By Mallory Mattingly
Though Latvian hockey player Teddy Blueger and his team haven’t gotten off to the start they wanted at the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, the athlete knows that God is constantly “working in my life.”
“It eventually just kind of felt right,” Blueger told Sports Spectrum in 2023 about his relationship with Christ. “I knew God was there and I could see Him working in my life.”
He credits his former girlfriend, Monique LaFontaine, whom he met in high school, for helping him find Jesus.
“She’s got Jesus just shining through her because of the type of person she is,” Blueger said. “…You look back and you see God working in your life in all these ways.”
In 2021, Blueger married LaFontaine.
Related: Hockey Player Calls Representing Team USA at Olympics ‘Greatest Honors’
Blueger participated in a YouVersion Bible Plan with Compassion International and spoke on how the Bible calls us to live.
He read from Hebrews 12:14-15: “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”
“Hebrews 12 calls us to live in peace with everyone and to mutually encourage our brothers and sisters so no bitterness will take root,” Blueger explained. “Just as a team can’t win when ‘me’ goes at the forefront, we can’t run our spiritual race well when we’re running it by ourselves.”
According to Sports Spectrum, Blueger did not score in Latvia’s match against Italy, but he will “be leaned upon to keep Latvia from going home. Despite finishing fourth in Group C, Blueger and his teammates aren’t out of medal contention yet; all 12 teams will appear in the knockout stage.”
For more inspiring sports stories, check out Sports Spectrum.
As for playing for his home country, Blueger counts it as a privilege and honor.
“Everyone takes a lot of pride in playing for their national team,” Blueger told Canucks Insider. “It’s a huge deal at home [in Latvia], it’s a big honor, and we’re looking forward to going there and just competing.”
“Everyone takes a lot of pride in playing for their national team. It’s a huge deal at home, it’s a big honour, and we’re looking forward to going there and just competing.”
Teddy Blueger discusses his return to play, success on the penalty kill, and the 2026 Winter Olympics. pic.twitter.com/ESsSQiMilk
— Canucks Insider (@CanucksInsider) February 11, 2026
Blueger looks to lead his Latvian team in their next match against Sweden. But ultimately, he looks to Christ to lead him.
Read Next: Hockey Star Recalls the Moment He Dedicated His Life to God: ‘It Was a Miracle’
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
