A Long Island high school hockey player whose off-ice, near-death experience and broken neck rocked the sports world is miraculously walking and back for his senior year.
“There were several big miracles,” Mark Dubeau, father of Smithtown West’s Connor Dubeau, told The Post.
Last month, Connor had slipped and fallen under the waters of Gilgo Beach, breaking the C-4 bone in his neck, and rendering the 17-year-old temporarily paralyzed while under the water.
Close friend and junior Islanders teammate Kevin Bonino, a senior who also plays for Chaminade High School, quickly sprang into action at the beach. He got his buddy above water before running out of oxygen, thanks to the help of another young man, Jake Geller.
“He was able to walk out of the hospital almost two-and-a-half-weeks later,” said Mark, who added that his son’s neck surgery and recovery went exceptionally well because of the peak condition he stayed in for hockey. “It’s incredible… it’s really good for him to actually be back at school.”
And, throughout the ordeal, Connor was shown an overwhelming amount of love.
Bonino, who Mark described as “a great, great hockey player, a great teammate,” wouldn’t leave Connor’s side in the hospital as “you could tell there’s a special bond between those two guys.”
“Kevin coming to see Connor all the time even became therapeutic for me,” said Mark.
Soon enough, the tale of the teen’s perilous journey began making its way to the NHL.
Fellow Long Islander and Boston Bruins draft pick James Hagens called Connor during his recovery; Islanders captain Anders Lee was texting him, while team alum Matt Martin and Josh Bailey also reached out.
“Connor’s favorite player, P.K. Subban, ended up sending him a personal text message with a video and posted about him on social media,” said Mark.
“Then, to top it off, two weekends ago, Mr. Bobby Orr called Connor. The hockey community has just been awesome.”
All of that pales in comparison to the greatest gift of all for the Dubeau family: a happy and healthy son.
“Connor has been going to hockey practice at least two times a week just to see his friends in the locker room,” added his father.
In football, 2-0 Farmingdale hosts 1-1 Herricks/Wheatley Friday at 6:30 p.m.
On Saturday, 2-0 Jericho travels to 1-1 MacArthur at 2 p.m.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
