Noah Southard // Paolo De Sousa skates against Alabama

Hockey is not a sport associated with Oklahoma. The temperature doesn’t drop low enough being in the South, and there is not an abundance of rinks or players. 

For Paolo De Sousa, Oklahoma did not hold a single soul he was familiar with, but this sport was his reason to move this state from Quebec, Montreal. With a strong support system in his family, he has found his way through it.

De Sousa attends the University of Oklahoma and captains the Division I club hockey team. Club athletes do not receive scholarships to receive an education. 

De Sousa started playing hockey when he was 6 years old. When he was only 14, he chose to go to an all boys hockey preparatory school, Harrington College. Although it was only about 30 to 40 minutes away, De Sousa had to overcome the challenges of living away from home.

“I wasn’t really prepared for it,” De Sousa said. “I was kind of homesick. I wanted to be with my parents and my siblings. My parents showed me that it was a good opportunity for both school and hockey.”

In Montreal, De Sousa lived with his mother, father, brother and sister. All of them impact his life, but one member drives and inspires him a little bit more. 

“My favorite number growing up was eight,” De Sousa said. “My sister was born in 1988. I wear 88 in honor of her. It will be six years wearing that number.”

Tanya De Sousa is Paolo’s sister. She will turn 31 in December. When she was born, she was diagnosed with autism. 

“Unfortunately, she is intellectually handicapped,” Paolo said. “She doesn’t have the ability to act as a 30-year-old.

“Although, I’m grateful for it. It has changed my perspective on life. It helped me see the little things and be a better person. I don’t like to use the word different. She’s unique. She’s my engine and inspiration.”

Without his family, De Sousa believes this process would not be possible. Living in Canada, they aren’t able to make it to most of his games, but he owes a lot of his success to them.

“They have done a lot for me not only to be here at OU, but to get me here,” De Sousa said. “If it wasn’t for them, between my surgery, school and the hard times, I wouldn’t be here. I know they are always supporting me online, and it’s always nice to have that support back home.”

Norman was not on De Sousa’s bucket list under places to live. He knew about the football team, but was uncertain about the hockey. Once he stepped on campus, he was sold. 

“If you would’ve told me a year or so before coming here that I would end up in Norman, Oklahoma, going to the University of Oklahoma, I probably would’ve laughed,” De Sousa said with a big smile. “Then, I would’ve asked you to point me to where Oklahoma was on a map.”

Hockey to Canada is football to America. The passion and culture for American sports is De Sousa’s biggest change coming from Canadian life. Seeing both perspectives for him is the difference he takes away from American culture. 

“Going to a hockey game in Montreal, I thought this was the loudest I’ll ever hear with about 23,000 people,” De Sousa said. “I go to my first OU football game and there are 80,000 to 90,000 people. I was absolutely stunned. I never thought I’d see this many people.”

De Sousa’s hobbies outside of hockey include hanging out with the team, going to football games and playing soccer. Little did he know, one of those activities would result in surgery.

De Sousa grew up playing competitive soccer until it was time for the decision to focus more on his hockey career. Over the summer of 2017 heading into his junior year, he tore his ACL playing around with a group of friends.

“It was just a freak accident,” De Sousa said. “It was probably the toughest six to seven months of my life, but I learned a lot about myself and those around me. I’m grateful for the position that I am in because a lot of people said this would be a career-ending injury. I got a lot of doubts on it, but I turned it around to fuel my comeback.” 

 The insane thing about the injury is he continued to play through his junior year before he even had surgery. He continued to lead his team, putting up 23 points in 27 games that season. 

Not only did he use his recovery to fuel his return to the ice, but De Sousa used the time to fuel another aspect of his life.

“That’s kind of when I found my faith in God,” De Sousa said. “God always has a plan. I noticed that this was part of his plan to teach me how to overcome obstacles. It’s not always going to be sunshine and rainbows.”

De Sousa was chosen to be a captain of this year’s team. This leadership role means he is respected and cared about by his team and coaches. Sooners sophomore forward Kevin Moran is thankful for De Sousa leading this team. 

“He took me under his wing,” Moran said. “He’s always honest. Even last year, he had the leadership mentality. I moved from defense to forward, and without even asking, he sat me down to help me. His knowledge of the game and how everyone looks up to him is definitely admirable.”

Sooners junior forward Nicholas Gatti has high praise for De Sousa, as well. 

“He wears his heart on his sleeve,” Gatti said. “Anyone will tell you that. He’s a great leader on and off the ice, and he’s a great hockey player. You know what to expect from him every game. Everything he does in life he cares and he’s passionate.”

De Sousa is a man of the people. He and his teammates will visit their little fans before and after the home games. They will give them signed pucks and broken sticks that are perfect sizes for them. 

“I just know how it made me feel when I was growing up,” De Sousa said. “At the time, guys like Jonathan Bernier were local superstars before playing in the NHL. It was a simple tap to me at 8 years old, and at 25 years old, I’m still talking about that. I know how that made me feel and how it stuck with me. If I can share that same happiness and feeling, it is the least we can do for the fans that support us all year long.”

De Sousa uprooted his whole Canadian life to move to a small town and continue his hockey dreams. He has impacted countless teammates, coaches, fans and everyone in between. Does he regret his experience? Not one bit. 

“Life has its ups and down,” De Sousa said. “But you have to enjoy the little things. Like I said, God has a plan.”