By Aaron Bell
Mickey Renaud’s family couldn’t think of a better tribute to honour his memory.
Renaud’s parents Mark and Jane were on hand last week during the all-star festivities in Windsor when Ontario Hockey League Commissioner David Branch announced that the league would annually present the Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy to the OHL team captain that best exemplified the characteristics that Renaud brought to the Spitfires.
The Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy will be presented for the first time this June at the OHL’s awards ceremony at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. The winner will be selected by a panel of media members that will review the on and off-ice resumes of the 20 OHL team captains.
“We’re thrilled that he will be remembered by the league in this way,” Mark Renaud said. “It is a great tribute. It’s a nice way to remember Mickey and the criterion for the award is very special and something that Mickey was known for. There will be a lot of very worthy recipients down the road and that pleases us very much. It’s a very fitting award for Mickey and a very nice remembrance.”
Mickey Renaud passed away last February at his home in Tecumseh at the age of 19. It was later confirmed that he suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic heart disorder.
The inspiration for the Captain’s Trophy came out of the speech that Mark Renaud gave at the Windsor Arena when the Spitfires retired Mickey’s #18 in September.
“It was a very bittersweet night,” Renaud said. “Normally when players have their numbers retired they are there to enjoy the evening and it’s a very happy occasion. For us, it was a little bit different. While we were very happy that Mickey was being honoured and remembered that way, it was a tough night for us as well because it was a bit of a good-bye for us with the Spitfires and with the Windsor Arena. I guess bittersweet is the easiest way to describe it. It was a nice night but a tough night too.”
It’s a one-of-a-kind trophy that will honour a unique player that is fondly remembered by his teammates and family for his giving nature and team-first attitude.
“I don’t know if there is another sport or another league that has a trophy quite like this,” Branch said. “But one of the things that really came at us was wow; you know you are going to have a quality recipient every year. Isn’t that great? That’s the way you would hope it would be and undoubtedly that will be the case.
“This is a small way of us perpetuating the memory of Mickey, who met so much to the community, the Spitfires organization and to our league. He exemplified what our league is all about – quality young people making a difference in the game and in their community. It’s indeed an honour and a privilege that we can as a league demonstrate our desire to remember Mickey.”
Spitfires’ President and Coach Bob Boughner said that having their former captain remembered this way is a very special tribute to a young man that meant a lot to everyone associated with their organization.
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