Windsor goalie shines representing Mexico at IIFH Championship
A 17-year-old hockey goalie who lives in Windsor is fresh off a historic run representing his home country of Mexico at the IIHF U18 World Championship in Istanbul.
Santiago Cucuraqui and his team brought home silver – Mexico’s first medal in 14 years.
“I’m pretty happy about it because we made history,” he said. “This is the first medal we've won after so long.”
Cucuraqui moved to Canada with his mother and two younger brothers in 2022. His family aimed to help him further his education.
He also plays as a netminder for his school, Academie Ste-Cecile International School, a position he said he felt called to when he stumbled into the sport at age seven living in Mexico.
“I don’t know what happened, exactly. It was just a feeling,” said Cucuraqui.
“My mom likes to tell this story: one time I was on the ice as a player and I disappeared. I came back onto the ice with goalie equipment… and they scored on me many times.”
He said hard work and strong support led him to the level he’s at now – leaving Istanbul with not just the silver medal but also awards for ‘Goalie of the Tournament’ overall and ‘Player of the Tournament’ for Team Mexico.
He’s modest, but admitted that he was happy to have done well for his team and his home country.
In conversation, he repeatedly said “it’s a process.” Working hard every day at his game and at setting an example for other young Mexicans.
“I hope it inspires many kids out there and shows them that even though it's not our sport, because it's another climate, to show them that we as Mexicans, we can do it,” said Cucuraqui.
His mother, Alejandra Gascon, stood behind him beaming with pride.
She gave up a lot to bring her children to Canada. Her husband, Santiago’s father, remained in Mexico for work, so they are apart for much of the year.
He got to join his family in Turkey to see Santiago succeed.
Santiago Cucuraqui, goalie for Team Mexico, is back in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, March 25, 2024. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)“It’s a huge project supporting him,” Gascon said. “But looking at the results? Everything’s worth it.”
She recalled the initial confusion and “craziness” of seven-year-old Santiago deciding he wanted to put on a pair of skates.
“I didn’t know anything about hockey,” she said.
She said there would be no regrets about taking this road with him – even if he hadn’t claimed an impressive collection of hardware.
“We need to support our kids in anything that they want. It’s not our lives, and we need to respect that, even though we didn’t know anything about the sport.”
Cucuraqui’s school is also proud to see the path he’s chosen.
Samantha Morin, Principal of the upper school at Academie Ste-Cecile International School, said he’s a “wonderful” student.
“He’s very polite and well-respected among the staff. He’s hardworking. He spends 90 minutes a day practicing on the ice as well as balancing seven classes.”
Cucuraqui finished the previous season for the school with an .828% save percentage. After he graduates, he said his dream is to play hockey for the University of Michigan.
“It’s a process,” he said. “This is not the end.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.