Josh Pauls Retires from International Sled Hockey After Record-Breaking Career
Boasting five Paralympic gold medals, Josh Pauls is the most decorated sled hockey player of all time.
Following an 18-year career with the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, Pauls is retiring from international play at 33 years old.
Though he’s done playing for the U.S., he hasn’t given up the sport completely.
“I am quitting skating cold turkey,” Pauls said. “I have no desire to be a competitive skater anymore. I’ve actually started making the transition to goalie just for fun. But internationally, I am for sure done — 100%. People are still going to talk me into trying to come back in four years, because they’ll be like, ‘You’re actually not a bad goalie.’ I’m going to have to break their heart and tell them, ‘Hey, I’m not a bad goalie. But I’m still not a good goalie.’”
Pauls helped the U.S. win gold at the past five Winter Paralympic Games. He also competed in 10 world championships, capturing seven gold and three silver medals.
Even with all his success on the ice for the last two decades, Pauls didn’t grapple too much with his retirement decision.
“I had some thoughts after Beijing [in 2022] that I might have wanted to be done, but at that point it didn’t feel right,” Pauls said. “I still had that itch to compete. Now, it feels like the right time. The leadership on the team is the strongest it’s been in a long while. That gives me a little bit of confidence to know that passing it onto the next generation is going to be OK.”
Pauls, who was born without tibia bones in both legs, finished his career with the most games played (232) in the history of the U.S. National Sled program. He is third on the all-time list in points scored (204), third in assists (135) and fourth in goals (69).
Known as “Spuds” by his teammates, Pauls first joined the national team as an injury replacement at only 15 years old. He recalls barely sticking on the squad, but he was able to stick around for almost two decades.
He took over as the U.S. team captain in 2018 and wore the “C” on his jerseys at three Paralympics.
For all Pauls accomplished during his 18-year career, the accolades aren’t what sticks out to him.
“Honestly, the thing I’m most proud of is the impact I’ve had on people,” Pauls said. “A lot of people tell me this, so hopefully I’m not just tooting my horn; I want other people to succeed. It’s a privilege to be asked for advice, and I never want to let that privilege go away. Somebody’s going to trust me to ask me for my advice, and I want to give them the right time. I want to give them the proper energy they deserve, because they’re asking for a reason. To have the trust of so many people, not just on the team but in sled hockey to trust me with their development and just asking questions and being a friendly face, I think that’s what I’m the proudest of. I got to be that guy the entire time I was on the team. I never really had to change who I was as a person.”
Pauls has been dealing with some injuries the last few years, which played a factor in his decision to retire. His biggest reason for retiring though is he just doesn’t have the motivation to compete any longer.
“I love being with the guys. I love playing hockey with them. I love being out there. But the grind kind of by myself here in St. Louis, it’s not as much fun as it used to be,” Pauls said. “What else do I need to accomplish? I’m top three all time in points. I’m never passing Declan [Farmer] and Brody [Roybal], and I kind of knew that years ago. I have the most gold medals in sled hockey and anybody in ice hockey, as I can tell, at least internationally.
“The motivation’s just not there. I’m ready for a new challenge. I’m ready for a new chapter. I want to do some other stuff in my life. I’ve lived, some would say, multiple lifetimes in just my 33 years here. I’m excited to see what I get into next.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
