AJ Quetta, Bishop Feehan hockey player who suffered a serious spinal cord injury, returns to the squad as coach

AJ Quetta, the Bishop Feehan hockey player who suffered a serious spinal cord injury in a game earlier this year, returns to his high school team as an assistant coach.

“In the midst of this season of Thanksgiving and Blessings, Division 1 Bishop Feehan Hockey is very pleased to announce the addition of AJ Quetta to the Varsity Boys coaching staff,” the team said in a statement. declaration.

Quetta’s spinal cord injury came after a head-first collision with the boards during a game in January. Since then, he has spent time in rehabilitation at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Shepherd Center in Atlanta, specializing in spinal cord injury.

“He’s a great person and his presence on the ice will be a driving force for our boys in their quest for the MIAA Division 1 State Title,” Bishop Feehan Hockey’s Twitter account read.

“I really want to be a friend, a mentor,” Quetta said. WBZ this week. “I just finished my senior season so anytime any of the kids have a question about something that has to do with it I think I can help them.”

Quetta will work on analysis of practices and match movies and work with the team’s forwards, according to the team’s statement. He will also help develop brand and team program communication.

“One of the tasks I was given was to build a coaching team,” head coach David Franzosa told WBZ. “Of course, AJ’s name came to mind.

Prior to her injury, Quetta played on Bishop Feehan’s varsity hockey team for three years. He graduated in June.

“When I asked him if we would be ready to coach, I told him to think about it,” said Franzosa. “It took a second. He said ‘I’m all a coach.’ “

A GoFundMe page has raised over a million dollars to help with Quetta’s recovery. He told WBZ he didn’t think he would do anything like practice at this point.

“I never got to say goodbye to the game like a lot of seniors do,” Quetta said. “So I guess I’ll never have to say goodbye. “