Notre Dame-West Haven senior defenseman Doug Caliendo scored an overtime goal only hours after losing his father on Wednesday.
By Chris Wengert
Everyone should take a page from Doug Caliendo’s book.
It’s a book that has compiled pages from some great athletes and even better people.
Martin St. Louis wrote a page during the New York Rangers 2014 Playoff run when his mother passed. The grieving winger scored a goal on Mother’s Day and will forever have a place in Rangers fan’s hearts.
The same can be said for Green Bay Packers fans, when Brett Favre played on the same day of his fathers passing in 2003 and won by a score of 41-7.
That’s all well and good, but how about when a high school senior does something even more amazing?
Doug Caliendo played just hours after his father Lou Caliendo passed. The high school senior went on to score the game winning goal in overtime.
Are you kidding me? A goal from above, Doug Caliendo lights the lamp in OT. Lou helped that one get past the goalie too! ND wins 3-2. #cthk
— Notre Dame HSWH (@notredamewh) February 3, 2016
In an interview with Joe Morelli of GametimeCT, Doug had this to say:
“Knowing my father for so long, he really loved the sport and always wanted me to play. He would have said, ‘Just get out there and do what I do best.’”
Every now and then an athlete will persevere and beat amazing odds to be great.
Doug Caliendo showed amazing heart, courage, and perseverance yesterday. I can only imagine what guts it took for him to step out onto the ice after everything he went through.
That’s the stuff heroes are truly made of.
