Gregory Westlake was born in Oakville, ON and at eighteen months of age, he had both legs amputated due to a congenital birth defect. That didn’t stop him from playing hockey, a game he has loved since learning to skate when he was three years old. Westlake didn’t know he was different, so he did what everyone else was doing. At age six, he made a public service announcement for The War Amps, and is still close to the organization (War Amps provides support and services to all Canadian amputees). Westlake, along with his mom Deborah, became the first Paralympian profiled in P&G’s “Thank You, Mom” Campaign.
Westlake was good at road, roller and ice hockey, but wanted to find a sport he could excel at. He began playing sledge hockey at 15 years old for the Mississauga Cruisers in 2001. In 2003, he made his debut with the Canadian National Team. Westlake has been a major force on the team since then. He has played in five IPC World Championships and two Paralympic Games. He was named captain of the Canadian Ice Sledge Hockey team prior to the start of the 2010/11 season, and was named the Best Forward in the A Pool at the 2013 IPC World Championships. The team defeated the USA to win a gold medal.
In over ten years of playing, Westlake has accumulated many medals within both IPC and the Paralympics. In the IPC Championships in 2009 the team was awarded Bronze, in 2008, Gold was won, with Westlake scoring the winning goal with 8 seconds left in the game. In 2004 the team finished fourth. In the 2006 Winter Paralympics, the team won Gold, and in 2014, Bronze. A disappointing 4th finish in 2010 at Vancouver was taken in stride as the team played on home ice and introduced many more Canadians to the game. However, Westlake helped the team bring home a Bronze from Sochi in 2014.
Westlake is also the driver of the Avos Arrow, a one-of-a-kind arm propelled trike. It was built for the purpose of attaining astonishingly fast speeds. Using just his arms, Westlake was able to get the bike to a world record speed of 45.68 mph.
Westlake, an avid golfer, provides an excellent leadership presence both on and off the ice. He is an ambassador for the sport, and is pleased that people know what sledge hockey is, and have a healthy respect for the game. They understand the athleticism it takes to play the game. Westlake takes pride in helping to push forward a sport that is really still in its formative years. He participates in “Soldier On”, a program for soldiers injured or who became ill while serving in the Canadian Forces. Westlake also loves working with child amputees.