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Alexi Salamone
| Sport: |
Sled Hockey |
| Height: |
5'5" |
| Weight: |
135 lbs. |
| Birthdate: |
June 17, 1987 |
| Birthplace: |
Ukraine |
| Hometown: |
Grand Island, New York |
| Disability: |
Bi-lateral amputee |
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Photo by Tom Kimmell (Tom Kimmell Photography)
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Personal Profile: Salamone was born in Russia 14 months after the world’s worst nuclear disaster – the meltdown of a reactor in Chernobyl in the Ukraine. As a result, Salamone was born with deformed legs and consequently, had both of them amputated at the Children’s Institute of Prosthetics in Moscow at the age of four. He was adopted by the Salamone family when he was six. He got his introduction to the ice with the Skating Association for the Blind and Handicapped (S.A.B.A.H.) and soon after discovered hockey.
It wasn’t until 2002 when Joe Howard, a member of the U.S. Paralympics Sled Hockey Team, convinced Salamone to play sled hockey – without his prosthetic legs – that he really became hooked on the sport. In 2003, he qualified for the Junior National Sled Hockey Team and shortly after, was named to the Senior National Team soon after.
At the Paralympic Winter Games in Torino, Salamone's potential was on full display. He led the U.S. in scoring (two goals, four assists in five games), which included a short-handed goal in the bronze medal game against Germany. Salamone is one of several young players who will be looking ahead to Vancouver with hopes of bringing the gold medal back to the U.S.
Major Achievements:
- 2006 – Bronze medal – Paralympic Winter Games (led team in scoring)
- 2005 – Named member of U.S. Paralympics Sled Hockey National Team
- 2004 – Silver medal – IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships
- 2003 – Named member of U.S. Paralympics Sled Hockey National Team
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