Hockey continues to be inspiration for U.S. Paralympian after cancer

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hockey Fights Cancer, the NHL will be sharing stories of those in the hockey world impacted by the disease on the 25th of each month all year long, except for Dec. 25. Today, the story of United States Paralympic sled hockey player Noah Grove. 

Noah Grove doesn't think he was chosen for a higher purpose. The 24-year-old United States Paralympian has lived day by day since he was 5 years old, when his parents, Chris and Rachael, made a fateful choice that gave him a new lease on life.

Shortly before the 2022 Beijing Paralympics, Grove and his sled hockey teammates were asked to share a story about who they were playing for. He recalled his diagnosis of osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in his left leg shortly before his fifth birthday and having the leg amputated not long after turning 5.

At the hospital, he noticed a couple of kids around his age being evaluated for similar cancers and remembered the gut-wrenching moment Chris and Rachael took a leap of faith while other parents decided against amputation for their children.

Grove said those who didn't get their legs amputated eventually died.

"All of them had the option to amputate and they didn't," Grove said, "and none of them are living today.

"That will always be something I think about when I take ice or wake up in the morning. Let's just appreciate the moments as they come. Don't take anything for granted because tomorrow isn't guaranteed."

Grove is a cancer survivor. He grew into a hockey player, a forward turned defenseman, two-time Paralympic gold medalist (2022; 2018 in PyeongChang) and three-time winner of the Para Sled Hockey World Championship (2019, 2021, 2023). He was named player of the game in Team USA's 3-1 preliminary round win over Canada in Ostrava in 2019. He has skated in four para hockey cups helping Team USA win five championships (2016-19, 2022).

His dream job was to become an orthopedic oncologist. Then he attended the University of New Hampshire and transferred to Towson University, earning a degree in family human services in the spring, and is preparing to take the LSAT in January.

"I feel like I want to make a difference in the community," Grove said. "And I think that law school might be the way to go for me."

The week before Thanksgiving, Grove spent more time in Wesley Chapel, Florida, a Tampa suburb where he gathered with friends and family during the 13th annual USA Hockey Sled Classic presented by the NHL and hosted by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He had five points (one goal, four assists) in the round-robin tournament playing for a team representing the Boston Bruins, one that included Team USA teammates Griffin LaMarre, David Eustace and Evan Nichols, and also friends and teammates from his Club team the Northeast Passage Wildcats.  

Noah's team went 1-2-0 and were denied a third consecutive Tier 1 championship at the annual tournament following an 8-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche's team – a team loaded with USA Development team, Team USA athletes, and teammates of Noah's, including Team USA veteran goalie Jen Lee and offensive standouts Declan Farmer (17 goals in the tournament) and Malik Jones (15 goals).

Once home in Denver, where Grove relocated in September, the Frederick, Maryland, native will continue to advocate for Hockey Fights Cancer as part of the campaign's 25th anniversary. Different this season for the NHL and NHL Players' Association joint initiative is their work with the V Foundation for Cancer Research to increase fundraising pace and awareness extending beyond Nov. 30.

The V Foundation has funded more than $310 million in cancer research grants throughout North America. Hockey Fights Cancer has raised more than $32 million while touching lives like Grove's and other cancer survivors. One is Billy Hanning, a retired defenseman and Grove's roommate in Pyeongchang at the 2018 Paralympics – Noah's first. Another is former teammate and sled hockey legend, USA Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee (2022) and retired Team USA goalie Steve Cash, a four-time Paralympian medalist, winning three gold medals (2010, 2014 and 2018) and one bronze (2006).

Hanning lost his right leg at age 18. He learned about sled hockey watching Cash, a goalie whose right leg was amputated when he was 3, and how he earned his "Money" moniker by stopping all 33 shots in five games to help the United States win gold at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics. Their common thread is knowing it takes a village in pediatric cancer treatment. Without a support system, it could break you.

"I don't know that I could ever fully understand it because I don't have a physical disability, so we haven't gone through something like they have," United States National Sled Hockey Team coach David Hoff said. "But these are people who have been dealt those cards and they, for whatever reason, they've accepted that situation and they basically [go] with it."

Sports is helping Grove stay unbreakable. He first tried sled hockey at age 11 through the Bennett Blazers program in Baltimore and at 15 started playing standing amputee soccer, playing for the United States at the 2014 Amputee World Cup of Soccer. On the road to Beijing, teammate Kevin McKee suggested Grove switch from forward to defenseman to better play to his strengths moving the puck and creating offense.

The timing was right for a roster in transition. Grove had one assist in four games and the United States defeated Canada 5-0 to win gold. Hoff, a math teacher at Rolette High School (North Dakota) after 31 years at Bottineau High, was named 2022 Paralympic Coach of the Year.

"I remind myself all the time, this is absolutely not about me," Hoff said. "There's a bigger thing here and I think we talked about that as a team. I hope they're not judged on how many games we actually won, but on a higher standard just in terms of how they've represented USA Hockey in general, how they've represented the community of people with disabilities. That's a bigger game than probably the one that a lot of people watch on TV."

Grove is often approached by parents who read his story and are going through the same thing with their son or daughter, sometimes feeling lost. They've left with a lot more hope and no longer feeling alone. Yet Grove insists he doesn't have some greater calling. He's living after one decision saved his life while fighting the good fight.

Just like Hockey Fights Cancer.

"To be able to hear that or to share this story with other people who are in the dark," Grove said, "and have never been in a situation like this before, it gives them a lot of confidence that they can fight through it and reach the outcome that they desire."