Schedule announced for 2023 Centennial Cup

Ryan Howe is grateful for lots of issues – household, mates, hockey and,
most significantly, life.

Wearing the ‘C’ for the Red Lake Miners on the 2022 Centennial Cup,
offered by Tim Hortons, the 21-year-old from Caledon, Ont., wasn’t certain
he would get a chance like this 5 years in the past.

“It was a fairly traumatic expertise, and it was close to dying, so for me, I
am simply grateful that I’m right here,” says Howe. “I recognize the little
issues in life just a little bit extra.”

Five years in the past, Howe was identified with Crohn’s illness, a bowel ailment
that causes continual irritation of the gastrointestinal tract.

He didn’t go to high school for 4 months and was hospitalized for six weeks
on the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He was identified with a poisonous
megacolon, which is a uncommon illness that happens when swelling and
irritation spreads into the deeper layers of the colon. As a consequence, the
colon stops working and widens.

“There was a excessive probability that I would want a surgical process. Luckily, I
didn’t,” Howe says. “I used to be additionally identified as anemic as I struggled with
iron deficiency.”

Throughout his sickness, Howe dropped a big quantity of weight. When
wholesome, the ahead weighed round 165 kilos. During his hospital keep,
he misplaced 66 of these – dropping to simply 99 kilos as a 16-year-old athlete.

“I didn’t know if I would ever be able to play hockey again,” he says.

When he was launched from the hospital, Howe weighed 120 kilos. His
restoration centered on getting stronger each month.

“For me, it was nearly making an attempt to realize just a little bit each month and get
stronger,” he says. “I struggled rather a lot that summer season as a result of I didn’t have a
lot of vitality.”

When Howe stepped again on the ice for his second 12 months of U18 AAA with the
Mississauga Senators, he was again to his common weight however wasn’t the place he
needed to be hockey-wise.

“I wasn’t playing my best hockey at all – it was a struggle,” Howe says. “I
couldn’t take a few strides or elevate the puck on my stick – I used to be too
weak. It took numerous time to get there. It was a protracted journey.”

Throughout the expertise, Howe understood that life can change shortly,
and to embrace the little issues.

“After that have, I checked out not simply hockey, however life normally,
in another way,” he says. “I used to be 16 years previous and really athletic and doing properly
in hockey. My future was wanting shiny by way of hockey choices and
sadly numerous issues modified. My focus wasn’t a lot on hockey,
it was about well being.”

Now, he doesn’t take a chance he’s given without any consideration.

“Looking again on every part, I recognize issues in life. I’m very
grateful that I even get an opportunity to nonetheless play hockey. I used to be initially
informed that the medical doctors didn’t know if I may play once more,” Howe says. “Going
from that to with the ability to play on the Centennial Cup is superior and I’m
grateful to be right here.”

Howe nonetheless has an in depth regime to comply with to remain wholesome – each six
weeks, his medical doctors at Mount Sinai Hospital ship out a Remicade infusion
that’s administered in Red Lake. Those take two hours to sit down by means of, as
properly as a day by day iron tablet and digestive enzymes.

“He is a special kid who does things the right way,” says Geoff Walker,
head coach and common manger of the Miners. “He is stronger as an individual
and there isn’t rather more life can throw at him.”

Walker has watched Howe develop over the previous three years with the Miners,
naming him captain this season. The progress he has seen on and off the ice
has been most impactful along with his teammates.

“He is calm, cool and in management and that has rubbed off on the crew. He
has made my job rather a lot simpler,” says Walker. “I’ve seen him develop rather a lot;
coming from Toronto to Red Lake isn’t straightforward, however he took it in stride, and
he moved into that management position so seamlessly.”

For Howe, he has used his expertise to share that wins and losses aren’t
an important issues. And the Miners have fed off what Howe has
preached all season – doing it collectively.

“Winning issues, however I needed it to be a detailed group and it has been all
12 months. These guys are my greatest mates,” Howe says. “The Centennial Cup is a
prestigious match and enjoying in opposition to the perfect [Junior A] groups in
Canada is a cool expertise. We know we’re the underdogs, however we’re
making an attempt to embrace the second.”