Sudbury's Amanda Provan caps stellar season with blind hockey title
Canada beating up the U.S.A. in hockey is always a treat.
Article content
And for Amanda Provan of Sudbury, that was only part of an amazing experience at the 2025 International Blind Ice Hockey Series in Montreal, April 25-27.
Article content
'Honestly, just being with the team, the whole thing. It's a great group of guys. It's more of a family than anything. Just being there, and being in that moment, and obviously winning and getting the cup and medals is a cool experience, too,' she says.
Article content
Article content
'I think for me one of the most humbling experiences is the national anthems (before) the first game. It makes me a little emotional to be standing up there, knowing you're representing your country. It's an incredible community.'
Article content
Article content
The Canadian National Blind Hockey Team won its sixth consecutive head-to-head series with the U.S. Blind Hockey team, which put up a great battle in the best-of-three series.
Article content
Provan, 30, is the first and only woman on the Canadian team. She had two assists in the tournament. In fact, all skaters tallied at least a point. The Canadian goalies allowed three goals in the three games — including a shutout in the final contest.
Article content
'I find that first game, it takes me a little bit to settle in, and I hadn't been on the ice in a little bit. It was just getting comfortable and finding my stride.'
Article content
Article content
Blind hockey athletes are blind or partially sighted. The puck is adapted. Larger than the traditional puck, it also makes noise, thanks to bearings insdie. Players wear contrasting jerseys. All games are available to watch on Canadian Blind Hockey's YouTube channel.
Article content
At international-level players must be classified under the same system used in the Paralympics and have 10 per cent vision or less, according to Blind Hockey Canada.
Article content
Provan feels a lot of responsibility as the only woman on the team.
Article content
'To be a good role model for the younger girls is a lot of pressure, but it's also a really cool experience, because anything I'm doing for the first time is a first for women in blind hockey,' she says.
Article content
'The guys are all really supportive and just really great. There's not much of a barrier or anything. It's hockey. If I want to play at the highest level, I have to play with them and I have to compete. I'm OK doing that. I enjoy it.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
41 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Unbeaten Canadian lightweight (Prince) Lucas Bahdi one win away from WBA title fight
Unbeaten Canadian (Prince) Lucas Bahdi will meet former world champion Roger (The Kid) Gutierrez in a 12-round WBA lightweight title elimination bout on Aug. 23 in Orlando, Fla. The winner will become the mandatory challenger for WBA 135-pound champion Gervonta (Tank) Davis. The contest at the Caribe Royale Resort is the first of Bahdi's newly signed multi-fight contract extension with Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions. Bahdi (19-0-0 with 15 knockouts) is currently ranked fifth among lightweight contenders by the WBA, sixth by the IBF, 12th by the WBC and 14th by the WBO. Gutierrez (29-6-1 with 22 knockouts) is ranked ninth by the WBA. The 30-year-old Venezuelan, who has won his last two fights after losing two straight, won the WBA super-featherweight title in 2021, losing his crown 19 months later. Bahdi made his pro debut in 2019, winning his first 11 fights by knockout. The 31-year-old from Niagara Falls, Ont., recorded unanimous decision wins over Mexico's Diego Fabian Eligio and Diego Andrade Chavez in 2022 before resuming his knockout streak. In May 2023, Bahdi defeated Mexican Jesus Amparan to claim the IBF North American lightweight title. He then turned heads in July 2024 with a highlight-reel KO of American Ashton (H2O) Sylve. Bahdi won a unanimous decision over Filipino southpaw Ryan James Racaza last time out in March in Toronto. Bahdi played hockey and soccer growing up, but things changed after he walked into a boxing gym at 14. He got serious about the sport at 16, shedding the other sports. He fought as an amateur from 2009 to 2019 and was an Olympic alternate in 2016. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025
Edmonton Journal
4 hours ago
- Edmonton Journal
Banned Canada coach explains move to New Zealand: 'I didn't feel safe'
Article content WELLINGTPN — Former Canada women's football coach Bev Priestman said Wednesday she 'didn't feel safe' living in North America following her one-year ban for spying at the Paris Olympics. Article content Wellington Phoenix announced Wednesday that Priestman would take over as head coach of its women's team, returning to football in the country she was banned for spying on with a drone, New Zealand. She has signed a two-year contract. Article content Article content The 39-year-old was visibly emotional as she discussed her suspension, and how nervous she is to be returning to the sport. Article content Article content 'Obviously it was an absolute media frenzy. You've got people knocking at your door and everything, and I've got a little boy. Article content 'Without going into too much detail, it was very difficult. We knew we had to get out of that country.' Article content Governing body FIFA banned Priestman for one year after her coaching team used a drone to snoop on New Zealand before they played at the Paris games. Article content New Zealand had spotted drones flying over their training sessions before their opening match and reported it to officials. Article content An investigation found the Canadian team had been spying on rival training sessions for some time. Article content Article content Priestman said she is prevented from speaking about the situation in detail, due to ongoing legal discussions. Article content But on her return to New Zealand she said she had talked to players and officials. Article content She said the move to Wellington was an opportunity to 'reset' her career, and rebuild. Article content On Tuesday night, hours after her ban was lifted, she ran her first coaching session in more than a year. Article content 'I celebrated last night coaching the under-7s, my son's team, in the pouring Wellington rain,' Priestman said. Article content 'That was a nice, humbling experience. They got all the energy from me in that moment because I've just been itching to do that.' Article content Priestman won the Olympic gold with Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and is the best credentialed coach to come to the women's A League. Article content She said she had learned from her ban, and her experience with Canada, and would be a better coach for it.
Toronto Star
6 hours ago
- Toronto Star
As a female defence lawyer, I'm not betraying women when I represent clients accused of sexual crimes
The recent Hockey Canada trial, which ended last Thursday when five former Canadian junior players — some of whom were represented in court by female defence lawyers — were found not guilty of sexual assault, has prompted renewed conversations about how our justice system handles these complicated cases. Those conversations are important and ongoing, but they've led some commentators to wonder skeptically why female defence lawyers would choose to represent clients accused of sexual offences against women in the first place, as Star columnist Heather Mallick did last week.
