Dave’s Journey: Never Stopping the Fight
This week I had the chance and the blessing to do an interview with a good friend of mine Dave Carr. He and I met at Hockey Heals and since then we have become good friends. We share the ice twice a week and have plenty of laughs. The time we spend together is bigger than either of our injuries and reminds us that despite our challenges we are just “normal” hockey guys. However, when you dig a bit deeper and hear more of Dave’s story, you’ll learn his journey is anything but normal, but really extraordinary.
Dave was driving on June 5th 2020 where he unfortunately was in a head on collision when a driver drifted into his lane. He sustained a multitude of injuries such as 12 fractured ribs, a broken leg, fractured pelvis, a L4 fracture, broken parts of his back and a broken right leg. In the wreckage, Dave was in pain and struggling to breathe. Though he was struggling to remain conscious, David immediately started to do what would define his journey, he prayed. Faith had already been part of his life for years, and in that frightening moment, prayer became something to hold on to. He specifically prayed Luke 23:46 which is what Jesus prayed while he was on the cross. Later, while enduring the pain of his injuries and surgeries, Dave recalls this spiritual experience brought him a sense of peace and the belief that he would survive. His prayers were answered because a nearby driver, who happened to be four time world’s strongest man,Brian Shaw came up to his car and bent the door frame and freed Dave from the wreckage. From there he was treated at a nearby hospital before he was airlifted to Denver Health. From there he underwent four surgeries in three days.
Learning to begin again.
Dave’s recovery meant facing everyday tasks that had once been automatic. He had to learn how his body worked now, and practice movements such as walking and climbing stairs.
He listened to his doctors and therapists, did the exercises they prescribed, and paid close attention to the changes in his body. When his right big toe stopped moving as it had before, for example, an occupational therapist gave him exercises to help strengthen it. Dave stuck with them. His progress was not about getting everything back exactly as it had been; it was about adapting and continuing to work toward what mattered to him.One goal stood out: returning to hockey.
The strength of a community.
Dave’s recovery was never a solo effort. His wife, Barb, cared for him through the most demanding parts of his healing, helping with daily needs and getting him to appointments. His first wife, Gail, also stepped in to support him. Friends, family, therapists, and medical professionals each played a part.
Dave speaks with gratitude about the people who stood beside him. Their care helped carry him through times when he could not do everything for himself. His story shows that determination matters, but so does having people in your corner.
Hockey became one way to find his footing again. Dave returned to the ice, though his abilities and physical limits had changed. He also became part of Hockey Heals, a community that brings people facing different challenges together to play. The program began when friends sought to help another player, Van, return to hockey after a traumatic brain injury. It grew into a place where people could share the ice, friendships, and the joy of playing.
For Dave, the heart of that community is its focus on what people can do. Hockey may look different for each person, but everyone belongs on the ice.
A fight that keeps changing shape.
Dave’s journey is not a simple story of overcoming an injury and returning to life as it was. He has lasting limitations, and he knows there are things he may not be able to do again. But he has found ways to keep doing what he loves and to build a life around what remains possible.
His faith continues to guide him. Dave describes prayer, time outdoors, and noticing the world around him as sources of gratitude and connection. He also finds purpose in serving others, often through ordinary gestures of care and friendship. At the rink, that can mean helping someone get ready to skate or simply sharing time together. Personally, that shows when every time we skate together he ties my right skate.
Dave’s fight has included surgeries, rehabilitation, and learning to live in a changed body. It has also meant accepting help, staying connected to hockey, and offering support to others. He keeps showing up, not because the road is easy, but because there is still meaning, joy, and community to be found along the way.
That is what it means for Dave to never stop the fight: not returning to exactly who he was before, but continuing forward with faith, gratitude, and the support of the people beside him.
Dave is one of my close friends who I look forward to seeing and spending time with every week!
-Written by Jonny Landis Jr.
