CHENNAI: When the final hooter roared after New Zealand’s comeback 3-2 victory against Japan at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium on Monday, former national junior player and current head coach Mike Delaney slammed the side glass of the bench in excitement. For the first time in 12 years, the Junior Black Sticks are a step away from the quarterfinals as group leaders.
The coach breathed a sigh of relief and went on to congratulate the staff and his wards, in a match that lasted two hours due to two rain breaks -- one of them lasted for an hour-and-a-half. He was a relieved man.
For a man who was once staring at disability, the momentous occasion gave him reason to celebrate more. He endured pain and grief after a life-altering swimming accident.
Hailing from the Northland Region of the country, which is known for its serene beaches and tropical weather, the then 18-year-old in 2007 was selected to play in the Junior Hockey World Cup. He was on course for more but a freak incident altered his life forever.
According to Hockey New Zealand, he went on a beach holiday in Gisborne for a New Year’s party. While attempting a dive into the water, only to find himself deep in the water with his head thrown back and body forward. In that article, he was quoted as saying he lost his consciousness and tried to hold his breath. His friends were out of his blurry sight, and panic grew. It took some time for them to know that something was wrong. As a result, his friends took him to hospital.
After initial scans, it was revealed that he fractured the top of his vertebrae (the neck area). The odontoid peg bone had shot into the spine, therefore bruising it. His dreams of representing the country were shattered. He lost the ability to move his limbs.
After years of toil and fight-back, the 36-year-old has brought the team a step closer to the quarterfinals of the 2025 Junior Hockey World Cup. He could even lead the team to their best finish in 12 years (7th in 2013, India). “To come back and have the honour of coaching the New Zealand side at a Junior World Cup is really completing the circle for me,” he said after the win.
Journey to recovery
To make matters worse, in a surgery to fix the odontoid bone, Delaney went into spinal shock, therefore losing the ability to breathe. He was put into an intensive care unit for 12 days. There were times, where Delaney had to relearn to use one of his arms and legs. In 2007-2008 Delaney was bed-ridden.
He recalled how the support from loved ones helped him recover amidst the unsuccessful surgeries. “First of all, the people that surround you, right? They make you or break you. Thankfully I've got an amazing family, an amazing wife and amazing kids that really helped me achieve my dreams. Without that, I don't think you can get too far by yourself if I'm honest,” he explained.
It is also the same with hockey, he further added. “It's a real team, squad, group, staff effort. The biggest learning for me is to surround yourself with good people and they'll help you get where you want to go."
The target for Delaney is to achieve the country’s best finish in this tournament. “With a programme that has skeletal staff and skeletal funding, you have to tap into every resource we can and for now we go game by game. We're really excited to be stepping towards the direction we want to go. It would be silly to think we can't better the fourth place finish in 2009. So we really want to have a crack at a medal,” he said.
Delaney’s guiding force is what he calls the “the age-old saying” of being with smarter people and with purpose. “I think if you can train, play, learn from someone that first of all cares about you and knows more than you,I think you'll set yourself up for success. It's all about trying to achieve, but having a real strong purpose. I think if you do something with a purpose and intent and get some good people around you, hey, the world's your oyster.