Garrett Riley, who earned a silver medal with the Canadian Para ice hockey team at the 2022 Winter Paralympics, has continued to build awareness for parasports and the importance of sports in communities across Ontario.
Riley, who was born and raised in Brantford, grew up playing hockey as well as many other sports until he was diagnosed with cancer when he was 15. His leg was amputated as a result of an infection caused by the cancer.
“I wasn’t sure what to do after my disability…I was lucky enough to find [para ice hockey], and it re-ignited my passion for sports which I was missing [and now] I want to bring more awareness for all sports to people who are coming into new disabilities and facing new challenges in their life,” said Riley. “I’m very grateful to be able to go to communities and show them that there’s more to life…[and] life isn’t over just because you have a disability or you have challenges.”
Riley noted the importance of the community, as well as the strength of his family and his girlfriend to his success.
“It’s been tough because I have had to be strong in order to endure all of the challenges, I’ve had to face but at the same time [the] support that I’ve gotten from my community, and my family has been amazing…and then just with the support that [Allison] has given me…I don’t think that I would have made it as far as I have without her,” he said.
However, Riley reflected on his success at the Paralympics, and the importance of that moment in his life.
“Winning the silver medal wasn’t great at first [because] I wanted to win the gold, but once I was able to get my hands on the silver, I realized it was a huge accomplishment…for me, not just as a player, but as a person too…because I thought that my sports career was over when I was diagnosed [and] that turned out it wasn’t the case [as I was] able to represent my community and my country. It was such an awesome experience,” said Riley.
During this time, Riley found a mentor amongst one of the team’s coaches, Mike Foligno, a former NHL star.
“Our relationship started [as] he was a coach on the para-national team, but we then hit it off [and] fed off each other’s energy,” explained Riley. “He has been a great mentor to me…and with the struggles I was going through, [he] was always trying to be a positive influence and he has done so much for me in and away from the sport.”
Nevertheless, since playing in Beijing, Riley has been feted for his success in Para ice hockey as well as his community leadership being named Brantford’s Sportsperson of the Year in 2022 (the Frank Tomlin Memorial Award) and eventually being inducted into the Brantford and Area Sports Hall of Recognition in 2024.
“It’s something that I never really thought that I was going to be able to get into [and] just getting that recognition from the city and from the community is a huge honor…It’s amazing to be in a similar conversation as many legends from our city like Wayne Gretzky [and] the amazing people that I was able to meet, who were inducted in as well,” shared Riley. “Being in the Hall will also give me a chance to bring some more recognition to parasports which I think is very important.”
Riley has also been committed to educating and helping others especially through a key provincial organization.
“I’m an ambassador for Parasport Ontario. We go around to different communities [and] showing people different types of sports like wheelchair basketball and para ice hockey they can be a part of [and being involved] whether it’s playing still, coaching, or volunteering,” said Riley. “It’s a great honor to be able to go and see so many people from different walks of life…and get smiles from them because they are [realizing] that there’s something that they can be a part of [and] having a sense of being a part of a team.”
Although Riley has excelled on the ice, he is looking to broaden his athletic horizons.
“I’m not too involved with playing para ice hockey right now, but I’m definitely transitioning into a summer sport because I want to try something different. I have played hockey for my whole life, so I just feel like I’ve gone as far as I can with that,” explained Riley. “I want to try something different and be able to, once again, show people that you can do anything, like playing multiple sports. I actually love golf [and] I really want that to be in the games. If golf doesn’t become part of the games, then I will probably try rowing or cycling.”
Although he is looking at focusing on playing other sports, Riley is still very much devoted to bringing para ice hockey into the community.
“There was a para ice hockey team called the Brant Crushers, which unfortunately had to fold a couple years ago. I’m currently in talks with the people who are trying to get that back together [to give kids] an opportunity to play [and] just getting them out of the mindset that they aren’t able to play sports,” Riley said.
Along with going out and engaging in communities through Parasports Ontario, Riley was recently invited to speak at this year’s Focus 2024 Conference through the Brantford Sports Council where he spoke about ‘Community, Diversity & Infrastructure.’
“It was great to see all the people that came out, answering all their different questions that they had. I [enjoyed] talking about how it was possible to get sports into their communities and how they can spread the word,” said Riley. “I talked to them about how they could get sports equipment, for example, to people who aren’t able to afford or don’t know where to get these [items.] It was nice to be able to give them some direction while picking their brains about what they’re feeling about sports in their communities.”
However, Riley’s drive is to continue and reach out to communities and maintain that anything is possible.
“I believe if you want to do something and you put your mind to it, you can certainly do it, because there’s so many opportunities out there whether you’re able-bodied, disabled, young or old,” said Riley. “I think it’s important to stick with what you’re passionate about, and go forward with it.”
