Greg Westlake of Canada attempts a shot on South Korea's goal during their para ice hockey semi-final match at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing in March, 2022.Dita Alangkara/The Canadian Press
As with many professional athletes, five-time Paralympic hockey player Greg Westlake had grown used to the rhythm of measuring time and resetting goals in four-year increments. But for his last two Games, a different question weighed on the team’s captain of 10 years: Do I have another in me?
At first, the answer was no. Westlake announced his retirement as a para athlete after the 2022 Games in Beijing and became involved in the other part of the sport, coaching. He was both excited and nervous about what life would look like after being a player. But the itch for competition never quite disappeared.
“I didn’t want to live with regret. I remember talking to my parents as well as to my wife, and they all said, ‘Listen, if you think that this is something you might regret not going for, then you should do it.’ And really, it was that simple.” Westlake said.
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“Once I had the blessing from my loved ones to go chase my goals. It was really just about approaching Hockey Canada, asking for permission to come try it out.”
Returning after a three-year layoff meant fitness challenges – he hadn’t played since that gold medal game in 2022, but had been on the ice often in his coaching role – mental battles and believing in himself more than anyone could. What carried him through the tough moments were his teammates and his family.
“It never really gets easier, you just get better. It was harder than I thought it was going to be,” he said.
Silver medal winner Greg Westlake #12 of Team Canada after the gold medal game in Beijing.Michael Steele/Getty Images
The 2026 Winter Paralympics will be Westlake’s sixth Games and, he expects, his last. At 39, he is one of the most experienced of the 17 players on Canada’s para ice hockey team, balancing the perspective of a veteran with the urgency of someone who knows the window is closing.
“We feel good. We feel confident, and right now, it’s just fine-tuning things,” Westlake said in a Feb. 13 interview. “We’re just trying to really get our game plan in and to keep our fitness high. So we are blowing our lungs out and honestly, just excited.”
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Westlake has learned not to approach all Games the same. The experience at the 2022 Winter Paralympics, held under strict COVID-19 restrictions, was unlike any other. Athletes had a vaccination mandate, were kept separate from the public and couldn’t have guests travel to China to support them. Westlake and the Canadians captured silver there, repeating their result from Pyeongchang in 2018, while the American team defended the gold it had won in 2018.
“Each one has its own personality, its own experience,” he says. Venues change, the roster evolves, the stakes feel slightly different each time, depending on the opponent in front.
There is also a personal symmetry to Milan Cortina 2026. Westlake’s first Paralympics trip was to Torino, Italy, in 2006, where Canada won the gold medal game against Norway.
In Milan, Westlake will take part in what is likely his final Games in the country that started his Paralympic journey.Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Westlake was just 19 years old and managed to get on the scoresheet for the 3-0 historic victory, which was the first and only time Canada won gold in Para hockey, after the sport came into the Games in 1994. Now he returns to Italy, hoping to achieve the same goal.
His expectations are straightforward. “I’m going to go and I’m just going to skate as hard as I possibly can for five straight games and I’m going to walk away from Italy knowing that I gave it absolutely everything I have. If I’m able to go out there and just leave it all out there – and I think every guy on our team has that mentality and that attitude – success will follow.”
Both the Canadian men’s and women’s hockey teams made it to the gold medal game this past month at the Olympics against the U.S., but neither came out victorious. Westlake hopes the nation can still tune in to the hockey show at the Paralympics.
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“I hope Canadians rally behind us and don’t get that Olympic hangover, and keep their pride going,” he said.
It’s not just for fans to be fans, but also to inspire future Paralympians.
“It’s changed my life. And it has the power and the opportunity to change a lot of people’s lives,” Westlake said.
“I wanted to be the first double-leg amputee in the NHL, and as I got older, I realized that that’s probably not a realistic expectation. When I was in my teens and found the game of para hockey, there was this whole other world in front of me.”
Westlake’s time on the Canadian para hockey coaching staff broadened his perspective on the sport. Not only did it allow him to build relationships with players he hadn’t previously competed alongside, but it also aided him in understanding the importance of the program.
Canada's Zach Lavin, right, and Greg Westlake prepare for their para ice hockey semi-final match against South Korea in March, 2022.Dita Alangkara/The Canadian Press
More than anything, it portrayed the importance of having former para athletes involved in coaching. Though opportunities are there and improving, Westlake is clear-eyed about what that requires.
“We have to do our part as former athletes and put in the work, because there are a lot of great coaches and managers out there with degrees, qualifications and years of experience,” Westlake emphasized.
“You can’t assume you deserve a job just because you played. That same level of work that you put into your training to get better every day, it still applies to jobs outside of being an athlete.”
Off the ice, Westlake’s life is anchored in family, who will be with him for these Games. He recently moved from Oakville Ont., where he grew up playing minor hockey, to nearby Burlington Ont. with his wife and children. Golfing in the summer, unwinding on the road with movies in hotel rooms between games is part of recovery.
In Milan, taking part in what is likely his final Games in the country that started his Paralympic journey, the focus is narrow for Westlake.
“I just want to walk away knowing I gave absolutely everything I had,” he said. “That’s it.”