FINDING A NEW PATH

A RARE DISEASE ROBBED MARK DEMONTIS OF HIS PRO-HOCKEY DREAMS, BUT IT GAVE HIM A NEW PURPOSE IN LIFE. THE RESULT HAS IMPACTED KIDS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA AND COULD EVENTUALLY SEE A NEW ADDITION TO THE PARALYMPICS

BY IAN KENNEDY

LIKE MANY YOUNG HOCKEY players in Canada, Mark DeMontis was a teenager with NHL dreams. At 17, he was playing AAA for the Toronto Young Nationals, working for a chance with their Jr. A program, hoping for an NCAA scholarship and then to go pro. Visiting his doctor, however, DeMontis received news that changed his life. Diagnosed with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, DeMontis was told that within months, he’d lose 95 percent of his vision. At that appointment, doctors took DeMontis’ driver’s license, but his first question took them aback. “The first thing I said was, ‘I’ve got practice tonight, can I still go?’” DeMontis said. “I was in denial. They took away all these things, but they actually didn’t take away hockey at the time. But when I tried to play…

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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, World Juniors Special 2025

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