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Ryan Straschnitzki inspires with his positive attitude

Not everyone has the fortitude to come through a life-changing situation and emerge with a positive attitude – but that’s exactly what makes Ryan Straschnitzki this year’s Newsmaker of the Year.
Newsmaker of the year
Ryan Straschnitzki credits his positive attitude after a life-changing collision, which left him paralyzed from the waist down, to the mental toughness instilled in him by his hockey coaches and his parents.

Not everyone has the fortitude to come through a life-changing situation and emerge with a positive attitude – but that’s exactly what makes Ryan Straschnitzki this year’s Newsmaker of the Year. Despite being paralyzed from the chest down as a result of an April 6 collision involving the Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus and a semi-tractor trailer, Straschnitzki has impressed everyone around him with his refusal to allow that event to define him. “My message is that if one door closes, another opens. Throughout my hockey career, it’s happened multiple times,” he said. “This is just another example of that – it’s a little more extreme, but the same message still applies. “For me, it’s all about having that positive attitude, because with a negative attitude, you can’t go anywhere in life.” Straschnitzki credits his hockey coaches and mentors, as well as his dad, for his optimistic outlook and ability to get through this hard time. “Honestly, they’ve made me a better person because of it. That message is always in the back of my head,” he said. “I carry it with me – and the memories of all of my teammates. It’s what drives me to be positive and make an impact on the world.” Straschnitzki, 19, and the rest of his family – father Tom, mother Michelle and younger siblings Jaden, Jett and Connor – have been living at an Airdrie hotel since July, while work is being done on their home to allow Straschnitzki to live independently in a basement suite. He said he’s hoping they will be able to move back home in January or February 2019. “I’ve been keeping busy with sledge hockey and physio – it’s a process, but it’s been good,” he said. “When my friends are here, I get to hang out with them. They treat me the same – I’m the same person I was, just a little different now, in a wheelchair.” Pursuing a university or college degree might be in his future, but, for now, Straschnitzki said he’s focusing on getting stronger and healing. The collision radically changed how he sees his life unfolding. “Hockey was pretty much my life. I was focused on that and trying to get a scholarship,” he said. “Now, it’s different. I’m not sure what I want to do.” Not long after the collision, Straschnitzki said he started thinking about how he could still play the sport he loves. Sledge hockey has become an outlet, and he tries to get on the ice a few times each week. “Essentially, it’s still the same sport; it’s just different skills you have to learn,” he said. “It’s like comparing snowboarding to skiing. You’re doing the same thing, just in a different way. “Having that elite athlete background, I think I’m able to adjust better and pick up things more easily. At the same time, it’s frustrating when you can’t pick up things that should be simple. It’s a process, and if you put the time and effort in, it should turn out in your favour.” In the aftermath of the collision, Straschnitzki said he has had the opportunity to do many things he wouldn’t otherwise have had the chance to do. “I’ve travelled quite a bit. I’ve been to Ottawa, Denver and Chicago, doing multiple NHL hockey games and university hockey games and experiencing that in a different way,” he said. “It’s been pretty amazing, what they’ve been able to do for me and my family, and my teammates.” While the collision took the lives of 16 of his teammates and team officials, and injured 13 more, Straschnitzki said he’s been grateful for the support he and the other surviving Broncos players have received. “It’s been amazing, and I think my teammates would agree,” he said. “The meals we get and the people helping out with the house, wanting to support me and my family, have been amazing. I can’t thank them enough.”


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