Billy Bridges
Encyclopedia
Billy Bridges is a Canadian
ice sledge hockey and wheelchair basketball
player. Born in Summerside
, he has spina bifida
. On July 1, 2011, Bridges married former Olympic women's ice hockey player Sami Jo Small
.
He began playing ice sledge hockey in 1997, aged 12, for the Kitchener Sidewinders. Aged 14, he was selected for Canada's national team, the youngest player ever to be picked. He has World Championship golds from 2000 and 2008, and Paralympic gold from 2006, where he was picked for the All-Star Team.
As well as ice sledge hockey, he has a career as a wheelchair basketball player, including seven Canadian titles with Team Ontario. In 2001, he also completed at the Junior World Championships, and in 2005 was selected as the team's most valuable player (MVP).
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
ice sledge hockey and wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball
Wheelchair basketball is basketball played by people in wheelchairs and is considered one of the major disabled sports practiced. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee as the sole...
player. Born in Summerside
Summerside, Prince Edward Island
Summerside is a Canadian city in Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is the second largest city in the province and the principal municipality for the western part of the island.- History :...
, he has spina bifida
Spina bifida
Spina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
. On July 1, 2011, Bridges married former Olympic women's ice hockey player Sami Jo Small
Sami Jo Small
Sami Jo Small is a women's ice hockey player.-Hockey Canada:Small is a three time Olympian, acting as a third goaltender on the Canadian women's hockey team at Turin and Nagano.-CWHL:...
.
He began playing ice sledge hockey in 1997, aged 12, for the Kitchener Sidewinders. Aged 14, he was selected for Canada's national team, the youngest player ever to be picked. He has World Championship golds from 2000 and 2008, and Paralympic gold from 2006, where he was picked for the All-Star Team.
As well as ice sledge hockey, he has a career as a wheelchair basketball player, including seven Canadian titles with Team Ontario. In 2001, he also completed at the Junior World Championships, and in 2005 was selected as the team's most valuable player (MVP).
Honours
- 2010 Winter ParalympicsIce sledge hockey at the 2010 Winter ParalympicsThe ice sledge hockey competition of the 2010 Winter Paralympics was held at the UBC Winter Sports Centre in Vancouver, Canada, from 13 March to 20 March 2010.For the first time, women were allowed to compete in ice sledge hockey at the Paralympic Games....
- 4th place in ice sledge hockey
- 2009 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships2009 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World ChampionshipsThe 5th IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships took place in early 2009. The competition was divided into two tournaments, with Tournament B held from 15 to 21 March in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and Tournament A held from 9 to 16 May in Ostrava, the Czech Republic. A total of thirteen teams...
- Bronze
- 2008 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships2008 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World ChampionshipsThe 4th IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships was held between March 29, 2008 and April 5, 2008 in Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA. The venue were the New England Sports Center...
- Gold
- 2006 Winter Paralympics2006 Winter ParalympicsThe 2006 Winter Paralympic Games, the ninth Winter Paralympics, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy. They were also the first Paralympics to use the new paralympics logo....
- Gold in ice sledge hockey
- 2005 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships
- Silver
- 2004 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships2004 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World ChampionshipsThe 3rd IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships was held between April 13, 2004 and April 24, 2004 at Kempehallen in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Örnsköldsvik was also the host of the first Paralympic Winter Games in 1976. Participating countries: 104 athletes from eight nations Canada, Estonia,...
- 4th place
- 2002 Winter Paralympics2002 Winter ParalympicsThe 2002 Winter Paralympics, the eighth Winter Paralympics, were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, from March 7 to March 16, 2002. A total of 416 athletes from 36 nations participated....
- 4th place
- 2000 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships2000 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World ChampionshipsThe 2nd IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships was held between March 20, 2000 and March 25, 2000 at the E Center in West Valley City, Utah, USA. 2002 Winter Olympics host Salt Lake City, hosted these Championships as the first test event for the Paralympic Winter Games in 2002...
- Gold (2-1 against Norway)
Hockey Canada
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | PTS | PIM |
| 2007 | World Sledge Hockey championships | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| 2008 | World Sledge Hockey championships | 4 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| 2009 | World Sledge Hockey championships | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 |