OTTAWA – Greg Westlake won’t spill the beans on his future.
But the 31-year-old captain of Canada’s Para ice hockey team is seriously contemplating what’s next. He has competed at four Paralympic Winter Games and placed first (2006), second (2018), third (2014) and fourth (2010).
‘’There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about whether I’ll be back with Team Canada,’’ said Westlake, also a three-time world champion. “I would like to play at two more Games but I’m also in my early 30’s, I’m thinking about life, I’m thinking about a house, a professional career.’’
Westlake’s stats in his 14-year national team career are amazing. He has played in 211 games earning 166 goals and 174 assists for 340 points. That places him second all time on Team Canada behind Billy Bridges at 373. He is Canada’s third all-time leading Paralympic Games scorer with 18 points.
‘’I’ve won, I’ve lost and literally been through all the ups and downs of the sport,’’ he said. ‘’I would love to do another one to see where we end up. It’s super fun.’’
There’s no doubt Westlake’s leadership and his on-ice skills would be sorely missed if he decided to store the sled. However he does feel the Canadian Para ice hockey program reached new heights over the last couple of the years which is leaving several nations struggling to catch Canada and the Americans.
‘’We earned that right,’’ he said. ‘’Every guy on our team dedicated the last four years to really make that rise. We’ve shown you have to put in the time if you want to contend for the gold . You have to live that high performance lifestyle.”
It is clear the competitive athletic side of Westlake is ever-present. Months later, he stews about the defeat to the Americans in the PyeongChang gold medal game.
‘’I’m very much an athlete. I’m still not over that last loss.’’
