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Joe Howard
- 2002 Paralympic gold medalist and 1998 Paralympian in sled hockey
- MVP of the 2002 Paralympic gold-medal game against Norway
- Set a Paralympic record by scoring six goals in one game during 1998 Paralympic Winter Games
- Silver medalist at 2004 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships
- 2002 Paralympic Winter Games All-Star First Team selection
- Began playing hockey at the age of four
- Lost his legs when he was 15 after he was hit by a train
- After the accident, he participated in skiing and wheelchair basketball before he was introduced to sled hockey in 1996
- Member of the 2002 U.S. Sled Hockey Team that won the U.S. Paralympic Spirit Award
- The 2002 gold medal he won fulfilled a promise he made to his mother couldn't watch him because she was battling cancer.
- Presented his girlfriend of five years with a gold ring on the center of the ice following the team's victory over Estonia
- Enjoys spending tiem with his rottweiller, Leilani Kai
“I’m no pioneer in this sport — it was around 10 years before I started playing,” he said. “But when our season ends, I work with kids on teams that are under 16 [years old]. That’s my biggest thrill. I’m there for that ice time because I see what they get out of it. I’ll be driving home after their practices, and I’ll just feel overwhelmed emotionally, because of what it means to me.” -www.usahockeymagazine.com
On the hardest part about losing his legs: “I missed hockey more than walking, more than anything else,” Howard said. “I never thought about playing again — I thought it wasn’t possible.” -www.usahockeymagazine.com
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Height: 5'9"
Born: 22-May-66
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.
Resides: Kingston, Mass.
Sport: Sled Hockey
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