Chris’ path has been anything but ordinary and had he viewed the world from a ‘normal’ perspective, it certainly would have taken a different path. He was born with a congenital heart defect and at the age of 7, he literally died many times over. In fact. he is written up in the medical journals of the Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, for having nearly 100 cardiac arrests. in one day. He subsequently had a pacemaker permanently implanted to keep him alive.  

The following 10 years brought several more ‘incidents’ where pacemakers were broken, recalled (yes, recalled), or quit, resulting in more cardiac arrests and emergency hospital visits. By some miracle he survived, deifying all odds, and even more incredibly doing so without any residual effects.

Any medical practitioner will tell you, ONE cardiac arrest can cause brain damage and having several is almost certain to in some permanent trauma. Yet the doctors agreed, there was no damage whatsoever.

The time in and out of hospitals kept Chris from learning to skate, yet he persevered and ignored daunting circumstances. He was determined to play the game he loved...as a goaltender.

For nearly 35 years, Chris kept his condition a secret from almost everyone. He wanted no special treatment or label, he simply wanted to play hockey and live his life as a normal person.

Now, he is sharing his story with the hope of inspiring children and adults to persevere and pursue their dreams. Chris tells young athletes recovering from life threatening situations; “If the goal is big enough and the will is strong enough, we can accomplish anything you set our mind to do, don’t let fear stop you”.

After what seemed insurmountable odds, he went on to create Puckstoppers Goaltending Development, now one of the worlds longest running goalie development programs.

He has also experienced incredible success in a variety if different businesses and industries, as well as achieving the the status of #1 Bestselling Author. He regularly speaks, writes and develops programs designed to help children face adversity head on.

Chris attributes his success to the mindset that was created as a child in hospital, fighting for his life. Perseverance and the attitude “I can do anything I put my mind to” are at the forefront of his coaching and speaking engagements.

Chris has certainly not taken a normal path to his position as a professional goaltending coach, but as you can see, he has never really done anything ‘normally’.

SPEAKING

Chris regularly speaks to audiences around the world on the subject of effective coaching, keeping children in the game and the long lasting affects a coach can have on a young athlete. Audiences have been enthralled with his passionate presentation, philosophies and riveting commentary on hockey and minor sports in general.