Daniel Quewezance has gone from a junior hockey super fan to an irreplaceable member of the Notre Dame Hounds.
As ‘Hound for a Day’, the 20-year-old got a royal reception from screaming students and a taste of life in Wilcox on Monday, attending classes, touring facilities, and most importantly, hitting the ice.
“It’s shocking,” Quewezance said. “I never expected this day to come.”
The team says he embodies the Notre Dame motto: Struggle and Emerge.
Quewezance lives with cerebral palsy, but remains active in sledge hockey and modified basketball. Despite only having full use of one arm, he skates, stick handles, and shoots during his practices with the Midget AAA Hounds.
“Having Dan shows everyone how special it is to be a part of this team,” Hounds forward Jacob Dale explained. “I think a lot of guys will really buy in and give in to the team atmosphere we may not have had perfectly before. Dan shows us what it really means to be a team.”
Quewezance is a longtime Regina Pats and Cougars fan, but fell in love with the Hounds three years ago. He was introduced to the team’s coaching staff by a friend and was brought into the locker room to give the players a motivational speech.
Since then, the group has formed a relationship that goes beyond the rink , bonding over social media, video games, and of course, a TELUS Cup championship.
“He had those little reminders for us along the way,” head coach Devan Praught recalled. “It was very humbling. We were able to bring that trophy home and meet up with him this fall. He really respected it and knew that he was part of it.”
For Quewezance, the gesture proves the most important family is the one you choose.
“I was abandoned when I was seven years old. I went to a foster home that wasn’t very nice for me. I decided to take myself somewhere else where I would be respected,” He said. “The way they talk to me and the way they treat me is like a family.”
“It means the world,” Quewezance’s friend Kristy Duperreault added. “It’s given him confidence, it’s given him motivation, and he’s giving that motivation back to those boys. It’s brought him friendships that will last a lifetime.”
While Hound for a Day may come to a close, there will always be an open stall for Quewezance in the Hounds locker room.