Hockey Heals: How one player beat the odds and got back on the ice
share
Note: This story is the result of a partnership between journalism students at the University of Denver and Rocky Mountain PBS.
DENVER — Jonny Landis is no stranger to winter sports. A Colorado resident for most of his life, Landis, 24, grew up skiing and playing sports, but nowhere felt like home quite like an ice rink.
DENVER — Jonny Landis is no stranger to winter sports. A Colorado resident for most of his life, Landis, 24, grew up skiing and playing sports, but nowhere felt like home quite like an ice rink.
His passion for ice hockey began in Littleton, where he rose through the ranks and eventually played in the Colorado Thunderbirds triple-A hockey program — one of the most competitive hockey leagues in the country.
“I’ve always been a ‘puck head,’ as you can say,” he said.
Landis enrolled in the University of Colorado Boulder in 2019, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in finance. He joined the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and played hockey whenever possible.
All of that came to an end in March of 2019 when Landis slipped on a snowbank on the roof of a house party and fell 42 feet onto concrete. What followed was 6 years of miraculous recovery as he re-learned how to speak, walk and — against all odds — make his way back onto the ice.
The fall resulted in 163 skull fractures and he suffered more than 100 strokes.
“They told my family that night that they were just going to keep me alive in admissions until Madeline got home to say her goodbyes,” said Landis.
Video: Lily Haverstock, Michael Cheuvront, Christian Moreno, University of Denver
One of the first people to come to Landis’s aid was a lifeguard who happened to be at a party next door. The bystander managed to stabilize Landis’ head before first responders arrived.
A Flight for Life helicopter flew Landis from Boulder to the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, where doctors estimated he had a 0.1% chance of survival.
The Landis family, including his two older sisters, were told to expect the worst.
“It makes me emotional even thinking about it,” said Madeline Landis, one of Jonny Landis’s older sisters, who was at school in California when her brother fell.
Madeline Landis returned to Colorado to see her brother in the ICU to say goodbye.
The formerly active college freshman was in a coma for 60 days. After weeks without any sign of recovery, a nurse felt Landis squeeze her hand, the first sign of hope in his journey.
“They told my family, ‘don’t get too excited, that could have just been a reaction,” but then I fought to get my left thumb up, and that changed everything,” said Jonny Landis.
From that day forward, Landis started on his road to recovery. He re-learned how to walk, speak and complete everyday tasks such as dressing himself and preparing meals.
“The second [he] decided to fight, I knew we’d be fine,” said his other sister Kate Landis.
“Watching someone come back to life that loves living so much is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been a part of,” said Kate, who attended most of her brother’s physical therapy sessions during his recovery.
On February 5, 2025, Landis returned to the ice for the first time since his fall. The DAWG Nation Hockey Foundation, a local hockey charity, led the charge. Though initially unsteady on his skates, members of the organization came together to help Landis on his feet.
“[Jonny] wanted to skate again, and really, there was no way he was going to be able to do that unless he could find a safe community,” said Marty Richardson, CEO and co-owner of DAWG Nation.
Since returning to the ice, Landis skates every week with the organization’s Hockey Heals group, which helps support individuals recovering from life-altering injuries or illnesses. Landis’ father was the one who reached out to the organization, hoping it could help his son skate again.
Landis looks forward to tying his skates weekly, and he continues to re-teach himself the game he loves with help from the tight-knit Hockey Heals community. Since his first day back on the ice, Landis has progressed from needing assistance to skating up and down the rink entirely on his own.
The organization started in 2009 when four of Richardson’s friends and teammates on his adult league hockey team were diagnosed with cancer.
What started as a small group passing a hat around to raise money for treatment has now grown into a state-wide support system for hockey players to help each other’s unique journeys fighting or recovering from cancer.
Today, DAWG Nation is the biggest hockey nonprofit in Colorado and in 2022 they added a second chapter in St. Louis.
“DAWG Nation is nothing more than rallying the hockey community,” said Marty Richardson.
Landis said he’s “better than ever.”
Since the accident, Jonny and the Landis family have celebrated every milestone, whether it be taking his first step or resuming his studies. Landis returned to CU Boulder and is expected to graduate in the spring of 2025 with a degree in strategic communications and leadership.
His post-graduation plans keep advocacy for recovery at the forefront, and he hopes to pursue a career in medical equipment sales for those suffering brain injuries.
“I just don’t think you can count anyone out when they have God on their side,” said Landis. “Never stop the fight. Never quit fighting.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.