Ontario Paralympian asks thieves to return hockey equipment, sports memorabilia after break-in

Muriel Draaisma · CBC News

· Posted: May 15, 2025 6:38 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

A Canadian Paralympic gold medalist is asking thieves who stole a hockey container of instrumentality and astir $30,000 worthy of sports memorabilia to springiness the items back.

Paul Rosen, a erstwhile goalie for the Canadian men's sledge hockey squad team and a motivational talker who lives successful East Gwillimbury, Ont., says helium recovered retired past Friday that his retention portion successful Newmarket, Ont., had been ransacked and looted. His goalie mitt was among the items stolen.

Rosen said the incidental has near him successful daze due to the fact that it's not the archetypal clip idiosyncratic has stolen 1 of his Paralympic prized possessions. In 2007, his golden medal was stolen from a foundation lawsuit and returned a week later.

"I couldn't judge it, to beryllium truly honorable with you," Rosen said connected Thursday. "As soon arsenic I walked in, and I saw everything conscionable each implicit the place, the archetypal happening was, ohio my god, my equipment, my hockey container was successful there." 

Then Rosen said helium realized his goalie mitt and disguise were gone.

"They destroyed everything. They threw everything connected the floor, smashed things," helium said.

Break-in happened sometime successful past month, constabulary say

York Regional Police said connected Thursday that officers responded to a commercialized break-in astatine a basement retention portion successful the country of Davis Drive and Yonge Street connected May 9. Police said the break-in happened immoderate clip successful the past period and they person nary descriptions of suspects.

The hockey container contained Rosen's personal Paralympics equipment, portion the sports memorabilia belonged to his non-profit organization, Stop Concussions.

"The demolition is what truly bothers me," helium said. 

Rosen said what hurts the astir is the nonaccomplishment of his prized mitt due to the fact that helium utilized it to assistance Team Canada triumph golden astatine the Paralympic Winter Games successful Turin, Italy successful 2006. The triumph was Canada's lone first-place triumph successful the sport.

The mitt is embroidered with his sanction and nickname and has spikes connected it.

"It was the past happening I had, the past existent happening that I tin clasp and retrieve from those games and I've had a brainsick beingness since past with addiction and intelligence wellness and struggles, truthful it truly does mean a batch to me," helium said.

Rosen said determination were nary information cameras astatine the retention portion and helium had nary insurance.

In January 2007, idiosyncratic snatched his Paralympic golden medal during an autographing league with fans successful Toronto.

After a media frenzy and a scolding from erstwhile hockey commentator Don Cherry connected Hockey Night successful Canada, idiosyncratic dropped it successful a mailbox. The medal turned up astatine a postal sorting presumption successful Toronto, and constabulary returned it.

Now Rosen said helium is hoping different squad effort tin get each of his cherished possessions back.

"My code and my sanction and my telephone fig are on the bag. Just springiness it to idiosyncratic and get it backmost to me," helium said.

Sports artifacts are important, section councillor says

Ron Weese, a municipality councillor for Aurora, Ont. and president of Sport Aurora, an advocacy group that represents respective sports organizations successful the town, said Rosen is an inspiration to galore athletes due to the fact that helium has risen to the apical despite challenges.

"We recognize wholly however artifacts and items are important for radical due to the fact that they correspond the astir important days of their lives, the astir important moments of their lives galore times. And truthful that's a substance of inspiration for them and everyone else," Weese said.

Weese said helium hopes idiosyncratic volition travel guardant to accidental they person recovered the items.

"Every azygous portion is important," helium said.

Rosen suffered a limb wounded during a hockey crippled arsenic a youth, and the resulting damage, infections, and symptom to his limb plagued him for years until his little limb was amputated supra the genu erstwhile helium was 39.

During rehabilitation, he joined the Canadian men's sledge hockey squad and took part in the 2002 and 2006 Winter Paralympic Games.