Death of teammate Mickey Renaud comes way too soon
Feb 21, 2008 - 02:32 PM
By Brad Kelly
There are a lot of life lessons that Clarington's Greg Nemisz and Josh Bailey of the Windsor Spitfires are learning as they progress through the OHL with an eye toward playing in the NHL one day.
One of the lessons that they didn't have to learn at such a young age is that sometimes, life's not fair. But both players are facing that reality this week as they grieve the death of teammate Mickey Renaud, the captain of their hockey club, who collapsed and died at his home near Windsor on Monday.
Burying someone well before their time, in this case just a 19-year-old teenager with his whole life still ahead, is never right, nor is it fair. But sometimes there are answers to be had in the untimely death of a teen. When tragedy strikes someone so young, it can usually be attributed to a car crash, or drugs, or violence. In this case, none of the three provide an answer.
Instead, teammates and staff with the Spitfires, as well as family, friends and fans of the league are left to ponder why? Why now? Questions there are no logical answers for.
"Any new player or prospect we brought to town, Mickey took him under his wing," said head coach Bob Boughner during an emotional press conference held in Windsor earlier this week. Over the course of his NHL playing career, Boughner has had to deal with some tough losses, but none of this nature.
"He was a true leader in the dressing room. The guys shared all their problems with him. He helped a lot of guys through ups and downs."
Boughner told of the unselfish nature of Renaud, who spent a lot of time in the office of the coach. But he was quick to point out that the conversations never revolved around Renaud, but rather the other players on the team. Wondering why a certain player was being driven so hard, or pleading the case of another who could really use a day off.
It would seem that Renaud spent a lot of time thinking of others. Now, everyone's thoughts are with him and his family.
"He's a player that everyone liked," said Spitfires governor Peter Dobrich while choking back tears. "Anyone this person came in contact with, he left a good impression."
Attempts made to contact Nemisz and Bailey were unsuccessful. It wasn't a case of being intrusive or exploiting them at a time like this. But days, weeks, months, years from now, when they look back at this confusing time in their lives, having the opportunity to pay tribute to a teammate, a friend, through the media can help in the healing process. To look back at this moment, and have a comment about the special relationship they shared imbedded in print offers some comfort, though a small consolation.
The two are surrounded by family now, both their own and those adopted through the Spitfires. At times like this, that's the best comfort one can receive.
Brad Kelly's column appears every third week. Email bkelly@durhamregion.com
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