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16 years after breaking neck during game, Justin Rayner skates again (w/video)

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TJ Tucker
August 25, 2021  (10:17)
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Justin Rayner's dreams of playing professional hockey ended at an early age. When he was 13 years old, Rayner went up the ice on a breakaway during a bantam game and fell, crashing into the end boards and breaking his C4 and C5 vertebrae. Since that time, Rayner has been confined to a wheelchair, although in 2016 he realized a dream by being hired as a scout by the WHL's Moosejaw Warriors. Rayner is now celebrating another huge moment.

On Tuesday, Rayner hit the ice on skates for the first time in 16 years, with the help of some specialized equipment. He even wore the same skates he was wearing the day of his unfortunate accident, Bauer Vapors.

Rayner celebrated the moment with family and friends and was clearly very happy to be on the ice again. Besides his job as a scout with the Warriors, Rayner is heavily involved in online hockey gaming, and plays as a goaltender in a competitive league