Dave Scatchard - The Comeback: My Journey through Heaven and Hell

Advance Praise for

The Comeback

I have known Dave Scatchard now for almost two decades. I still have yet to see Dave have a negative attitude toward anything in his life. Now Im sure he has his days and his problems like everyone else, but he has an amazing ability to put the positive spin up front and personal for all to see. Always willing to help a friend or a stranger is one of his best qualities. Laughter comes easy to himwhether saying something funny or being the first and loudest laugh at anothers attempt to be funny.

A glass half full doesnt represent Dave one bit. The glass is overflowing! It takes a strong person to deal with and aid other peoples problems, issues, or emotions, but Dave leaps at the opportunity. Not for his financial benefit but for the personal satisfaction to know hes made an impact in another life! They broke the mold when they made Dave. The world, especially now, needs more people like him! The ability to reinvent himself the way he has is not easy for an ex-professional athlete, but Dave has done it multiple times. This quality to never accept failure or be denied in life again is a God-given gift. I trust him with my life and my secrets and know that they are both safe forever. Hes a guy I know I will call my friend as long as Im walking above ground.

Jeremy Roenick, nine-time NHL All-Star and two-time Olympian

As a kid, hockey player, and adult, Dave has held a secret to success. Hes a doer, directed by a strong moral compass and fueled by a positive-action attitude. It is an attitude that seeks self-improvement. It has taken him to the heights of success and most importantly continues to guide him through lifes obstacles. It is an attitude that is contagious and inspiring.

Jason Potter, life-long friend

Dave and I met as twenty-year-old rookies in the NHL and became roommates and best friends for two years. Dave was, from day one, somebody you wanted to be around, as he always had great energy and a positive attitude. He has been through a lot, but I know regardless of what path life takes him on, he will find a way to be successful and continue to be the person who everyone wants to have in their life. Dave, Im proud to call you my friend.

Mattias Ohlund, NHL Star

Scatchy is a super nice guy, and Im honored to call him my friend! He always treats everybody with the utmost respect. Dave is extremely competitive, and in my personal experiences with him, he approaches new challenges with a thirst for success that cannot be quenched! But what makes Scatchy so special and so unique is his extreme positivity! Dave will find a way to shed positive light onto everybody and every situation, no matter how bleak things might appear!

Greg Mueller, three-time World Series of Poker Bracelet Champion

I am so proud of our hockey family and how each player who has ever played the game at the highest level conducts himself and represents our sport with such integrity. Every teammate who has ever played with Dave Scatchard loves his intensity, competitive spirit, and team loyalty. As Ive gotten to know him as a person, I enjoy his humor, joy of life, and love of family and friends. I hope you enjoy his story of dedication and inspiration.

Bryan Trottier, Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee 1997

THE

COMEBACK

My Journey through Heaven and Hell

Dave Scatchard

copyright 2021 dave scatchard

All rights reserved.

the comeback

My Journey through Heaven and Hell

isbn 978-1-5445-1515-1 Hardcover

isbn 978-1-5445-1513-7 Paperback

isbn 978-1-5445-1514-4 Ebook

This book is dedicated to my dad, a man who allowed me to chase my dreams fearlessly, and who I always knew believed in me. A man with the wisdom of someone who had a direct connection to the truth; a man who would help anyone, anytime, because that was the fabric that he was made of. He was my hero, my friend, and my idol.

I love you, Dad. I miss you, and I hope youre having fun in heaven.

P.S. Give God a hug for me.

It takes a lot to make a hockey player quit.

The MCL tear in Milwaukee didnt do it. Neither did the second MCL tear in St. Louis. Concussions are part of the game, so not even the firstsecondor thirdcould really get my attention. I semi-retired after the fourth but found my way to some miracle treatments that got me back on the ice. Even after the fifth concussion took my memory, my focus, sometimes even my will to live, I still felt the pull to keep playing. A million bucks to play in Russia made me think hard about coming back. Tax-free money, big ice surface, less hittingI could make that work.

Looking back on it now, I realize there are times in your life when God tries to help you move on to the next phase. As it turns out, hell go pretty far to get your attention. But when hockeys all youve ever done, its hard to hear those messages. What else was I going to do? The comeback was what I knew. I got knocked down over and over again, and I always figured out a way to get back up. For every setback, there was a comeback. I did it my entire life, so why should this be any different?

I always got better. I always pressed on. I always had hockey.

But the Mayo Clinics battery of tests was telling me I had to figure something else out. My family was telling me I had to figure something else out. My body was screaming at me to give it a break. But all I was thinking about was whether I could trick the tests, ride out whatever was going on in my head, and get back out to play.

Sitting in the doctors office after months of failed tests and lack of progress, he pulled 3D MRI results up on his computer and tried to explain what was actually happening in my brain.

Why I had debilitating headaches.

Why I couldnt be out in the sun or inside under bright lights.

Why I couldnt find the right words.

Why I couldnt take a simple shopping list to the grocery storeor even remember why I was there.

Why the computer of my brain was running on an ancient dial-up connection that seemed to always have static on the line.

Why I felt like a shell of a man.

Why there was no way I could shrug this off like every other injury.

I nodded along while he pointed to the images and talked about how the concussions had shoved my brain into the front part of my skull like a screwdriver. He told me there was scar tissue and shearing where connections should have been. Instead of pathways from A to B, my thoughts had to detour around, something like A to Z to M before finally coming back to B. Thats why I was slurring my speech, had no memory, and always seemed to have to search for answers.

Thats why I needed to quit hockey.

But I already knew that.

God had already told mein person.

I just wasnt ready to listen.

///

Theres not a great way to describe what happened to me during the last injury of my hockey career. Later in the book, youll see that part of my story begin:

I remember the puck dropping at center ice. I remember skating forward fast with it on my backhand. I remember pitch black like someone turned out the lights, then floating up, looking down on my crumpled body on the ice as the paramedics and my trainer worked on me