Josh Pauls was 17 when he won his first Paralympic gold medal in Vancouver. He was the youngest player on the 2010 Team USA para ice hockey roster, a high school junior from South Plainfield, New Jersey, who'd only been playing the sport for seven years.

Sixteen years later, in Milan, he became the first player in para ice hockey history to win five consecutive Paralympic gold medals. He was also the last surviving member of that original 2010 squad still competing at this level. And before the final game even started, his teammates had already voted him to carry the United States flag into the Opening Ceremony at the Arena di Verona.

That moment carried weight beyond the athletic achievement. Josh's grandfather was born in Italy. When Josh walked into that stadium holding the flag, he was stepping into the country his grandfather had left to build a life in America.

"To be selected as a flagbearer is such a great honor," Josh said after the ceremony. "It is an honor that's really special just because it's done by your peers. To do this in the country my grandfather was born in and to be able to carry the U.S. flag in the country he was able to come to and make a life for himself, is what America's all about."

Born Without Tibia Bones

Josh was born December 31, 1992, with tibial hemimelia, a rare condition that left him without tibia bones in both legs. At 10 months old, both legs were amputated below the knee. His parents, Tony and his wife, raised him in a household that loved hockey. The family were New Jersey Devils fans, and the sport was always in the background.

When Josh was eight, his father took him to see the NJ-Woodbridge Warriors play sled hockey in Bridgewater. Josh started playing at 10. By the time he was a teenager, he'd joined the New York Rangers Sled Hockey Club and was attending USA Hockey Development Camps. He made his U.S. National Team debut in 2008 at age 15.

Two years later, he was in Vancouver wearing red, white, and blue.

Five Golds Across 16 Years

Josh has been on every gold-medal-winning U.S. para ice hockey team since 2010: Vancouver, Sochi, PyeongChang, Beijing, and Milan. No other player in the sport's history has done that.

In Beijing, he became the U.S. all-time leader in career Paralympic appearances for sled hockey. He was already the program's youngest captain, named to that role in October 2017 at age 25. Milan marked his fifth gold as captain.

The pressure wasn't small. The U.S. men's and women's hockey teams had swept gold at both the Olympics and Paralympics in Milan, making history as the first nation to win all three hockey golds at a single Games. Josh's team was the last to play. A loss would have broken the streak.

"No country has ever won all three gold medals in hockey before in the Olympics and the Paralympics," Josh said before the final. "So I'd say it's a little bit of pressure, but pressure is a privilege, right?"

The U.S. dominated the tournament, outscoring opponents 46-6 across all games. In the gold medal match on March 15, they beat Canada 6-2 in front of a sellout crowd of 10,795, a record for para ice hockey attendance.

Jack Wallace scored a hat trick. Declan Farmer, who was setting his own records throughout the tournament, added another goal. Josh and his teammates controlled the game from start to finish.

The Mr. Potato Head Tradition

The team calls Josh "Spuds." It's a nickname that comes with a ritual. Before every game, Josh faces a Mr. Potato Head figure toward the opposing team's locker room. It's a small, absurd tradition that has followed them through five Paralympic cycles.

Josh is a motivational speaker and author. He wrote a book called Lessons Learned: My Journey to the Podium. He moved to St. Louis and got married, a life he credits directly to the sport. "I wouldn't have moved to St. Louis, and I wouldn't have met my wife without sled hockey," he said in a post-tournament interview.

He's logged 116 points in 150 games with the U.S. national team. His career has outlasted most of his peers. The 2010 roster is long retired. Josh is still here.

What Comes After Five

When asked about becoming the only five-time gold medalist in para ice hockey, Josh was characteristically focused on the team, not the record.

"You don't ever start out and try to be the only five-time gold medalist in the sport," he said. "But to be with these guys, to lead them and kind of pass on that tradition, it's the ultimate honor."

He also made it clear he wants his records broken. "We left it all out on the ice and to be able to set records, the only thing that would make me happier is when some of these guys break my records, because I'd love to see the dynasty continue."

Josh's post-career goal is coaching. He wants to stay in hockey, not as a player but as someone who shapes the next generation. He's 33 now, and while he hasn't announced retirement, it's clear he's thinking about what comes next.

For now, though, he's the player who did what no one else has done. Five consecutive Paralympic golds. The captain who carried the flag into the Arena di Verona, into the country his grandfather was born in, before leading his team to one more win.

Five consecutive Paralympic golds is a legacy that won't come easily to anyone else. But if Josh has his way, someone will try, and when they do, he'll be the one coaching them through it.