USA Hockey Magazine

JUNE 2022 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 39 n 2006, a young sled hockey goaltender named Steve Cash represented the United States for the first time at the Paralympic Winter Games. Over the course of the next 15 years the man team- mates dubbed "Cash Money" would embark on a Hall of Fame career that included eye-popping accomplishments and impressive statistics. Along the way, Cash was joined by friend and fellow goaltender Jen Lee to form perhaps the most formidable duo in the history of sled hockey. Hailed as the best goaltender to ever sit in a sled, when Cash was in net the chances of winning heavily favored the red, white and blue. On those rare occasions when he wasn't in net, the U.S. per- formance didn't miss much as Lee proved he was a more than capable understudy. W h e n C a s h r e t i r e d s e v e r a l m o n t h s a f t e r w i n n i n g h i s f i n a l P a r a S l e d H o c k e y Wo r l d Championship in June 2021, the understudy was thrust into the spotlight. "I feel very, very blessed and very honored to play with this team for the past eight or 10 seasons, I lost count" said Lee, who was introduced to sled hockey after his left leg was amputated above the knee after a motorcycle accident in 2009. "For me, having the backup role and becoming the starter, there's definitely a different prepara- tion. I learned a lot from Steve on how he had to prepare himself physically and mentally." Head coach David Hoff believed that even before Cash retired, Lee had been improving his game to the point where there was a seamless transition when he slid between the pipes. "I think the first thing is he got a chance to learn from the best in terms of he and Steve being such good friends and Steve being a mentor and some- one for him to just watch and emulate," Hoff said. I Jen Lee proved he had the Midas touch at the 2022 Paralympics as he stopped all 33 shots he faced in leading the U.S. to another gold medal.

• Cover