38 Dan McCoy, Gold Medal-Winning Paralympic Hockey Stud

Dan McCoy was born with Spina Bifida, a birth defect caused by the incomplete formation of vertebrae, and hydrocephalus, a medical condition in which there is an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the brain. He’s never let those conditions stop him from becoming an athlete, though, as he started playing sled hockey at age five and even served as goalie for his high school’s junior varsity lacrosse team for a season.   He helped Team USA earn a Gold Medal at the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. As a member of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, he has played in three International Paralympic Committee Ice Sled Hockey World Championships (gold – 2012, 2015; silver – 2013) and six World Sled Hockey Challenge tournaments.   Dan McCoy’s sled hockey career began with the Pittsburgh Penguins Sled Hockey Team in 1999 and continues to play with that same team today. He made his first U.S. National Developmental Sled Hockey Team in 2008. Following an outstanding 2010-11 debut with the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team in which he was tied for the lead among Team USA rookies with eight points (5-3) in 13 games, McCoy was named 2011 Rookie of the Year.   McCoy is currently a student at the University of Pittsburgh, where he is pursuing a degree in Communications and Sports Medicine.   Dan’s Challenge; Do something to jumpstart your heart rate every day.   Articles Team USA profile Pittsburgh Tribune Live   Connect with Dan Twitter Instagram