Play for Patrick

 

Remembering and celebrating the life and legacy of Patrick Schoonover

Last Updated on Wednesday, 25 February 2015 16:36

 

 By John Hamre
Let’s Play Hockey Guest Columnist
 

There exists a special tradition within the Eastview Youth Hockey Association and community. Each winter the Eastview High School team scrimmages the Eastview PeeWees. Patrick Schoonover participated in such a ‘scrimmage game’ several years ago, and recorded his feelings and memories in the following poem:

‘A Day at The Rink’
By Patrick Schoonover
3/22/12
The Hockey net reminds me of the time I scored the games first goal and the goal to win it in the O.T. against varsity.
The Varsity makes me think if I’ll be in the picture when I’m on the varsity team, if I make it.
My friends make me think of how we stuck together over the year and of how much fun we’ve had.
The Eastview logo makes me think of the Tampa Bay Lightning logo, did they copy it???
The ice reminds me of a cool summers day hanging by the pool and drinking lemonade with my friends.

 

High school players, junior players, college players, even pros – Patrick is speaking, and he is speaking to us all. The positive impact any person can impart upon another is immeasurable. You may not realize it for a long time – if you are ever fortunate enough to realize it at all. An act of kindness through giving the single most valuable gift you have to share – your time spent, and thus wisdom – may ultimately inspire, motivate and change a person’s life for the better. Patrick Schoonover felt this as a PeeWee in 2011-12, and we can celebrate his legacy as a leader and protector in roles as a teammate and friend.

 

“We love talking about (Patrick),” Patrick’s parents, Mike and Gayle Schoonover, said. “You don’t really appreciate what you have until it is gone.” 

 

 

The Schoonover family is unified with faith, courage, wisdom and love. These qualities enable them to share their family’s and Patrick’s experiences so openly, transparently, honestly and proudly. They illuminate a deeper meaning, perspective and purpose to consider – for youth hockey, youth sports, youth activities. Patrick can help remind us why kids play sports, how kids grow up, learn, compete with each other and hopefully support each other more, by remembering and celebrating his legacy. 

 

Patrick Schoonover’s passing on Nov. 14, 2014, is respected and remembered, in order to share his life and legacy. Thankfully, Patrick’s own words, the pictures capturing his smile and so many memories of Patrick – captured within the hearts of family members, friends, teammates, classmates, teachers, coaches and all – will allow his life to be celebrated long into the future!
 

 

Often in competitive sport and hockey, especially at playoff time, it is said to “play each game, play each shift, like it’s your last.” 

 

What does this mean? What does it mean to a coach, to the player, to their parents, to the fans? What did it mean then? What does it mean now?

 

Perhaps it’s to “enjoy being your very best” in the competition of each shift and each game. Applied to life’s meaning, perhaps more importantly, it’s to impact others positively within each day lived. 

 

To #PlayForPatrick96. 

 

Perhaps it’s to not take time and opportunities for granted. Patrick Schoonover lived life respectfully, healthy, free within the innocence of youth and surrounded by family, friends, teammates, classmates, teachers, coaches and his communities. We are able to celebrate and reflect upon his life because of who he became. His life gives a meaningful legacy to draw wisdom from.

 

On many shifts, in a lot of games , on a lot days in life, this can be hard. This can be painful. And these moments can be laced with grace, beauty, wisdom and transcending strength for those who persevere; for those who find reason to celebrate gifts.  Mike and Gayle Schoonover, Patrick’s older sisters Abby and Anna, younger brother Matthew, and their entire family are living this with Patrick’s legacy enlightening their and our futures.

 

On the morning of Friday, Nov. 14, there was a discussion between mother and father about whether Patrick, and the boys, would be going to school. Gayle thought school attendance might be in order, while Mike felt that Patrick needed to help pack the car for his Eastview Bantam team’s weekend tournament trip to Brainerd. Ultimately, with parental consensus the boys were excused from school and “got to help pack” for the trip and weekend tournament ahead. Driving northward, Patrick was giving traffic reports and updates for the ideal route to get them into Brainerd and to the hotel most quickly.

 

“We had a great time the day of the Brainerd tournament,” Mike said.

 

“We were getting unpacked in the hotel room, and we got a knock on the hotel door,” Gayle added. “Patrick was knocking on our hotel door and then ran. The boys on the team said Patrick was knocking on random doors. The boys on the team didn’t know us yet as Patrick’s parents. Patrick knew it was our room door. He was just a big kid.

 

“As parents, sometimes you think the worst. We just knew (Patrick) had good sense. He was always respectful when on his own away from us. We’ve received a lot of comments on Patrick’s smile, and his ability to make others smile. As a parent, you don’t think about or pay attention to those things enough.”

 

“The coaches’ best memories of Patrick after his goal scored were his beet red face and smile,” Mike said. “We feel so good about how much he is loved and respected.  We didn’t realize the magnitude of impact on others Patrick had.”

 

 

 Patrick Schoonover’s parents both grew up in Minnesota. His father, Mike, grew up in Mounds View, and his mother, Gayle, in Burnsville. The Schoonovers are a “hockey family” – season ticket holders for the Minnesota Wild, all children growing up actively playing hockey in the winter, a family’s backyard pond hockey rink tucked down the hill among the trees. When older sister Anna was playing 10U hockey, Patrick, then 5 or 6, said, “I want to play hockey, too.”

 

The Lake Region Youth Hockey Association (LRYHA) is where Mike Schoonover began playing hockey. Tom Wegleitner was one of the founding fathers of LRYHA, and shared his passion for the game of hockey to Mike in his youth. Sometimes one tries to find connections within events, in order to interpret meanings of life’s journey within the myriad of relationships we all exist. Perhaps of coincidence, perhaps of timely irony, Tom Wegleitner passed away the same morning of Patrick Schoonover’s final hockey game.

 

“Patrick has a good coach (in heaven),” Mike said, his words filled with immense respect for his old coach, and immeasurable love for his son.
 

 

Patrick Schoonover has been characterized as a team leader, displaying a patented smile and sense of humor that ‘made all laugh. A multi-sport athlete, he played both hockey and soccer, and displayed both success and continued development within each. This fall, Patrick was the goaltender for the undefeated Black Hawk Middle School soccer team. He was proud of both his hockey and soccer team friendships, and team accomplishments shared with his teammates, family and friends. Ultimately, hockey was his first love.

 

“Patrick was super competitive, a great teammate, and showed a lot of leadership in the locker room,” Mike said. “He was the person that got the team pumped up, kind of a ringleader.

 

 

“When he started playing hockey, he typically made the B team the first year, and the A team the second year. This year, he really worked hard over the summer and was maturing mentally and physically. He was really maturing. He was shooting to make the B1 team in tryouts. He knew the B1 coach was a fun coach and really good. It was a no-lose situation. If he made the A team, he made it on his own. He was so happy and proud (when he made the A team this year). Every game he was getting it, figuring it out more and more. His last game he scored a goal, he was so happy.”

 

“Patrick was known for his slap shot. On his last goal, he scored on a wrister,” Gayle added. 

 

Ironically, several years earlier in his youth hockey playing career, young Patrick took a slap shot that hit current youth hockey referee and former North Star/Fighting Saint Jack Carlson in the face with the puck. With blood spewing, Carlson had to leave the game he was officiating. 

 

“Not many people ever knocked Jack Carlson out of a hockey game, but Patrick could claim he had,” the Schoonovers said, both fully aware and respectful of Carlson’s legendary playing career and toughness in the game at the highest professional levels – and, more so, genuinely appreciative of Carlson’s current mentorship with youth as a hockey referee.

 

“Patrick was always known as a forward, but this year he decided to try out as a defenseman,” Mike said. “He could read and react to the play, and he had nice passing abilities. He made Bantam AA as a defenseman and was doing a really good job. He was one of four first-year kids on the team. Patrick was proud of that. He was with a bunch of ninth graders (as an eighth grader).”

 

 

“I put the bug in his ear to play defense. He was not used to playing defense, but he had a natural ability with hockey. Kind of a God-given talent,” Gayle said. “Whenever he was in clinics, he would try to keep up with (teammate) Joey Schilling. I thought it was great he was playing with Joey this season. I asked him what it was like to be playing with Joey. Patrick said, ‘Well everyone is out with Joey. He’s out every other shift.  We all rotate.’” 

 

Besides coming into his own this season as a defenseman, the Schoonovers shared insights on Patrick’s maturation in middle school. 

 

“So many kids commented to us on the positive impacts Patrick had,” Mike said. “I’m proud of him. He was turning into a nice young man.”

 

“Patrick was always one to be there when someone was being picked on,” Gayle said. “That was good to hear. Patrick always took the new kid in. He loved kids and was drawn to little kids, and kids to him. We had a lot of his friends, and girls that he was friends with, too, come to the house.” 

 

“He was a defender, a protector – both at school and in hockey,” Mike added. “On the ice, other teams liked to get after him, trying to push his buttons because he was the biggest guy. He would always protect his goalie. He would stick a hand out to block a shot. He would stick a foot out, just get wide to block a shot. He was starting to figure out his mind and body.”

 

 

Patrick had many interests. “He loved to fish, and he loved to go fishing for frogs,” Mike said. “He loved to get his hands dirty. He would go out fishing by himself. He just enjoyed life a lot. And he had a saying, ‘I like food and food likes me.’ Sometimes we’d get a text from Patrick saying ‘bring food.’”

 

Patrick certainly had his favorite NHL teams and players to follow. He loved the New Jersey Devils and Washington Capitals, and Alex Ovechkin was his favorite NHL player. But his interests in the Minnesota Wild were always present – and astutely growing.

 

“Because we were Wild fans, I think he wanted something different,” Gayle said.

 

“He was getting interested in the Wild, he knew they were getting pretty good,” Mike added.

 

Mike and Gayle described Patrick’s interactions and love for the Minnesota Wild players, too. They described a time in Rice Park in downtown St. Paul when kids had the opportunity to play outdoor floorball with Wild players. The Wild had a sport court set up outside and Patrick got to play with Stephane Veilleux and Brad Bombardir. 

 

“Hockey is really in our family fabric.  On a pond, rink, in the driveway…” Mike said.

 

Mike described taking Patrick to a Wild game several seasons ago with the promotion ‘The Jersey Off Their Backs.’ Patrick noticed one of the arena personnel looking at them late in the game, and then approached them. They were given a ticket, brought down to the ice after the game, and received Wild defenseman Greg Zanon’s game jersey. Patrick got to meet and have a photograph with Zanon.

 

“Hockey was his true passion,” Mike said. “Knee hockey, pond hockey, the outdoor rink at Christmas. Memories of hours on the ice. Everything he wrote about at school was about hockey. Patrick was an awesome writer! Kids can be competitive. Patrick really values the fun (with his friendships).”

 

“Patrick was pretty smart but never let on,” Gayle said. “He was an interesting kid to try and figure out. At his age, kids don’t always communicate. In his journal he was writing, we found his ‘My Bucket List’ after his passing. He also had journal entries following and analyzing NHL salary caps. The things they do that you don’t know.”

 

Wisdom, perspective, dreams and aspirations shared from Patrick. Live forward and celebrate the beautiful life and joy shown by Patrick Schoonover. Gayle and Mike shared Patrick’s journal entry titled ‘My Bucket List’:

Journal Entry N #40
My Bucket List (Patrick Schoonover)
* Win the lottery cause it’d be cool
* Get married, cause I don’t wanna die alone!!!
* Make it to the NHL, Win the cup
* travel to a different country, branch out
* Go to Space
* Wanna be a teacher?
* graduate from high school / college
 

On Patrick’s impactful legacy, his father said, “Patrick has a different legacy. We are going to try to do some good by educating and informing people. We are going to share with people maybe what we could have done, and share with others about not knowing there was an issue (with his medical condition).”

 

Upon paying respects, and thanking Gayle and Mike for their time and gracious hospitality, Mike shared one last thought. “I’ve got another idea of a story for you, for hockey parents. We’ve got to let parents know why these kids are playing hockey, having fun, keeping perspective, on realizing what you have before its too late.” 

 

Sincerest sympathies and respect are expressed to all family and friends of Patrick Schoonover. Mike and Gayle Schoonover graciously shared time and many personal memories of their son in celebration of Patrick’s life and his powerful, positive legacy inspired. The continued sharing and celebration of these memories will keep Patrick’s inspirational spirit and legacy alive.

Electronic billboards in memory of Patrick Schoonover appeared at 26 locations across the Twin Cities.