Massachusetts

‘The ultimate in recognition': Tabor Academy honors late hockey hero Travis Roy

Tabor retired Roy's jersey between the boys and girls hockey games, and the entire team wore his number 14 for the last time on the ice

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From a teen on the ice to a lasting legacy, Tabor Academy honored the late Travis Roy in a special ceremony on Saturday night.

Almost 30 years ago, Roy suffered a spinal injury moments into his first hockey game as a Boston University freshman, changing his life forever.

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On Saturday night, he was honored at his high school alma mater, as Tabor retired his jersey between the boys and girls hockey games. The entire team wore his number 14 for the last time on the ice.

It was an emotional ceremony, especially for Roy's father, who remembers sitting in the stands at Tabor watching his son skate all those years ago.

"It's the ultimate in recognition," said Lee Roy, Travis' father.

Saturday's puck drop brought back powerful memories for Lee Roy, who watched the forward play his junior and senior years at Tabor.

"When he was alive, he would tell anybody that asked that the two best years of his life were at Tabor Academy," he said.

Roy's hockey career ended unexpectedly shortly after graduating from Tabor in 1995. Eleven seconds into his first shift as a freshman for Boston University, the then-20-year-old was paralyzed from the neck down.

"I always tell people, the worst thing that ever happened to me as coach at BU -- and I was there for 40 years as head coach -- the worst thing that ever happened to me was the injury of Travis Roy," said Jack Parker, Roy's hockey coach at Boston University.

After suffering his injury, Travis Roy went on to create the Travis Roy Foundation, helping others with spinal injuries through grants and funding research.

"He gave so much to so many people both through his foundation, but also through the example of the life that he led, and you know, what he would say was he had a life of passion. Hockey was his passion and when that was taken from him, he turned to a life of purpose," said Tim Pratt, Roy's former hockey coach at Tabor Academy.

Roy died 25 years after the accident in 2020 from complications of being a quadriplegic. He was 45 years old.

"As we walked across campus today -- my wife and I -- we thought, you know, how proud we are and what a great job he did in a short time to touch thousands of lives," Lee Roy said.

Travis Roy is still making a difference even after his death. Jerseys are being sold to raise money for the Travis Roy 95 Fellowship Fund, which helps students access the full school experience.

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