Local hockey player extraordinaire Ava Foote scored a major personal goal when Hockey Canada announced they will name her as one of its ambassadors on March 2 at the Pictou County Wellness Centre.
Subway Selects player Foote, who lost most of her right hand above the knuckles in a household accident last June, is now back on the ice after three surgeries and a long stay at Halifax’s IWK hospital.
“She’s over the moon actually. She’s thrilled,” said Ava’s father Jeremy Foote on Thursday.
He told The News that the family was “overwhelmed,” by the support they have received from the community since Ava’s accident.
Ava’s team will join her as she receives her award, before they play the Trenton Steelers at 5 p.m. The Subway Selects are inviting everyone to come and cheer on Ava.
While she has faced a long road to recovery, Ava was determined to play hockey again, especially after one of her surgeons said there were “no restrictions or limitations,” on what she could achieve.
Even when she was at the IWK, Ava asked all her friends who visited on her birthday to bring donations or a craft kit to help her fellow patients, children like her.
As she recovered from her injury, Ava told her mother Angela that “…I'm getting back in the saddle, I've got catching up to do and I'm going to go swimming like a normal kid.”
Ava enjoys swimming, gymnastics and horse riding as well as hockey.
To help her play hockey again, she received a specially modified glove from Hockey Canada that will allow her to more easily hold her stick.
Ava also has the inspiration of local Olympian Blayre Turnbull, who helped propel Canada’s women’s team towards a silver medal earlier this week.
“She wants to be the best hockey player in the world,” said Jeremy.
Indeed, Ava is in esteemed company, as a number of NHL players have experienced great successes on ice despite injuries or disabilities.
Player Jim Kyte tallied 66 points and 1,342 penalty minutes playing for the Jets, Penguins, Flames, Senators and Sharks, all while having a degenerative hearing condition.
He was the first ever hockey player to wear a hearing aid on the ice underneath a specially designed helmet.
Like many other players, Ava is also a keen hockey fan, her favourite team being the Montreal Canadiens.
