Published Mar 14, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 5\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n The Vietnam War ignited a disability rights revolution that blazed across North America.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Edmonton Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Edmonton Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Veterans stormed back demanding access and equality, forever reshaping history. Today, we witness that same fierce determination fuelling the explosive USA-Canada para ice hockey rivalry.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Recommended Videos<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Can you imagine Sunday\u2019s gold-medal showdown existing without their initial fight?<\/p>\n Before the 1960s, society trapped disability in a \u201cmedical model\u201d \u2014 something to fix or hide away.<\/p>\n The Vietnam War shattered this thinking completely.<\/p>\n Unlike civilians who faced crushing stigma, veterans rolled home as national heroes.<\/p>\n Picture this: when a decorated veteran in a wheelchair couldn\u2019t enter a library or secure employment because of stairs, public outrage erupted like wildfire.<\/p>\n These battle-hardened veterans returned disillusioned but armed with protest tactics that could move mountains. They joined forces with existing firebrands like Ed Roberts and the revolutionary \u201cRolling Quads\u201d at UC Berkeley, demanding nothing less than \u201cIndependent Living.\u201d<\/p>\n Edmonton Sun Headline News<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n TAIT: Canada advances to gold medal game after tight victory over China in Paralympic hockey<\/p>\n <\/a> TAIT: Edmonton Paralympian prepares for hockey playoff round in Milano Cortina<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Canadian activists in the 1970s watched these events unfold with burning intensity.<\/p>\n Leaders like Henry Enns and the Council of Canadians with Disabilities (COPOH) witnessed the American Section 504 protests and the rise of independent living centres.<\/p>\n Canadians saw the bold sit-ins and the audacity of demanding a seat at the table down south \u2014 and they decided to bring that same energy north.<\/p>\n By 1980, the first Canadian Center for Independent Living burst open in Kitchener, Ont., modelled directly after Berkeley\u2019s groundbreaking approach.<\/p>\n A seismic shift rocked the movement during the 1980 Rehabilitation International world congress in Winnipeg. The leadership? Mostly rehabilitation professionals and charity heads were calling the shots. When they refused to give disabled attendees a vote, activists broke away and formed Disabled Peoples\u2019 International.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n This global movement planted its headquarters right here in Canada, powered by that radical \u201crights-not-charity\u201d fire that sparked with Vietnam-era activism.<\/p>\n By the late 1960s, Vietnam veterans had unleashed a competitive inferno that transformed wheelchair sports forever.<\/p>\n They scrapped heavy hospital chairs and engineered lightning-fast models in their garages, pioneering the modern basketball chair.<\/p>\n This explosive era aligned perfectly with the broader disability rights movement.<\/p>\n Veterans stormed gyms and courts, demanding access and sparking national conversations on accessibility. Their warrior-athlete image demolished stereotypes, replacing the \u201cinvalid\u201d label with one of pure strength, resilience, and athleticism.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the sidelines became a distant memory in 1960s Canada.<\/p>\n Hard-charging pioneers like Doug Mowat and the late Gary McPherson of Edmonton stopped asking for permission and started demanding court time.<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n What began as rehabilitation for veterans evolved into fierce, sanctioned competition. These weren\u2019t feel-good stories \u2014 these were serious athletes in chrome chairs chasing national and international glory.<\/p>\n By the time the 1967 Pan Am Wheelchair Games exploded into Winnipeg, the message rang crystal clear: the grit was real, the sweat was earned, and pity was not allowed in at the door.<\/p>\n While Canada and the USA share deep commitments to inclusion and equality, an all-out war erupts when para ice hockey hits the ice.<\/p>\n The Canada-USA rivalry reaches its absolute crescendo this Sunday at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Paralympics gold medal game.<\/p>\n These two undefeated juggernauts will collide in an epic battle for supremacy.<\/p>\n Team USA storms in with a jaw-dropping 40-3 goal differential as they hunt their fifth consecutive Paralympic gold.<\/p>\n Declan Farmer, the tournament\u2019s record-shattering sensation, and captain Josh Pauls, chasing his personal fifth gold, spearhead the assault.<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Canada, however, plays for pure redemption.<\/p>\n After years of heartbreaking silver medals, they finally shattered the American dynasty with their 2024 World Championship victory. Captain Tyler McGregor leads their charge, riding high after a massive performance where he fired home two goals in the semifinal against China.<\/p>\n Forged by heartbreak and triumph, this rivalry mirrors the sheer intensity of Olympic hockey. We\u2019re witnessing true inclusion in action, built on decades of hard-fought equality.<\/p>\n Bookmark our website and support our journalism:\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0miss the news you need to know \u2014 add\u00a0EdmontonJournal.com<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0EdmontonSun.com<\/a>\u00a0to your bookmarks and\u00a0sign up for our newsletters here.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today:\u00a0The Edmonton Journal<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/a>The Edmonton Sun<\/a>.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Share this article in your social network<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Breadcrumb Trail Links ColumnistsHockey Published Mar 14, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 Last updated 5\u00a0hours ago \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read You…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537529,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194294],"tags":[49,48,23752],"class_list":{"0":"post-537528","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-edmonton","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-edmonton"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537528","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537528"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537528\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537528"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537528"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537528"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"canada](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1384701282_91179810.jpg\")
Tyler McGregor #8 of Team Canada collides with David Eustace #37 of Team United States in the first period during the Para Ice Hockey Gold Medal game on day nine of the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics at the National Indoor Stadium on March 13, 2022 in Beijing, China. McGregor will lead Canada against the USA in the 2026 Winter Paralympics on Sunday. Photo by Ryan Pierse \/Getty ImagesArticle content<\/p>\n![\"Edmonton](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/20.7.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-esun.svg\"){kind=logo}
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