Versus Recognizes Roy

If you were watching the Bruins-Capitals pregame show on Versus tonight, you saw the documentary special on Boston University alum Travis Roy. And if you saw that documentary -- even if it was the hundredth time you've seen it -- it almost assuredly sent those chills down your spine.

To make a 20-year long childhood story into a very short description, Travis Roy worked his entire life to achieve his goal of playing college hockey. He stepped onto the ice for his first Boston University hockey game on October 20th, 1995. It was a special night for Roy, as the Terriers raised the banner from their previous season's national championship. Before two minutes had passed, BU coach Jack Parker gave him his first collegiate shift. Eleven seconds later, his world shifted upside down.

Roy went head-first into the boards. He crushed his fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. If you're not an anatomy specialist, the destruction of those vertebrae virtually always makes the victim a quadriplegic for life. When Roy's father walked out onto the ice and told his son to get up, the emotion of the situation became overwhelming for both of them. Travis never stayed down. He would never stay down. Unless he couldn't get up.


And so began the journey that hits its 15th anniversary tomorrow night. Since that winter New England evening, Roy has made leaps and bounds toward accomplishing his several goals -- all looking much different than before. Goals of leading the Terriers in points, winning a national championship, and making the National Hockey League quickly changed to the types of goals we take for granted in our lives. Regaining movement in his hands. Making an impact in society. Keeping his friends and family close. Going through each day in a positive manner. It's pretty tough for any of us to actually imagine what those tasks are like when you're bottled up in a paralyzed body that you never, ever imagined you'd be left with.

That's what makes his story so special. Under the circumstances, the easiest decision, far and away, would be to give up. To let the adversity overtake you. Submit yourself to fate. That's what separates Travis Roy. He's a competitor in every sense of the word. He has relentlessly fought to win the cards he's been dealt. He started the Travis Roy Foundation, he's a motivational speaker, and he's a published author. He has regained movement in his hand and he has reassumed a meaningful part in the lives of his family and friends. He's come all this way, and it's all due to his perseverance. There are endless lessons that we can learn from his story. If there were one message he'd want to deliver, however, it would probably be something along the lines of never giving up and taking nothing for granted.