Gennaro pushes through pain of death of friend
SWIFT CURRENT There are no visible scars, but Matteo Gennaro is recovering from an injury that might never fully heal.
Although he hasn’t missed a shift with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos, the 20-year-old centre is hurting as he deals with the loss of Stephen Wack — a close friend who was one of 16 people killed in the Humboldt Broncos’ bus crash.
“It has definitely been a hard couple weeks,” Gennaro said Saturday after his team’s 4-3 OT win over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final.
“I’ve had a lot going through my mind … but the guys have really helped me out. Playing hockey is kind of good for me. In a sense, I think it has helped, but I definitely haven’t been as clear-headed as other times in my career.”
Although the accident hit Gennaro hard, he was able to forge ahead during a second-round playoff series against the Moose Jaw Warriors. His shining moment was a hat-trick performance in Game 4, scoring all three goals for the Broncos in a dramatic 3-2 doubleovertime win.
It took seven games, but Swift Current wrapped up the series April 16. A few hours later, Gennaro was at Rogers Place in Edmonton to speak during a memorial service for Wack and three other players from the area (Jaxon Joseph, Logan Hunter and Parker Tobin).
Gennaro knew all of them except Tobin.
“It was a pretty emotional day,” said the native of St. Albert, Alta., who played minor hockey with Wack and also went to school with him. “I did speak on behalf of Stephen and his family. It’s something you never want to deal with, but he was a best friend for me. That’s something I wasn’t going to miss regardless of my hockey situation.
“Some things are bigger than hockey. The coaching staff (in Swift Current) was 100 per cent supportive of that. It definitely helped me get some closure just being there with the people who knew him.”
For those who didn’t, Gennaro’s speech provided some insight into what made Wack such a dear friend.
“I had some great stories to share,” he said. “Stephen had one of the most positive outlooks on life I’ve ever been around. He was a person you never saw frustrated or angry or jealous. He just had that kind of heart. There’s so many things I’ll forever remember him by. As tough as it was, it was good for people to understand the person he was and I was honoured to be able to share that about him.”
Wack may be gone, but he continues to have a profound impact on Gennaro, who’s determined to
I’ve had a lot going through my mind … but the guys have really helped me out.
accomplish big things in his honour — both now and in the future.
Given their mutual passion for hockey, the 2018 WHL playoffs seem like a fitting place to start.
“I’m definitely motivated to play as hard as I can for him,” added Gennaro. “Most importantly, I think (this tragedy) has taught me life lessons — that life is short, nothing is guaranteed. You have to be there for your friends and make efforts in your relationships because you don’t know when those can be taken away from you.”