Trotter Family Overcomes Adversity

From: Denver Post

by Mike Chambers

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(left) Redshirt freshman Brock Trotter is sitting pretty this season as he leads the University of Denver hockey team with 26 points (10 goals)

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The wound on Brock Trotter's right leg remains unsightly, more than a year after he suffered a horrific hockey injury. But the University of Denver hockey player knows the large lump on his leg pales in comparison to the tire marks on his brother's body.

The area above Trotter's right heel remains scarred and disfigured because of a skate blade that severed his Achilles tendon five games into his DU career. His season was over, and a promising career in doubt.

But just when Trotter, the best hockey player among five brothers, thought his freak injury was the worst thing that could happen to him, his younger brother, Ethan, put things in perspective. Six months after Brock was lying in a pool of blood on a rink in North Dakota, Ethan, 17, was run over by a car in front of the Trotters' home in Brandon, Manitoba.

Playing street hockey and joking around, Ethan jumped on the hood of a friend's car as it was entering the driveway. Ethan's leg got caught in the wheel well, and the tire pulled him to the ground.

Before the friend realized what was happening, Ethan was beneath the car, and the wheel trampled his pelvis, sternum and head - from his chin to his forehead.

The fact the tire went over his face and not the side of his head likely spared his life. The car shattered both of Ethan's orbital bones, his nose and teeth, along with other injuries.

"I got a call from one of my brothers and I couldn't believe him because you know how brothers are," Brock said of the accident. "(Ethan) wanted to see me, and I definitely wanted to see him. It was important to keep him positive."

Brock briefly left school in the spring to visit Ethan, who has recovered and is back in class as a high school senior in Brandon.

"It makes you stop and really evaluate what's important," said Dan Trotter, the boys' father. "Brock's injury was a wake-up call, and with Ethan, it was taken to another level. I knew Brock's injury was bad, but not life- threatening. However, in his world, hockey was it.

"With Ethan is was more tragic. The severity of it was much different than Brock's. We couldn't recognize him and the severity of his injuries were to his head. It was very scary."

Extended family aid

Brock said the support he received from the DU hockey community is the reason he's been able to put the two nightmares behind him.

Brock received a medical redshirt and leads DU with 30 points this season. He has 35 career points, including 15 goals, in 32 games.

"It definitely wasn't the best year for the Trotter family, but in the end all we have is scars to show for it, so we're lucky in that respect," Brock said. "I don't think there was ever a point in time I wanted to leave here. I got a lot of support here from my injury and my brother's accident.

"With the team and the coaches, I had a lot of guys to talk to. I definitely missed home, because I wanted to be with my brother. But fortunately he's still around, and people have been really good to me here, so I look forward to staying the next couple years."

Nobody is happier about Brock's recovery than his younger brother.

"My brother and I are close," Ethan said. "I was there when I saw him go down, and I thought he'd play again. He flew home, saw me and helped me stay positive. We've gone down (to Denver) to see him

Brock Trotter wears regular skates despite the scar on his right leg, after a skate blade sliced his Achilles tendon last season. a couple times this year, and what he's doing is awesome."
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DU coach George Gwozdecky welcomes indirect credit for Brock's success for establishing a network of support.

"Life gives us all kinds of challenges, and the great thing that being on our team, or any team like ours, is that the support is always there," Gwozdecky said. "We are Brock's extended family, and to have people there in your time of need is really important and very beneficial."

Sharp as a knife

People often don't realize how sharp and dangerous skate blades can be. DU hockey trainer Aaron Leu said the blade of former North Dakota defenseman Matt Smaby cut more than an inch into Trotter's leg, severing several muscles, in addition to the Achilles tendon.

The accident happened Oct. 28, 2005. Doctors in North Dakota reattached the Achilles that night, and Trotter was on crutches for several months.

He began skating last March, but has just recently lost the limp that he developed from scar tissue.

"It bothered me in the summer (while) running," Trotter said.

"Flexibility-wise, it gets better by the week. It's a matter of the scar tissue going down, which (doctors) don't think it will, because it's all intertwined with the (Achilles) tendon now."

The injury caused such a bulge that it would seem to affect comfort and skating strides. But Trotter wears regular skates.

"Skate companies have come in and asked me if they could figure something out, but I just told them to send me their regular stuff and I'll go from there," Trotter said.

Dan Trotter thought the injury would affect his son's skating, but realizes he's made it back.

"Watching him out there and on TV, I wouldn't say there are any lingering effects," Dan said.
Trotter's teammates are not surprised, citing his dedication.

"We always knew Brock was a real strong guy. He wants to be out there and has a heart for the game," captain Adrian Veideman said.