Today marks the one year from the day Windsor Spitfires captain and Calgary Flames draft pick Mickey Renaud collapsed and passed away in his Tecumseh home. The Windsor Star's Bob Duff writes the following piece on the Spitfires and their plans to remember Mickey today.

The Windsor Spitfires will gather quietly tonight, away from the glare of the spotlight, to comfort each other through their grief.

Embraces will be shared. Tears will be shed.

“The boys will get together, we’ll say a prayer,” Spitfires forward Conor O’Donnell said.

All around them, there will memories.

A year ago today, they lost their friend, their leader, their confidant.

Spitfires captain Mickey Renaud died tragically at the age of 19, a victim of the genetic heart ailment hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

“We’re going to do something as a team,” Spitfires coach Bob Boughner said of the club’s plan to mark the anniversary of the loss of their captain.

“We’re going to stick together and be with the Renaud family.”

For the grownups such as Boughner, general manager Warren Rychel, co-owner Pete Dobrich and the rest of the club’s staff, dealing with this difficult scenario was challenging enough.

“There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t think about Mickey,” Boughner said. “He’s still with us.

“He’s everywhere around the room.”

For the young boys who comprise the playing squad, teenagers in that transitional phase toward adulthood, the loss of someone so close has accelerated that process dramatically.

First, it tore them up inside.

“I try not to think about it as much as I can, because it’s upsetting and devastating,” O’Donnell admitted. “He’s someone who won’t be forgotten.”

Then, it united them in a close bond that few had previously experienced.

“Our team really pulled together,” forward Greg Nemisz said.

Boughner has witnessed the evolution of his players from devastation to determination.

“As tight as we are, the chemistry this group has, I think part of that is because of the tragedy that these guys went through together,” Boughner said.

A rash of injuries? A deficit on the scoreboard? A three-games-in-three-nights road trip?

Thanks to the shocking perspective that tragic circumstances do bring, things that used to seem such a chore in the past all of a sudden aren’t that much of a challenge.

“It’s forced a lot of these guys to be thankful for what they have and to know how quickly things can change,” Boughner said.

The loss of Renaud also taught the players that petty differences that can emerge within the close confines of a dressing room over the course of a season really are not worth pursuing.

“When something tragic like that happens, you learn a lot of lessons,” defenceman Harry Young said. “We took away a lot of things from that. We’re a lot stronger now, we’re a lot closer now.

“After that, playing hockey is easy. There’s really nothing that could stop us.

“I’ve never seen a team like this.”

As their captain, Renaud taught them so much about character, about how to carry themselves, about the right way to play the game and to be a caring member of the community.

There are symbolic gestures to Renaud throughout the WFCU Centre, but truth be told, the Spitfires need nothing to remind them of their former captain.

“Mick’s always going to be with us,” Nemisz said.

As will the lessons he taught.

“Everybody tried to look and see what he did and then tried to get up to that level,” Young said. “He changed me in a lot of ways. He taught me a lot about being a leader and being a friend and being a teammate.

“I’ve taken the captaincy since he’s been gone and it’s with enormous pride that I took on that role.”

For many, their own mortality was emphasized at a point in life when most feel invincible.

“It’s made me realize that you can’t take things for granted,” O’Donnell said. “You never know when your life is going to end, so you’d better live life to the fullest.”

In the midst of a record-setting season, the Spitfires will pause tonight to recall the legacy of the young man who should be here sharing in the glory, seeing as how he was the one who paved the path to success for the majority of them.

“It’s very important that Mickey be remembered for who he was,” said Mark Renaud, Mickey’s father at the OHL All-Star Game in Windsor two weeks ago.

Through the zest and passion in which the Spitfires have approached this season and life in general since the tragic loss of the their leader, the preservation of what Renaud stood for seems a certainty.

“He changed our lives forever,” Boughner said. “Every one of us.”

And the following courtesy of a Renaud friend and fan, Chris Laliberte

It was one year ago

It was one year ago today that the world lost an amazing individual. We lost someone that lived life to its fullest, who always wore a smile on his face, who always took great pride in bringing smiles to others faces. Someone who was a natural leader and relished that role every day. This someone was Mickey Renaud.

Mickey was a 19 year old young man that was larger than life. He was 6”2’ and 220 pounds, but his spirit and love for life was even bigger. On Monday, February 18, 2008, Mickey collapsed in his family home and was later pronounced dead in hospital. After months of testing and speculation, it was revealed that Mickey died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is a genetic heart disease which causes the heart to increase in size, eventually restricting the blood flow to the rest of the body. This is the leading cause of death in young athletes.

Mickey was born and raised in Tecumseh, Ontario. He played his minor hockey career in Tecumseh, played AAA for the Sun County Panthers, and then returned to play Junior B for the Tecumseh Chiefs. Mickey was drafted by the Spitfires and played for his home town team for 3 seasons. After the trading of team captain Mike Webber in 2007, Mickey unofficially took the reins of the team leader. The following season, Mickey was awarded the “C”, even though he was already the Captain. Mickey wore that letter with extreme pride, honor, and class.

Mickey’s death was a huge shock to this community. Mickey had touched everyone is one way or another. From public appearances to reading to children to stopping to talk with anyone that said ‘hi’. Mickey was always the ultimate professional and conducted himself with the utmost class. His death sent shock waves through not only our small community, but the entire hockey world.

I had the honor of knowing Mickey for a number of years. He grew up with my younger brother. My brother has special needs, but Mickey treated him just like every other kid. It didn’t matter where, or who he was with, Mickey would always stop and say hi and give my brother a “high-five”. When our grandmother passed away, Mickey presented my brother with a stick that was autographed by the entire Spitfire team. That was just a few examples of his thoughtfulness and generosity.

The morning of his funeral, you could feel the amount of emotion in the city. Over 2000 people filed their way into St. Anne’s church to pay their last respects to a kid that gave everything to this community. It was definitely a very emotional and powerful moment. Kids lined the street with sticks in hand, tapping them on the road as the casket passed by. His team mates lined up on both side of the hearse, allowing Mickey, one last time, to centre his line mates. Viewing pictures afterwards really sunk in the devastation. The pain and anguish on everyone’ faces (family, friends, team mates, and fans), was a testament to how much this young man meant to these people.

The Spitfires returned to the ice 6 days later, in a night that I will never soon forget. It was a night full of emotion, sadness, passion, and celebration. It all started with a sold out crowd in Windsor Arena, coming to their feet and cheering on the players as they came on the ice for the pregame warm-ups. Every Spitfire player was wearing a red jersey with a ‘C’ on the front and the #18 (Mickey’s number) and Renaud on the back. The Belleville Bulls (who were opposing the Spits this night) also had their own version of a commemorative Renaud jersey on. Following the warm-ups, the fans were shown a 15 minute memorial video of Renaud, recapping all that he had accomplished as a Spitfire as well as showcasing his talents on the ice. It was extremely hard to watch this video, as we all knew there would be no more highlights.

The players then returned to the ice and lined up on the blue line. We watched another video package, which last just a bit too long for most to handle. A moment of silence then followed. The players then proceeded to remove their Renaud jerseys and place them on a table. Mickey’s older brother Remy, accompanied by Mickey’s closest friends, came out to drop the ceremonial first puck. Keaton Turkowytz, who was a former team mate of Mickey’s, came out for Belleville. At this time, it was Mickey would who come up to take this faceoff. But on this night, no Spitfire would come to centre ice. Bradley Snetsinger, the longest current serving Spitfire (who was one of the players with Mickey when he passed at his home), came and picked up the puck and presented it to Mickey’s brother.

Even with all these emotions surrounding these players, they came out and played an inspired game. They would ultimately lose in a shootout, however, the result being a moot point. The winners were all the players for showing the bravery to push on. What happened after the game though, sent chills down my spine. The Spitfires gather at center ice and saluted the crowd, with the entire Belleville team tapping their sticks on the ice. All the players then proceeded to shake hands and exchange hugs and words of encouragement.

Mickey will definitely never be forgotten. His presence is everywhere. The road leading up the new WFCU Centre is named Mickey Renaud Way. There is the #18 painted behind every net in the new facility as well as a commemorative board sign in all the rinks. Mickey’s #18 has been retired by the Spitfires and his banner hangs high in the rafters. The OHL has just announced a new award, the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Award. This award will be given out to the team captain, who best exemplifies the qualities that Mickey demonstrated every day, but on and off the ice.

A year has gone by since he physically left this world. His spirit lives on and he continues to inspire all of us to be the best that we can possibly be. He lives in all of us and will certainly never be forgotten. Rest in peace friend, you are greatly missed.
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RIP Mickey Renaud
1988-2008

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