Matthew Cook (November 10, 1987 – April 4, 2010) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

ice sledge hockey Sledge hockey, also known as Sled hockey in American English, and Para ice hockey in international competition, is an adaptation of ice hockey for players who have a physical disability. The sport was invented in the early 1960s at a rehabilitat ...

player. Before the age of 18, Cook played

Junior A Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...

for the

Bonnyville Pontiacs The Bonnyville Pontiacs are a Junior A ice hockey team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. They play in Bonnyville, Alberta, Canada at the R. J. Lalonde Arena. History The Bonnyville Pontiacs entered the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) a ...

of the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He had his leg amputated below the knee in 2006, at the age of 18, after unsuccessful chemotherapy when doctors discovered

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on his left leg. Cook began playing ice sledge hockey in 2007, at a Team Alberta Summer development camp. Cook was a member of the

Canada men's national ice sledge hockey team The Canada national ice sledge hockey team is the men's team representing Canada at international competition. The team has been overseen since 2003 by Hockey Canada, a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. From 1993 until 2003, the ...

, first making the team in September 2008. He won bronze with them in the 2009 World Championships. He was expected to participate in the

2010 Paralympic Winter Games ) , nations = 44 , athletes = 506 , events = 64 in 5 sports , opening = 12 March , closing = 21 March , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Zach Beaumont , stadium = BC Place , winter_pr ...

in Vancouver, but the cancer returned in the summer of 2009, and after surgery, and recovery, the bone cancer returned again, and he died on April 4, 2010.

References

External links

Matthew Cook player profile
at the Canadian Paralympic Committee 1987 births 2010 deaths Canadian sledge hockey players Deaths from cancer in Alberta Deaths from bone cancer Sportspeople from Edmonton {{Canada-wintersport-bio-stub