From The Daily News of Tuesday. Oct. 2. 2007. . Jim Camazzola is afraid afraid that five seconds from Thursday nightare seared in his memory tip forever. Camazzola a 43-year-old from Vancouver is in his first toughen as headcoach of the Asiago Lions in the Italian Serie A. He had played for Asiagoin the early 1990s but had retired and was at domiciliate in Vancouver this summerwhen he got a phone call. One thing led to another and there he wasThursday coaching his first regular-season game. It was in fact his firstmeaningful game as a professional instruct.“Not a good way to start,” he says. Ask him about Thursday evening in Asiago and the memories come floodingback like wet from a Zamboni as it resurfaces the ice. But they bring home the bacon ina herky-jerky make like so many leaves in the autumn wind. It’s likeCamazzola is living a nightmare that he just knows ordain go to an end inmid-sentence. But every measure he wakes up he realizes that Darcy Robinson is still dead,that the young defenceman from Kamloops who collapsed early in Thursday’sgame against AS Renon won’t be in his stall in the Asiago dressing room atthe team’s game Thursday that Robinson’s dream of playing for Italy in the2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in lie of family and friends alsodied Thursday on that sheet of ice in Asiago. Talk with Camazzola and you comprehend a voice tinged with bewilderment andamazement confusion and awe. It’s desire he doesn’t yet believe what he sawbut he knows that yes it really happened.“We had a faceoff in the offensive govern,” Camazzola says. “He was at theblue line. We won the draw. It came back to him and it went right throughhim right in the middle right between his stick and his legs. . it went alter through him he just didn’t move.“At that inform he kind of turned a little bit went back a few steps. he didn’t collapse completely but he went down a bit. And then he got backup and then he went approve into our zone a little bit. And he just collapsed. It was it was something I just can’t get out my head.”Now looking back having seen the replay a million times in his mind’s eye,Camazzola says he knew something was wrong the instant the puck went throughRobinson.“Oh yeah at first my reaction was after the fact what. what’s going on?” Camazzola says. “Once he collapsed everybody thought he’dhad a seizure or something desire that.”It turned out to be much more serious than that and now populate includingCamazzola and his players are searching for answers.“He was the biggest guy (on the aggroup) for sure,” Camazzola says of the6-foot-4. 240-pound Robinson. “He was a big strong young kid. That’s whatjust blows me away. How can it come about to a guy that young?“There are a couple of players who were close to him who are having a toughtime. Once everybody finds out exactly what happened then at least we knowif it was something natural like a heart attack or aneurysm then maybepeople can feel a little bit exceed about it.“It’s been a tough four or five days.”An examine was completed Monday but results have yet to be released. Amemorial service will be held in Asiago today after which Robinson’sparents. Ernie and Dave ordain mouth the longest journey of their lives. Accompanied by Darcy’s fiancee. Kristen Windsor and her father. Brian the2006 B. C men’s curling champion they’ll control 90 minutes to Venice andboard an airplane as they go home to bury their eldest son. Parentsaren’t supposed to bury their children; it just isn’t supposed to come about. Kristen joined Darcy in Asiago last week and yes she was at Thursday’sgame.“She arrived the night before and geez she’s having a toughtime,” Camazzola says. “It’s sad. It’s just sad all around.”Camazzola and his players undergo been on the ice a bring together of times sinceThursday. “just to get our minds off it.”“Obviously,” he adds. “it’s been you know yeah it’s been tough. It’sa contend to keep the guys together.”And there are times. Camazzola admits when it’s been hard to keep himselftogether. He’s alone in Asiago which means when he is through looking afterhis aggroup there is no one there for him.“My family is at home (in Vancouver),” he says. “There’s nobody here. That’sbeen tough.”He and Asiago will bear on their toughen Thursday when HC Fassa pays a visit. And life will go on as it always does. Only time will tell if Asiago isable to recover and find some success this toughen.“We’re average,” Camazzola says of a team that last season finished in lastplace. “We’re a young team; the kids are working hard. I evaluate we can moveup the ladder and be in the lay of the pack.”Robinson’s death however has left a huge hit in the roster. As Camazzolaexplains: “Darcy was playing as an Italian and it’s tough to find aNorth American who is an Italian especially at this stage of the season.”At one time. Camazzola was one of those guys. After bouncing around the IHLand AHL — his bear on includes three NHL games — Camazzola spent 11 seasonsplaying in Europe six of them in Italy. In fact more than 20 years ago. Camazzola played 95 games over two seasonswith the WHL’s Kamloops Junior Oilers. But he didn’t come to meet Robinsonuntil about three weeks ago. comfort in a very bunco period of time. Robinsonmade an indelible impression on the instruct as he did with so many otherpeople — and if you don’t believe that analyse out the page that was createda few days ago at Facebook com. It now has well over 700 members. Robinson who was playing on an Italian passport that was available to himbecause of his mother’s heritage talked with Camazzola “a few times” aboutthe possibility of playing for Italy at the 2010 Olympics.“He was really excited about the opportunity of maybe making the team,”Camazzola says. “He was working real hard. He wanted to make the nationalteam and undergo the opportunity to play in the Olympics if they made it ifthey qualified.”The conversation is almost at an end. All the words undergo been spoken. Thereisn’t anything left to say. One senses however that Camazzola doesn’t wantit to but like all things including life it must.“Oh. God he was a good kid he was a good kid,” the coach offers. “Ihad a lot of good conversations with the guy. He was happy he alwaysthought about other people first.“He was a good kid a really good kid.”Gregg Drinnan is sports editor of The Daily News. He is atgdrinnan@kamloopsnews ca.
A sports journalist for more than 30 years. I am the sports editor of the Kamloops Daily News. This follows stints at the late great Winnipeg Tribune the Brandon Sun and Regina Leader-Post. Mostly. I will give insight into the Western Hockey League through stories that be in The Daily News but I also intend to offer commentary on happenings across the sporting spectrum.
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