Sled Hockey Legend Declan Farmer Eyes Fifth Gold at 28

Declan Farmer started representing his country before he could drive, making his international sled hockey debut at just 14 years old.

Now 28, the Tampa native is competing at the Cortina d'Ampezzo Paralympics in Italy, where Team USA stands on the verge of making history with a fifth straight gold medal. Born a bilateral amputee, Farmer has spent half his life skating for his country and has already racked up three Paralympic golds and five world championships.

His teammates call him the Tom Brady of sled hockey, and the comparison fits. "If you're on the team with Tom Brady, you're not going to not listen to him," says two-time Paralympian Griffin LaMarre about Farmer's leadership.

Farmer didn't just master the game. He changed it. When he started, most players used one hand, crossing their stick to pull the puck. Farmer pioneered using both hands, a technique that's now standard.

Five-time Paralympian Josh Pauls remembers watching a young Farmer backtrack to his own goal line to save a score during a tournament in Canada. "He's more than just an offensive player," Pauls says. Farmer became the first U.S. sled hockey player to score over 200 career goals and holds American records in goals, assists, and points.

Why This Inspires

What makes Farmer special goes beyond stats. After graduating from Princeton in 2020, he moved to Colorado and created a training hub where about 10 U.S. players regularly practice together.

He organizes sessions focused on real game situations, keeping detailed notes on his phone about plays that could work better. His coaches appreciate the collaboration since they come from standup hockey and don't have the lived experience of playing sled hockey themselves.

"People just think he's talented. Yes, he's talented, but he works at it every single day," says Dan Brennan, the team's general manager since 2006. "He's not satisfied."

That drive to improve extends beyond his own game. Farmer is running for a position on the International Paralympic Committee's Athletes' Council, which gives Paralympians a voice in the organization's strategic direction.

His leadership has already helped Team USA dominate sled hockey since his Paralympic debut in Sochi in 2014, where he won back-to-back golds and was named the IPC's Best Male Athlete. With consecutive victories in 2018 and 2022, the team has never lost a Paralympics with Farmer on the ice.

At 28, Declan Farmer is proving that true champions lift everyone around them.