Kieran Block Explained

Kieran Block
Birth Date:	1985 6, mf=y
Birth Place:	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Headercolor:	lightsteelblue
Show-Medals:	yes

Kieran T. Block (born June 14, 1985) is a Canadian ice hockey and ice sledge hockey player. Most notably, he has won championships with the Medicine Hat Tigers (2004) and Canada men's national ice sledge hockey team (2013).^[1] As of 2019, Block coaches the EASA Storm. A graduate of the University of Alberta, Block now works as a teacher^[2] and motivational speaker.^[3] His autobiography, The Ups and Downs of Almost Dying, was released in August 2017 on the 10th anniversary of the cliff-jumping accident that nearly killed him.^{[4] [5]}

Hockey career

Block played in the Western Hockey League from 2001 to 2006. Following a single season with the Vancouver Giants, Block was traded to the Medicine Hat Tigers where he remained for four seasons, winning the league championship in 2004. Block then played a season with the Alberta Golden Bears (2007). In the summer before his second season, he was severely injured in an accident that left him unable to compete. In the summer of 2009, Block was introduced to sledge hockey by his friend Matt Cook and went on to join the national team in 2011, where he competed for two seasons.^[6] Block left the team at the beginning of his third season, shortly after winning gold at the 2013 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships. He rejoined the team for one more season the following year, winning silver at the 2015 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships. Block returned to competitive stand-up shortly thereafter, and now plays for the Stony Plain Eagles.^[7]

Accident and recovery

On August 6, 2007, Block was injured in a cliff-jumping accident in Jasper National Park. He broke bones in both legs, an ankle, and a heel, and since then has only been able to walk unassisted with limited mobility.^[8]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Block, Kieran . ipc.infostradasports.com . February 14, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150214060638/http://ipc.infostradasports.com/asp/lib/theasp.asp?pageid=8937&sportid=565&personid=1097092&refreshauto=1 . February 14, 2015. live.
2. Web site: ATA members . teachers.ab.ca . 2015-02-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150214061856/http://www.teachers.ab.ca/Publications/ATA%20News/Volume%2049%202014-15/Number-2/Pages/ATA-members.aspx . 2015-02-14 . live.
3. Web site: Kieran Block - Sledge Hockey - Motivate Canada . 2017-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170915023059/http://www.motivatecanada.ca/en/athletes-esteem/esteem-team-athletes-esteem-roster/72-alberta/2098-kieran-block . 2017-09-15 . live.
4. Web site: Hockey player's battle after serious accident | Watch News Videos Online . 2017-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170915024456/http://globalnews.ca/video/3725612/hockey-players-battle-after-serious-accident . 2017-09-15 . live.
5. Web site: The Ups and Downs of Almost Dying — About the book . 2017-09-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170915023412/http://theupsanddownsofalmostdying.bigcartel.com/about-the-book . 2017-09-15 . live.
6. Web site: Former Tiger Kieran Block Back on the Ice . tigershockey.com . 2015-02-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150214060649/http://www.tigershockey.com/article/former-tiger-kieran-block-back-on-the-ice . 2015-02-14 . live.
7. Web site: Long road back to hockey: Kieran Block returns a decade after horrific accident shattered his legs | Edmonton Journal . 2019-01-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170915023651/http://edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/road-back-to-hockey-kieran-block-returns-a-decade-after-horrific-accident-shattered-his-legs . 2017-09-15 . live.
8. Web site: Former WHL Player Set to Represent Canada at Sledge Hockey World Championship . hockeycanada.ca . 2015-02-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150214060912/http://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/2012-sld-001-en . 2015-02-14 . live.