Kieran T. Block (born June 14, 1985) is a Canadian ice hockey and ice sledge hockey player. Most notably, he has won championships with the

Medicine Hat Tigers The Medicine Hat Tigers are a junior ice hockey team in the Western Hockey League (WHL) who play in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Established in 1970, the team has won two national Memorial Cups, five WHL League Championships and seven Divis ...

(2004) and Canada men's national ice sledge hockey team (2013). As of 2019, Block coaches the EASA Storm. A graduate of the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexander Cameron Rutherfor ...

, Block now works as a teacher and motivational speaker. His autobiography, ''The Ups and Downs of Almost Dying'', was released in August 2017 on the 10th anniversary of the cliff-jumping accident that nearly killed him.

Hockey career

Block played in the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior h ...

from 2001 to 2006. Following a single season with the

Vancouver Giants The Vancouver Giants are a major junior ice hockey team playing in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Inaugurated in 2001–02, the Giants have won one President's Cup (now known as the Ed Chynoweth Cup) in 2006 and one Memorial Cup in 2007 in t ...

, Block was traded to the

where he remained for four seasons, winning the league championship in 2004. Block then played a season with the

Alberta Golden Bears The Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas are the sports teams that represent the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Alberta athletics teams have won a total of 93 national championships, including 79 U Sports sanctioned sports, making ...

(2007). In the summer before his second season, he was severely injured in an accident that left him unable to compete. In the summer of 2009, Block was introduced to sledge hockey by his friend Matt Cook and went on to join the national team in 2011, where he competed for two seasons. Block left the team at the beginning of his third season, shortly after winning gold at the

2013 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships The 2013 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships was the seventh IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships that took place in the SPART Complex in Goyang, South Korea from 12 to 20 April 2013. It was the first time that South Korea hosted the ...

. He rejoined the team for one more season the following year, winning silver at the

2015 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships The 2015 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships for A-Pool teams (Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, United States) was held at HarborCenter in Buffalo, New York, United States, from April 26 through May 3, 2015. ...

. Block returned to competitive stand-up shortly thereafter, and now plays for the Stony Plain Eagles.

Accident and recovery

On August 6, 2007, Block was injured in a cliff-jumping accident in

Jasper National Park Jasper National Park is a national park in Alberta, Canada. It is the largest national park within Alberta's Rocky Mountains spanning . It was established as a national park in 1930 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. Its locatio ...

. He broke bones in both legs, an ankle, and a heel, and since then has only been able to walk unassisted with limited mobility.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Block, Kieran 1985 births Living people Canadian sledge hockey players Sportspeople from Edmonton