Headline News » News » News and Sports » Sports

Paralympic Gold Medalist’s motto “Never Give Up” catalyzes Rosen’s enshrinement in the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame as athlete and broadcaster

October 22, 2026   ·   0 Comments

Roger Lajoie, the legendary FAN590 broadcaster and author, interviewed Team Canada Paralympian gold medalist Paul Rosen for countless hours to structure the goaltender’s 2021 biography Never Give Up. 

The longest-serving host on The Fan expressed the joy he derived from listening to and framing Rosen’s stories: “Everything Paul Rosen has gone through in his life, all of his difficult times, do indeed have a meaning, especially the night he tried to end it. It is so clear now. I saw it right away once we started doing our interviews. By the time we were done he saw it too. I am so happy about that.”

I share Lajoie’s happiness after interviewing Rosen for this feature.

As both Lajoie and I discovered in our respective meetings with the Aurora resident, he is a compelling raconteur—as blunt as a hammer and ribald as a Chris Rock comedy sketch, but simultaneously caring, warm, and kind.

Rosen’s life goal—“to help others find the meaning of [their lives]”—demonstrates the poignant, directed manner by which the Paralympian gold medalist-turned-broadcaster lives his life.

One of Canada’s most famous goaltenders describes the goal and the content of his inspirational memoir: “I wanted a book that people could read on one day. I wanted it to be raw and honest.”

The three-time Olympian demonstrates that rawness and honesty not only in Never Give Up, but in his self-deprecating admission in our restaurant booth.

Rosen describes the condition of his top teeth, which limits his choices from the Wicked Eats menu.

Undaunted, he digs into the steak sandwich and sweet potato fries with great vigor—they’re soft to the palette and a symphony for the tastebuds: “I love Robert Stewart’s cooking.”

As we swap stories during our lunch at the north end pub, I enjoy a Strongbow Cider, but the world champion dutifully orders water. Rosen acknowledges, “I’m five years clean and sober on January 17, 2027 – which is massive for me as a 66-year-old. My kids are 42, 40, and 38 and I’ve been able to build years in trust. I’m so grateful to have them back in my life and visit my daughter and grandkids in Yellowknife at least once a year.”

It’s clear that Rosen’s been through the ringer off the ice—including a dark time in January 2019 and following a stellar on-stage performance the same day.  He alludes to the narrative hook in Chapter 1 of his book: “I thanked everyone for such a great reception – and I left after being there for about an hour-and-a-half drive back home to the tiny little apartment I had at the time in downtown Toronto. Chalk up another talk on never giving up into the books for the much-loved Paul Rosen… By the time I arrived…I knew just what I was going to do and how I was going to do it. I was going to kill myself that night.”

Rosen recalibrated after this brush with death and triumphed over his ongoing struggles with mental health and addiction prior to and during the Pandemic.

He went to work with Lajoie on his biography and restored his persona as the gutsy, gold medal-winning goaltender at the Torino Paralympics in 2006.

Rosen noted, with the pride of a forceful competitor who looked after his younger teammates, that: “I led the team in penalties in Torino. I was described by a Vancouver sportswriter as ‘A Grizzly Bear on the Ice; A Teddy Bear off the ice.’ The sportswriters always wanted to talk to Rosey because I was going to answer their questions honestly. That was one of the reasons Don Cherry helped me get my gig at the Sochi Olympics and he gave me two tips as I started as a broadcaster:  1. Never swear on live TV. 2. Always be able to back up what you say.”

By backing up what he said, Rosen’s success on the ice was reinforced in the broadcast booth and it became his passport to fame not only as a broadcaster with CBC, TSN, and OSN (Olympic Sports Network) for 16 years, but as a much sought-after public speaker and emcee. Rosen relishes the opportunities to tell his stories, even when he ventured into new territory by doing both play-by-play and color commentary in Milan earlier in the year.

“We had a centre ice box and the broadcast center was the best I’ve ever worked in. I don’t know why there were so many complaints about the arena. I covered the first game doing play-by-play and color for the China-Croatia game. The names were challenging and I was terrified that I would make mistakes during the play-by-play with so many similar names.  After the show, my producer was amazed and said ‘Rosey, you’re phenomenal.’ I thought to myself, when you do something you love, it’s hard to screw it up.”

Rosey embraced a recent offer to emcee the Opening Ceremonies of the Wayne Gretzky Ontario Parasport Games in Brantford on February 19, 2027: “I was fortunate to be able-bodied until 39 and from the ages of 39-66 as an amputee. As a parasport athlete and broadcaster, it’s given me a unique perspective as a journalist.”

Rosen described his deep gratitude that his dual role as athlete and broadcaster has led to his enshrinement in the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame.

The Team Canada and TSN veteran sees it as the crowning event for 2026.

“This has been a big year for me and November 5 will mean so much—going into the Hall of Fame with Joe, George, and Shayne. I resumed my residency in Aurora on August 1 and feel fully connected to the Town. I’ve been working with the Mayor at events and I’ve been busy putting in his lawn signs. If you see a one-legged guy putting in lawn signs, that’s me. I’m grateful, too, that I was able to broadcast my sixteenth event with TSN in what has been a special year.  I’ve donated my gold medal-winning sled from Torino to the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame museum. I’m also looking forward to taking my gold medal to the Youth Volunteer event at Treasure Hill prior to the Induction Evening and signing autographs with the kids for three hours.

“I appreciate the loyalty that these organizations have shown towards me. Loyalty is so important to me and I’m looking forward to the induction evening—to the speeches and an enjoyable night. I’ll be thinking of my Dad that night—he was the inspiration of my life. When he became ill, I was away coaching and he told me on the phone: ‘Kid, I’m not dyin’ til you come home.’ I got home and he died holding my hand and my sister’s hand. My dad was my hero.”

Rosey collects himself and added, “I’ll be making a tribute to my brother, too. My brother’s been my rock—he’s why I got my start in sports and I played up with his teams for years in ball hockey, basketball ice hockey, baseball—so many sports while we were growing up. He will be doing my Induction introduction video. It was my brother who gave me a lucky toonie that I put on my shoe on the ice in Torino and it’s amazing how those little things can become difference makers in the mental side of sports, especially in big games. It even helped me overcome the worst first period of goaltending in my life when I gave up four goals and we were down 4-1 to gold medal favorite Norway at Torino.  I asked Jeff Snyder—who was the best coach I ever played for—to keep me in the game.  I said to him that if you let me stay, I won’t let in another goal in the tournament. I shut Norway out for two more periods, three periods in the semifinal, and three periods in the final.  I didn’t give up any more goals. We beat Germany 5-0 and then I had the greatest game of my life in the gold medal game to keep the shutout streak alive.  Coach Snyder told me after the game ‘You did it.’  It was important that he believed in me.”

It’s that kind of belief in Paul Rosen—and in his compelling and amusing stories about Yvan Cournoyer, Domenic Hasek, Bobby Hull, Jean Beliveau, Johnny Bower, Dennis Hull, Ron Ellis, and Eddie Shack that we covered during our two hours together – that makes the gold medalist and on-air talent such a larger-than-life public figure.

Rosen’s enshrinement into the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame will take place November 5 at the Royal Venetian Mansion.

By Jim Stewart
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Readers Comments (0)