Benoit St-Amand, paralympian, inspires students

Canadian ice sledge hockey goaltender Benoit St-Amand made a trip out toMount Pleasant Elementary in Hudson to inspire students ahead of the Olympics.

• Homerun: Morgan Dunlopspeaks to St-Amand and Mount Pleasant Elementary students

The paralympian spoke about having his right leg amputated when he was 17 after being diagnosed with bone cancer. Unable to live out his childhood dream of being an NHL player, St-Amandturned his amputation into inspiration and became a member of Canada's ice sledge hockey team.

St-Amandnow countsa gold medal at the 2006 TurinParalympics among his accomplishments.

Joshua Collett, 8, said he was inspired by St-Amand's speech.

"He was telling us to never give up. It makes you better and better every time you lose," he said.

St-Amand's speech was part of the Mount Pleasant Elementary's program to engage students. This year's theme is the Olympics.