Although Liam Cunningham is the youngest member of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team, he is welcomed as if he were an experienced player.
Liam Cunningham was just 15 years old when he first joined the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team.
As a teenager stepping into a locker room filled with Paralympic gold medalists, it would have been understandable to feel some anxiety. However, Cunningham quickly sensed that he was a part of the team.
Now at 18, Cunningham is participating in his inaugural Paralympic Winter Games. Despite having two-and-a-half years of experience, the River Falls, Wisconsin, native remains the youngest member of the squad that is pursuing a fifth consecutive gold medal in Milan.
“It means a lot,” Cunningham remarked about being the youngest player on the team. “It doesn't really change anything though. I often get asked, ‘Is it strange? Is it uncomfortable?’ No, the team has been incredibly welcoming to me over the past couple of years. It’s fantastic to play alongside many of the players I admired growing up. Overall, it’s really cool. I love being a part of it.”
Cunningham netted his first career goal at the Paralympics on Tuesday during Team USA’s 7-1 triumph over China.
As a defenseman, Cunningham quickly demonstrated that he could compete with the best team globally.
In his debut tournament, the 2023 International Para Hockey Cup in Ostrava, Czechia, he recorded his first assist. Shortly after, at the Para Hockey Cup in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, he scored his first goal. Such performance at the age of 15 earns immediate respect.
“Now some [of my teammates] are my best friends,” Cunningham stated.
However, none of his friends have been by his side as long as Landon Uthke. Uthke, also 18, and Cunningham crossed paths nearly a decade ago while participating in the Minnesota Wild sled program. While Cunningham has two-and-a-half years of experience with the national team, Uthke made his debut at the highest level in October and has since participated in two international competitions.
Now, the two friends are making their Paralympic debuts together.
“Lando is a great friend of mine,” Cunningham expressed. “We grew up together, playing club hockey in Minnesota. We’ve been teammates since we were 7 years old. So, his inclusion in the team this year is incredibly special. It’s been amazing to compete with him at such a high level, and sharing the experience of the Games will be quite surreal.”
Another aspect of the surreal experience is the caliber of players Cunningham is skating alongside. He is competing with some of the legends of sled hockey, including U.S. captain Josh Pauls.
Cunningham noted that he and Uthke watched the 2018 gold-medal game together while they were at a club tournament. Now, eight years after Declan Farmer scored the game-winning goal in overtime to defeat Canada 2-1, the longtime friends will share the ice with Farmer at the Paralympics.
Cunningham, who celebrated his 18th birthday just two days before the March 7 U.S. opener against Italy, has made significant strides in his relatively brief sled hockey career. Like many young athletes from the Minnesota-northwestern Wisconsin border region, Cunningham had been playing hockey for several years when he was diagnosed with a degenerative bone disorder at the age of 5. Following multiple surgeries, he began playing sled hockey with the Wild program at age 7, an activity he and Uthke continue to pursue today when not engaged with the national team.
“Initially, it was just a great escape,” Cunningham reflected. “Everyone has a disability; we're all competing at a high level and can relate to one another. But now it’s so much more. I’ve formed lifelong friendships and participated in some truly significant games. Making meaningful connections and friendships along the way means everything to me in sled hockey.”
Some of Cunningham’s motivation to excel can be traced back to his hockey-playing family. He has two brothers who play at Navy and a younger half-brother involved in 10U hockey.
They maintain communication to support one another. His brothers will be among the Cunningham supporters traveling to Milan.
“It's going to mean everything, especially since my brothers are making the trip and I don't see [them] as often now,” Cunningham stated. “Hopefully, we can win and celebrate together. That would be fantastic. That’s the dream.”
As a member of the national team, Cunningham has already experienced considerable international travel. The International Para Hockey Cup takes place annually in Ostrava, and in addition to enjoying the local cuisine and sights, the team takes a day trip across the border to Poland.
Italy will be another addition to his travel experiences, and he is relishing the opportunity to be part of the Paralympic atmosphere.
“I was on a World Championship team last year, which was fantastic,” Cunningham noted, “but this is on another level, which is incredibly exciting for me, because past world events have been amazing, and now this is the next step up. I’m thrilled to experience it alongside my teammates, which will be really cool.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
