broad daylight in his own driveway by three men, two of whom appeared to be wielding an axe and a machete.
Police seize handguns, drugs in alleged Ontario, U.S. criminal takedown
Police in Ontario say they have taken down a criminal network they allege trafficked cocaine and fentanyl and smuggled guns into Canada from the U.S.
Donald Trump 'took the Fifth.' What does it actually mean?
Former U.S. President Donald Trump showed up Wednesday for questioning under oath in New York's civil investigation into his business practices. But he quickly made clear he wouldn't be answering.
Majority of Canadian children experience cyberbullying: global study
A new global study by computer security software company McAfee has found that 60 per cent of Canadian children as young as 10 have experienced some form of cyberbullying.
Two children at centre of Sask. Amber Alert found safe in South Dakota, suspect arrested
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office in South Dakota said it has arrested the man wanted in connection with an Amber Alert in Saskatchewan.
Canadian Forces Snowbirds grounded in wake of B.C. crash
The Royal Canadian Air Force has grounded the Snowbirds aerobatic team after one of the jets suffered a hard landing last week in northern British Columbia.
N.S. boosts cash reward for information in boy's shooting death to $250,000
Nova Scotia’s unsolved crimes program is offering its largest reward ever for information in the case of a little boy shot and killed in Dartmouth in December.
Can the spread of monkeypox be stopped?
Since May, nearly 90 countries have reported more than 31,000 cases of monkeypox. The World Health Organization classified the escalating outbreak of the once-rare disease as an international emergency in July; the U.S. declared it a national emergency last week.
Calgary
-
Calgary woman charged in death of Tammie Howard, last seen in 2016
A Calgary woman has been charged in conjunction with the murder of Tammie Doreen Howard, also known as Irish, who was last seen in December 2016.
-
No one injured following tour bus crash near Lake Minnewanka
A transit bus that ferries passengers to some of the popular tourist destinations in Banff National Park was involved in a crash on Wednesday.
-
25 cattle dead after water pump destroyed in southern Alberta
A water pump was rammed into by a boat some time between Wednesday and Sunday just south of Raymond, resulting in the death of 25 cows.
Saskatoon
-
Former students of Saskatoon school allege sexual abuse in $25M legal claim
Former students are working to bring a class action lawsuit against the Saskatoon school where they allege they suffered physical and sexual abuse.
-
Two children at centre of Sask. Amber Alert found safe in South Dakota, suspect arrested
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office in South Dakota said it has arrested the man wanted in connection with an Amber Alert in Saskatchewan.
-
Saskatoon woman made checklist while planning abduction, court documents allege
A Saskatoon mother made an apparent 'checklist' while planning to vanish with her son, according to court documents
Regina
-
Two children at centre of Sask. Amber Alert found safe in South Dakota, suspect arrested
The Meade County Sheriff’s Office in South Dakota said it has arrested the man wanted in connection with an Amber Alert in Saskatchewan.
-
Eastbound lanes of Highway 1 near Swift Current closed due to grass fire: Sask. RCMP
A grass fire has forced the closure of the eastbound lanes of Highway 1 near Swift Current, according to Sask. RCMP.
-
Roughriders announce ticket pricing for 2023 2 months early
Rider fans can expect to save six per cent on their tickets before the new provincial sales tax (PST) increase comes into effect this fall.
Atlantic
-
'Fall from grace': Former CEO of IWK Health Centre sentenced to 5 months in jail for fraud
The former CEO of the IWK Health Centre has been sentenced to five months in jail for using public money to pay for more than $45,000 worth of personal expenses.
-
Essential Newfoundland highway to stay open as out-of-control wildfires grow
Two out-of-control wildfires in central Newfoundland covered more than 200 square kilometres on Wednesday morning, and Environment Canada warned the flames could cover much of the island in smoke.
-
N.S. boosts cash reward for information in boy's shooting death to $250,000
Nova Scotia’s unsolved crimes program is offering its largest reward ever for information in the case of a little boy shot and killed in Dartmouth in December.
Toronto
-
Well-known Brampton, Ont. real estate agent, media personality savagely attacked outside home
A well-known real estate agent and media personality in Brampton, Ont. was viciously attacked in broad daylight in his own driveway by three men, two of whom appeared to be wielding an axe and a machete.
-
Hundreds of charges laid after Ontario police bust group accused of smuggling guns, fentanyl
A nearly ten-months long investigation by multiple Ontario police services has resulted in more than 400 criminal charges laid on a group of 22 individuals accused of smuggling guns and drugs over the Canadian-U.S. border.
-
Ontario gas prices set to rise again on Friday
Drivers in southern Ontario may want to fill up their tanks before prices skyrocket over the weekend.
Montreal
-
Religious minorities feel less safe, welcome in Quebec since Bill 21 was adopted: survey
A new study shows that religious minorities in Quebec, particularly women, feel less safe and less welcome in the social fabric of society since the adoption of the province's secularism law, commonly known as Bill 21.
-
Remains of Jesuit priest removed from Kahnawake church grounds
The remains of a priest who allegedly sexually abused Indigenous children in Quebec was exhumed Wednesday morning. Jesuit priest Father Leon Lajoie was buried on the grounds of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Kahnawake in 1999.
-
Montreal public health investigating 3 cases of Legionnaires' Disease
Montreal public health officials are investigating three cases of Legionnaires' Disease, including one death.
Ottawa
-
Here's what Ottawa's mayoral candidates are saying about Ontario's 'strong mayor' legislation
CTV News Ottawa asked all 12 mayoral candidates their thoughts on the 'strong mayor' legislation put forward by the Ontario government, which would grant additional powers to the mayors of Ottawa and Toronto.
-
Ottawa woman missing for 42 years had been living outside Canada before her death
The disappearance of an Ottawa woman has been solved more than 40 years after she went missing. While she has since passed away, it's been revealed she's been living outside the country for decades.
-
What you need to know about the Queensway closure this weekend
Hwy. 417 will be closed between the Metcalfe and Carling/Kirkwood exits from 8 p.m. Thursday until Monday at 6 a.m.
Kitchener
-
-
Surgeries cancelled at Cambridge Memorial Hospital as staffing issues mount
Cambridge Memorial Hospital (CMH) has cancelled several surgeries over the last two days as staffing pressures combined with bed capacity limits put pressure on the overloaded system.
-
Deputy Prime Minister hosts tech sector roundtable in Kitchener
Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is in Kitchener today to discuss the challenges and opportunities the Canadian technology sector is currently facing.
Northern Ontario
-
Sault police say murder-suicide behind two gun deaths Aug. 5
A murder-suicide was behind two people who died from gunshot wounds Aug. 5 at a residential fire on Goulais Avenue, Sault police said Wednesday.
-
Police say suspect in Hwy. 69 crash was suspended, driving stolen vehicle
A 37-year-old from Toronto has been charged in connection with a two-vehicle crash Aug. 8 on Highway 69 in Servos Township south of Greater Sudbury.
-
Human rights tribunal dismisses northern Ont. man's complaint about pronoun use
In what appears to be a less-than-serious complaint, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario has dismissed a complaint levied against the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit related to pronoun use.
Winnipeg
-
Police make arrest in connection to River East weekend shooting
Winnipeg police arrested and charged a 34-year-old man in connection to a shooting on Bonner Avenue Sunday morning.
-
Manitoba first province to sign on to federal funding for crisis hotlines
Manitoba became the first province Wednesday to sign on to a new federal funding plan for crisis hotlines that help victims of gender-based violence.
-
RCMP looking for missing Steinbach teen
Steinbach RCMP are searching for a missing teenage girl who they believe is now in Winnipeg.
Vancouver
-
BREAKING
BREAKING | Homicide team reveals information on victim of taxi shooting
The taxi passenger fatally shot in Surrey, B.C., earlier this week had recently been convicted of a drug offence, homicide investigators say.
-
B.C. actress hit in the chest by bullet in L.A. shooting last month
A B.C. performer is recovering after taking a bullet to the chest in Los Angeles last month.
-
B.C. NDP leadership race: Eby wishes competitor Appadurai luck, 'but not too much luck'
In the race for leadership of B.C.'s governing New Democrats, a high-profile candidate is wishing a newcomer luck – "but not too much luck!"
Vancouver Island
-
'This was a bizarre incident': Man arrested after kayakers struck by log pushed off cliff near Nanaimo
Mounties say a pair of kayakers are lucky to have escaped serious injury after a man pushed a large log over a cliff and onto their boats in the waters off Nanaimo, B.C.
-
Canadian Forces Snowbirds grounded in wake of B.C. crash
The Royal Canadian Air Force has grounded the Snowbirds aerobatic team after one of the jets suffered a hard landing last week in northern British Columbia.
-
'We do anticipate there will be more': Multiple wildfires burning on Vancouver Island after lightning storm
Wildfire officials say a lightning storm rolling over Vancouver Island is responsible for sparking up to nine fires burning in the region Wednesday.