Salt Lake City 2002 Paralympic champions join U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame

The 2002 USA Paralympic Para ice hockey team's historic achievements were celebrated at the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame’s 52nd Induction Celebration in Pittsburgh on Wednesday (4 December). The team made history as the first United States squad to win gold in the Paralympic Winter Games, on home ice in Salt Lake City. Now they became the first Para ice hockey team to join the Hall of Fame, which was established in 1973 recognizing extraordinary contributions of players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams.

Speaking on behalf of the 2002 winning squad during the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Celebration, gold medallist goaltender Many Guerra recalled the celebrations with head coach and former NHL player Rick Middleton and teammate Chris Manns on ice in Salt Lake City.

“I will never forget how you [head coach Rick Middleton] ran towards me at the end of the shootout with that smile of sheer joy as you and Chris [Manns] hugged me and piled on me. You muttered into my ear, ‘This is my Stanley Cup! This is my Stanley Cup’,” Guerra said, as highlights of the 2002 final played on the big screen, including his final save in the shootout against Norway in the gold-medal game.

“Realising you had been there three times and never won it, I burst into tears. I could not believe how you considered this accomplishment as monumental as winning the Stanley Cup itself,” Guerra added.

The Paralympic gold marked a turning point in the USA, establishing a strong foundation for the growth of Para ice hockey in the country – which will host next year’s World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-Pool in Buffalo. Since Salt Lake City 2002, Team USA has never finished outside the Paralympic podium collecting four gold medals (2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022) and one bronze (2006). 

As difficult to picture as it may seem today, the 2002 U.S. team was a considerable underdog heading into the Games. They had finished sixth out of seven teams at the Nagano 1998 Winter Paralympics and only qualified to the tournament for being the host nation – after finishing last-place at the 2000 World Championships A-Pool in the same Salt Lake City. 

A legendary team of trailblazers and history-makers.

To the 2002 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team: Welcome to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame! #USHHOF pic.twitter.com/Ds4baGhqrE

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) December 5, 2024

Team USA went undefeated in the preliminary round at the 2002 Games beating Japan (3-0), world champions Canada (5-1), defending Paralympic champions Norway (2-1), Sweden (6-0) and Estonia (6-1) to reach its first-ever Paralympic gold-medal game. In the final, United States beat Norway, 4-3 in the shootout. 

“Our disability can sometimes overshadow our athletic abilities on the ice,” Guerra said, according to USA Hockey. “Our induction into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame celebrates the Paralympics and amplifies the athleticism of our efforts on the ice. It reflects a significant shift in silent attitudes toward disability, reminding us that inclusion and representation matter. Every achievement, no matter the obstacle, deserves to be honoured.”

The 2002 Paralympic champions are only the fifth team to be inducted to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, following the 1960 and 1980 men’s Olympic squads, the 1998 women’s Olympic team, and the 1996 men’s World Cup of Hockey team.

Wednesday’s ceremony also featured other Hall of Fame inductees, three-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Cullen, Olympic gold medallist Brianna Decker, two-time Stanley Cup winner Kevin Stevens and Frederick McLaughlin, first owner of NHL team Chicago Blackhawks.  

More information can be found on the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.