Reeve Hockey Classic to showcase Canada, U.S. sled teams

The list of winners would seem to be repetitive after a while, the same country named over and over again. Gold medals at the 2022 Beijing Paralympics, 2018 Pyeonchang Paralympics, 2014 Sochi Paralympics and 2010 Vancouver Paralympics. Gold medals at the Sled World Championships in 2019 and 2021 in Ostrava, Czech Republic, in 2023 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

But there, in 2024, was something different.

At the 2024 Sled Worlds, held in Calgary, instead of the United States coming out on top, it was Canada. It was a moment Canada captain Tyler McGregor called, “pure elation and pure joy.”

They had finally broken through, finally defeated the U.S. after a drought of seven years at the Sled Worlds, coming out on top in a rivalry that’s as fierce any out there.

Which means it’s time, the U.S. believes, for it to return to the top.

“Canada got the best of us at the 2024 World Championships, so it’s definitely rivalry back on,” U.S. forward Declan Farmer said. “I think there was a few years there where it was kind of a little one-sided and Canada was developing and rebuilding, but now it’s back on.

“I don’t want to see them celebrate. I don’t want to see them win. That’s definitely part of the motivator for our team.”

The rivalry will be revisited as a part of the festivities surrounding the 4 Nations Face-Off, with the Canada and U.S. sled hockey teams competing at the first-ever Reeve Hockey Classic on Wednesday, in an exhibition put on by the NHL at Kasabuski Rink in Saugus, Massachusetts. The 4 Nations Face-Off championship between the U.S. and Canada will be played at TD Garden in Boston on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; Disney+, ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS).

“The NHL partnership is huge, especially for one, growing the game of sled hockey and just general Paralympic awareness, but it puts a legitimate stamp on the support,” said Farmer, who compared it to what the NHL has done for the women’s game, which has been showcased at League events since 2019 and has surged in popularity, with the Professional Women’s Hockey League debuting last season. “When the NHL is sponsoring a U.S.-Canada sled series, it’s definitely going to bring some eyes on it.”

The Reeve Hockey Classic will financially support the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation’s Quality of Life Grant Program with the Reeve family participating in the ceremonial puck drop. On Tuesday, a joint private fundraiser between the NHL and the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation was held. Funds will also be raised through the NHL Foundation website.

The Quality of Life Grant Program was created by the late Dana Reeve and provides grants to nonprofits to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities; it has awarded more than $44 million to more than 3,800 projects across the U.S. since 1999, including nearly half a million dollars to support sled hockey.

The Reeves had a lifelong connection to the sport of hockey, from Christopher’s participation in it up until the 1995 equestrian accident that left him with a cervical spinal injury that paralyzed him from the neck down, to the pair’s devotion to the New York Rangers.

“It’s an important space for the NHL to be, supporting our sled hockey community,” said Rob Wooley, NHL vice president for Legislative Affairs and executive director, NHL Foundation. “And to provide a platform for those that are playing at the highest level, Team USA and Team Canada and their respective sled programs, with the backdrop of 4 Nations Face-Off happening in Boston. Then you layer on this meaningful connection with Christopher Reeve and the Reeve Foundation.

“Not only are you now setting up an experience where our fans have access to the highest level of sled hockey played in the world, but also behind that is a very meaningful cause in the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation.”

The sport of sled hockey is played at the Paralympic level by anyone with a lower-body impairment, including amputees, those with spinal cord injuries and people born without some or all of their lower limbs. The game is played on sleds, with two sticks, using the upper body and core.

“There’s a lot of nuanced skill involved,” Farmer explained. “It’s a physical sport. I think some people, when they think of adaptive sports might not think physicality and speed as some of the top descriptors, but that’s definitely what sled hockey is all about in many ways. I think just seeing it live is definitely an eye-opener for a lot of people.”

They’re hoping those eyes will be opened Wednesday.

“To be included in that, on a stage like that, is so incredibly special,” McGregor said. “It’s the two best teams in our sport and those rivalries exist in alignment with those of men’s international hockey. We’re excited to have the opportunity to showcase our sport and have the NHL’s support.”

On display will be the sport and the rivalry, the enmity that’s there between the two sides, from the recent domination by the U.S., the attempts to overtake them by Canada, the competitiveness and one-upmanship, the war of words and war on the ice.

“It’s USA and Canada in hockey in anything, whether it’s men’s, women’s, the rivalry is fierce,” said Josh Pauls, the Team USA captain since 2016 and the most decorated sled hockey player ever, with four Paralympic gold medals and six World Championships golds. “Those are games that are easy to get up for. Nobody needs a pump-up speech, nobody needs anything from the leaders on the team. It’s what you play the game for.”

No matter who wins the exhibition, they’re thrilled to be on this stage, one year out from the 2026 Milano Cortina Paralympics, thrilled to share their sport with the legions of hockey fans whose focus will be on international hockey during those two weeks, thrilled to hopefully win some converts, especially for those able to see them in person.

“I think it’s going to be phenomenal,” McGregor said. “I think it’s going to open up a lot of people’s eyes to what our sport’s all about and how special it is. I think there’s so much to look forward to. We can’t wait to get there.”