Connor Hirtle is determined to achieve at least two things in his life: find a job with a National Hockey League team and to walk again.
Seven years ago, Hirtle, a junior B hockey player in his early 20s from Dublin Shore, Lunenburg County, was paralyzed after jumping into a swimming pool in PEI He broke his neck and injured his spinal cord. At that time, all he could do was lift his arms slightly. Doctors feared the worst.
You must do your best to ignore the negative and life does get hard sometimes. But you’re living and breathing and there’s still something out there for you.
“When I first came off the medication and became aware of what was going on, all I could do was lift my arms off the bed a little bit,” the 28-year-old Hirtle, a C6 quadriplegic, recalled in an interview earlier. this week.
After intensive rehabilitation, Hirtle regained movement in his biceps and shoulders and he can push his own wheelchair.
“I’m able to feed myself and drink alone,” he said. “I’m a very independent person so I like to do as much as I can on my own. From what it was to what it is now, although I’m still dependent on people, it’s been way better than my original prognosis.”
Whatever challenges life has thrown at him, Hirtle has faced them head on. The latest is trying to find employment in the small job market of professional hockey management.
He has some experience. He earned a Master of Science degree in sports management from the University of Florida and he interned last season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
And for the past five seasons, he’s been the president, general manager and governor of the East Hants Penguins of the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League.
“After I got out of rehab, my former coach Laurie Isenor brought me back with the Penguins,” Hirtle recalled. “I wanted to stay involved in hockey. I enjoyed the responsibility of player movement, the sponsorships, travel, from ordering gear to hiring coaches. I enjoyed it so much that it sparked my interest to apply for my master’s program in Florida, so I could get more information and insight in sport management and get that internship experience.
“Mathieu Darche (the Lightning’s director of hockey operations) told me, ‘Connor it might only be a junior B team but you’re managing a team, you’re learning to manage and properly run a hockey team.’ It’s a busy lifestyle but I love it.
“It would be awesome to catch on with an NHL team somewhere,” he continued. “But you need to have the right contacts. I’ve definitely heard ‘no’ many times during this job search. But hearing the word ‘no’ makes me work harder and makes me want it even more. I’m confident something’s going to come up. I’m hopeful someone will take a chance on me. When they do, they won’t regret it.”
That can-do attitude is why Hirtle is hopeful that one day he will be able to walk again.
“Back when it happened, people were hopeful,” Hirtle said. “I was young, technology was coming but it’s been seven years. But things are starting to look up. Elon Musk is getting serious with his Neuralink (a neurotechnology startup that will develop brain microchip implants), which hopefully will get some sort of independence back into our lives and help us get back on our feet.
“I’m hopeful and that’s just my personality. There’s always a positive to look at in life. You must do your best to ignore the negative and life does get hard sometimes. But you’re living and breathing and there’s still something out there for you.”
Not long after the accident, he started the Hope for Hirtle campaign, which helps raise awareness of spinal cord injuries and research.
“A lot of people don’t know about spinal cord injuries and what the process is behind the scenes,” he said. “It’s great when I go out and see everybody, whether it’s downtown, at the mall, at restaurants, wherever, and they see me as happy-go-lucky and that’s who I am. But they didn’t see all of the hard, difficult times behind the scenes. That’s why we want people to know how severe spinal cord injuries are and what people with spinal cord injuries go through.
“When I was sitting in the hospital bed, I was wondering what the hell my life was going to become. But my friends, my family, they got me back on the right track and from there I just had to keep telling myself that I was going to get through this. Life is different but you’re still alive and I’m still capable of accomplishing things.”
In April, he accomplished one of his proudest achievements by obtaining his master’s degree from Florida. A lifelong Gators fan, Hirtle said it was “a shot in the dark” when he first applied to the school.
“I was so ecstatic when the acceptance letter came through,” he said.
While at UF, Hirtle reached out to Halifax’s Darryl Plandowski, the assistant director of amateur scouting for the Lightning, about any intern positions with the NHL club.
About this time last year, Hirtle joined Tampa Bay as a hockey analytics intern, which mostly involved video scouting. He remained with the team through their run to the Stanley Cup Final, which they lost in six games to the Colorado Avalanche in June.
“My goal was to work with the Lightning when I went down to Florida for my master’s program,” Hirtle said.
“I always wanted to play in the NHL, but that obviously won’t happen. It did lead me to a different direction. After getting to see the ins and outs, working with the GM and director of hockey ops and all the behind-the-scenes stuff, it has definitely helped me continue on this path. Not a lot of people get that professional experience.”