Meet Scott Stafford, the 1-Handed Pro Hockey Player Living His Dream

When he was a kid playing hockey in St. Thomas, Ontario, Scott Stafford was called for a penalty. He wanted to open the door to the sin bin himself but struggled with the latch.

"Can I give you a hand?" the attendant said to the youngster.

"If you can, I'll sure take one," said Stafford, who then pulled off his left glove to reveal the prosthetic device that compensated for the left hand doctors had amputated at birth.

Humor. Always has been, always will be a mainstay of Stafford's repertoire in getting through. Any way to keep them smiling.

"That's a good one," Stafford said.

When his umbilical cord became wrapped around his left hand, cutting off all blood circulation, doctors had no choice but to amputate. It's called Amniotic Band Syndrome, a complete act of randomness that strikes roughly one out of every 10,000–15,000 infants.

But the kid with no left hand did something this year most everyone with two working ones never has: He got paid to play hockey. With flesh and blood in his right hand and bionic metal in his left, Stafford, 25, played seven games this past spring for the Wedemark Scorpions (Hello, Klaus Meine!) of the third upper league northern division of Germany's professional hockey league.

When he plays, Stafford grips his stick through a hole in his latest prosthetic device, which has come a long way from the gaffer tape strapped to the jersey from his earliest days. Robotic technology has made it possible for Stafford's left-hand "joint" to move in conjunction with that of his working right hand in most situations.

"In the early days, I would just tape my jersey around my left arm, and most people wouldn't know," Stafford said.

"I just kept believing that this was something I could actually do. I am unlucky in what happened to me at birth, but lucky in so many other ways that I really do look at it now as a blessing. What happened just made me work harder than maybe I ever would have had I been born with two perfectly normal hands."

For six weeks, Stafford earned a salary, lived in an apartment fully furnished by the team and had free use of a BMW. At least on a timeshare basis.

"It was an older model, and I had to share it with my roommates," Stafford said.

So what? Stafford could hardly believe it when driving around German streets in his paid-for car, an employee of a professional hockey team.

"It was just a great experience," he said.

While there is nothing official, Stafford is believed to be the first amputee in modern times to have played professional hockey at any level. There are several hockey leagues serving amputees, but none of them are professional.

When Stafford received his first paycheck, in Euros, it was the realization of a dream. The possible one, never impossible.

Credit: Scott Stafford

Stafford posted two assists in three regular-season games for the Scorpions, who made it to the playoffs as the No. 8 seed. Despite a four-game-sweep loss to first-ranked Hannover, Stafford led the Scorpions in scoring with a goal and two assists.

Wedemark goaltender Florian Holst gave a revealing answer to Chapin Landvogt of IIHF.com when asked what it was like to play against someone like Stafford, even in practice:

"

As a goalie, it's terribly difficult to read where he's going to shoot, much less if he's even going to shoot. You simply can't tell what his left arm is doing or aiming for and also when he's going to release the puck. He also has a habit of looking like he'll shoot, then pass in the last second – or vice versa. You basically can't do anything but guess what's coming from him.

"

For the six weeks he was there, it was wunderbar in every way for Stafford, but it unfortunately did not last.

Stafford did not have a job with Wedemark or any other pro team as of Monday. He is slated to try out for an ECHL team and another in the Southern Professional Hockey League this week. Wedemark recently made the decision to sign two other younger import players, maxing out their quota.

"That's the way it goes. There's no hard feelings, though I feel I showed I can play at that level," he said.

If his passion for playing is not requited, Stafford has a college degree in sports management from Canada's Brock University to fall back on. He can foresee a life of coaching and/or front-office opportunities if he works hard enough.

"I am just so proud of Scott. Whatever happens (soon), I know he'll be on a good path," Stafford's mother, Shaunna, said.

Shaunna said Scott lives now with his brother, Derek, and that she has moved closer to them in the suburbs of Toronto. She knows overcoming the hurdles that come next will be nothing new for her son.

"There were times when I know Scott felt 'why me?'" she said. "But he got over feeling sorry for himself very quickly. He would tell me, 'I'll just outwork everyone else,' and that's what he did. He just loved playing hockey so much. He was so smart, too. He would figure out ways he could compete effectively without a left hand."

Stafford is realistic about his future.

"I have one hand. But I think I've proven I can play pro hockey. Nobody can take that away from me now," he said. "I just take each challenge as it comes. No matter what happens, I will always feel lucky. I have met so many others less fortunate, and it will always be my goal to help them. I've already gotten more than I probably bargained for."

Adrian Dater covers the NHL for Bleacher Report.