Matzka Battling ALS with Championship Teammates in His Corner
10/11/2018 1:08:00 PM | Ice Hockey, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Scott Matzka is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Gehrig, "The Iron Horse," played in 2,130 consecutive games for the New York Yankees before benching himself because he felt terribly lethargic early in the 1939 season, and he died two years later, two weeks before his 38th birthday.
The disease, which Matzka learned he definitely had three years ago, has claimed most of his motor skills. He hasn't been able to walk for some time, and he can't talk as he once did, instead using a special computer that he controls with his eyes to communicate. But his mind remains clear and sharp, and we relayed questions and answers via email recently.
Twenty years ago, Matzka, a gritty forward from Port Huron, Michigan, assisted on the winning goal for the University of Michigan in the NCAA ice hockey championship game. But now simply living, despite all he has to live for, is such a challenge. I asked Matzka what gets him through.
"Mostly a will to live and to see as much of my kids growing up as I possibly can," said Matzka, who along with his wife, Catie, has daughter Reese, 9, and son Owen, 6. "I also have a desire to help bring down this ugly disease!"
Bill Trainor, his classmate, roommate and four-year teammate at Michigan, said it's a difficult time for all who know and love Matzka.
"It's hard to comprehend," said Trainor, who also has two young children, "and harder to comprehend when you do have kids. You appreciate just how precious life is and how precious those people around you are.
"It's just so devastating, and to know Scotty, and knowing he has two young children, is hard to put into words, to know what he's going through. So, what we can do is try to support him as much as we can -- whether that's through text messages or friendship or just checking in, whatever you can do to at least take his mind off it a little bit and try to get him through.
"And what gets him through it is just getting to see his kids one more day. You realize through the eyes of someone else how precious life is, and it's so difficult to see what Scotty's going through."
After dropping the puck at the inaugural ALS Awareness Game in October 2016, Matzka and his family attended another game later that season.
Matzka, who turned 40 in May, made it his mission to raise awareness for ALS with "My Turn," which can be accessed at www.scottmatzka.com. And he's doing so with the help of many of his former Wolverine hockey teammates, with whom he won it all in 1998.
They're celebrating a 20th anniversary of their championship Friday (Oct. 12) at a reunion with their families that includes an afternoon skate before dinner and attending the Wolverines' exhibition game that night with the U.S. National Team Development Program. They'll also be recognized the next night at the Wolverine football game with Wisconsin.
"It's a team reunion," said Trainor, "but we're most certainly going to have Scotty on our minds. This has two purposes."
How excited is Matzka about the weekend?
"Very," he said. "I'm especially excited to see Scott Crawford, who I haven't seen in 13 years. It will be a blast!"
Crawford, a defenseman from Ontario, was part of a 10-man freshman class that Matzka came in with in September 1997. Matzka roomed with Josh Langfeld as a freshman, and over four years he also roomed with seven other classmates: Bob Gassoff, Dave Huntzicker, Geoff Koch, Mark Kosick, L.J. Scarpace (who transferred from Western Michigan), Trainor and Mike Van Ryn.
Matzka's father built wooden bunk beds for them in a house they all rented not far from the athletic campus, and they became as close as close could be.
"Being classmates makes this situation even closer for all of us," said Trainor. "We followed probably the most decorated class Michigan's ever had -- the Brendan Morrison class (that won a national title in 1996) that included John Madden and Jason Botterill -- and we had big skates to fill.
"And that year, almost half of our lineup in the 1998 national championship game was freshmen. We jumped in immediately, and Scotty was one of our blue-chips. He had tremendous skills and was a tremendous skater. He was very fast and had a very important role for us all four years. He was consistently in the top two or three lines his freshman year, playing with Langfeld and Koch, and Scotty assisted on that championship-winning goal (by Langfeld).
"Scotty was a big-time player for us, and off the ice we were pretty close as a class. We formed a close bond, and Scotty and I were pretty close. As soon as somebody we love and care about (has a challenge), we're going to come to the rescue as best as we can. We've had plenty of golf outings for Scotty and the Michigan alumni-Red Wing game. Guys came in from all over the country and dropped everything to help their mate."
Matzka said of his time as a Wolverine: "It was special, an awesome four years. My experience at Michigan has gotten better with time. As I've gotten older, I have felt more grateful about that experience. The whole program means so much to me with the way we've felt supported."
The 1997-98 Wolverines won the ice hockey program's ninth national championship (Matzka in second row, second from right).
Last season, a team of Detroit Red Wings alumni and former Wolverines met at Yost Ice Arena for an ALS Awareness Game. Trainor said so many wanted to play that some actually had to be turned away.
Little Owen got to play, too, and scored a goal on Marty Turco through the five hole as the crowd cheered and the public address announcer roared his name. Turco, who had a long NHL career, was the goalie for both of coach Red Berenson's national championship teams.
On Oct. 26, when Michigan hosts St. Lawrence at Yost Ice Arena, it will be this season's ALS Awareness Game.
"To me," said Matzka, "it's very important because you never know who is in the stands -- a donor to help the cause, a student who might go into neurology to help cure ALS, or someone who can relate to that is inspired by the message."
Trainor, a lawyer who serves as an occasional Wolverine hockey radio analyst after doing that regularly for several years, said he has been "amazed" by Matzka's determination to make a difference at such a difficult time.
"I don't know if I'd have been that strong -- to be quite honest with you," said Trainor. "I'm amazed by how resilient and strong he's been. He's really taken the lead in raising awareness. If he can inspire one or two students at the game, then Scotty's done his job. He's resigned to the fact that a cure won't happen in his lifetime, but if he can lead that charge to do the research and find the cure, he's definitely done his part.
"I have to give Scotty all the credit in the world."
Matzka is on a mission, and I asked him about the impact "My Turn" has made.
"It is always hard to judge because awareness can't really be measured," said Matzka. "My Turn is an awareness campaign. We've raised money for several organizations and partnered with the Susan Mast ALS Foundation (in Grand Rapids, Michigan) to start the My Turn Project Fund to help others with ALS in western Michigan with construction projects. In my mind, we've been very successful educating and informing people about ALS and raised significant funds to help with my care."
Matzka and his children were joined by Dr. Stephen Goutman and Dr. Eva Feldman from the University of Michigan ALS Center of Excellence for the ceremonial puck drop at the Feb. 3, 2018 ALS Awareness Game.
Matzka scored 35 goals and totaled 91 points in four seasons at Michigan, and his most productive season came as a junior with 15 goals and 45 points in 1999-2000.
He played two seasons of professional minor league hockey before playing nine seasons in Europe. Matzka had a computer science degree from Michigan -- "Scott helped me with calculus," recalled Scarpace -- and earned an MBA degree while playing in England to prepare for life after his retirement from hockey in 2012. He worked for a software developer in Kalamazoo (where he's lived for six years) and then an industrial consulting group before taking a medical leave beginning Sept. 1, 2016.
That was the time when his mobility had become too compromised to perform even the simplest tasks. He was dealing with limb onset ALS then, and it began in his right hand before moving to his left hand. Then it affected his left foot and moved up his body from there. ALS is a progressive neuromuscular disease, which brings an average life expectancy of two to five years.
Two years ago, when we first spoke, I asked Matzka to take us back to the game-winning goal in the 1998 NCAA championship game, which Michigan won, 3-2, at 17:51 of the first overtime period at Boston's Fleet Center.
"I picked up the puck in the (right) corner and kind of came out of the corner and made a pass to Chris Fox on the point," said Matzka of his teammate positioned on the other side of the ice and in front of Boston College goalie Scott Clemmensen. "He ended up bringing the puck down behind the net and found Josh Langfeld over there in the corner, and Langer just took a step, step and a half maybe, out from the goal line, and fired at the net.
"The goalie stepped off the post and the puck slipped in to get by his skate there, and it wasn't the most beautiful goal. But they say you can't score on any of the ones you don't fire on the net. It was a pretty surreal moment, and I remember the puck going in the net and looking at the refs, convinced they'd wave it off for some reason, but obviously they didn't. The rest is history. Winning in overtime is definitely a different kind of feeling."
That was 20 years ago.
"It's hard to believe it's been 20 years and we're all approaching 40 or are already there," said Trainor.
Matzka finds himself in a different kind of corner now, but he's approaching it in the same way he played hockey -- with toughness, determination, smarts and the support of his teammates for life.
Third Annual Michigan Hockey ALS Awareness Game
Michigan vs. St. Lawrence
Friday, Oct. 26, 2018 • 7:30 p.m.
Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena
» Ticket Information | Promotions
• My Turn: Scott Matzka
• My Turn, The Film (available Oct. 12 on Vimeo on Demand)
• U-M ALS Center of Excellence
