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Travis Roy Inspirational Story



Roy attended Yarmouth High School as a freshman, then transferred to nearby North Yarmouth Academy in order to pursue an athletic scholarship. Roy transferred again and graduated from Tabor Academy and received an ice hockey scholarship to Boston University.

On October 20, 1995 — just eleven seconds into his first-ever shift for Boston University men’s ice hockey team — a 20-year-old Roy slid head-first into the boards after University of North Dakota player Mitch Vig avoided Roy’s check. The awkward impact with the boards resulted in Roy cracking his fourth and fifth vertebra and leaving him a paraplegic.

34 Comments

  1. Beautiful.
    He came as an angel and left the same way!
    Rest in peace. You were a hero to so so many people.

  2. Here because of Bill Burr. Really glad he talked about this. Thanks, Ol’ Red, you big softy. An amazing story, and I hope he rests in the utmost peace.

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  4. I had never heard of him until hearing about his death, but it sounds like he managed to make a good life out of a bad situation. “Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away. To a home on God’s celestial shores I’ll fly away. I’ll fly away, oh glory, I’ll fly away. When I die, Hallelujah by and by. I’ll fly away.” Fly away and skate and play hockey again, now that you are free and able to do what you were denied the opportunity to.

  5. Sad story. My question is, why doesn’t this type of thing happen more frequently , given the nature of Hockey?!’ Seems like dangerous sport

  6. No reporter worth his or her salt has ever asked Roy's father quote "was it worth it?" Unquote

    In other words, was playing hockey – – and the obsession with it – worth what happened.

    It's a tough question – but someone needs to ask it.

    So far all I see are these obsequious tributes to Travis Roy and blah blah blah.

    No one apparently wants to get down to the nitty gritty and ask the real difficult questions.

    The truth is Travis Roy's father had a hocky obsession after having played hockey up through college – but never made the professional leagues.

    So he lived vicariously through his son – and tried to put his son on the ice

    So again, the question is, was it worth it.

  7. The continued reference of the media to the "first shift of his first game" is just a waste of time.

    It was 11 seconds into his first game. Period.

    The whole thing about first shift means nothing to anybody. Meaningless. Just a waste of time to try to sound impressive.

  8. "I went to block and I just didn't hit him as square I should," Roy said.

    He sounds nonchalant but in fact this was due to inexperience – and nobody's ever had the balls to talk about what Travis Roy did wrong, which was he threw a bad block because he was not as experienced as he thought he was.

  9. My father and grandfather were at the game where he was injured. They said you could hear a pin drop in the place, it was so quiet. The man is a true inspiration even after his passing.

  10. he came to our school when i was in 8th grade to tell his story. crazy to think that he's gone now. rest in peace.

  11. i really don't do hockey or any other sports but did he purposely try to hit the #7 with his elbow?

  12. He came to my school when I was much younger and I did not realize he passed. Rest east Travis and thank you for everything you’ve done in the world.

  13. First heard of his story a month after his accident in a well written Sports Illustrated article. I was both moved, saddened, and a bit terrified by it. At the time it was unknown if he’d live long at all. To look back now, what he did accomplish in the following 25 years of his life may have been as inspiring as anything he could have done on a rink. RIP Travis.

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