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When Adam Fantilli stopped by his old Chicago Steel rink on his way to the World Junior Championships, he didn’t just go in for a skate. He left a question hanging in the air for assistant coach Matt Deschamps to answer.
Just in passing, Fantilli asked Deschamps if he had ever thought of coaching for the Michigan hockey team. Deschamps shrugged the idea off at first, but Fantilli persisted.
Once realizing the opportunity was available, everything naturally fell into place for Deschamps. He underwent the hiring process and eventually made his way to Ann Arbor to join the Wolverines’ coaching staff.
When all was said and done, it wasn’t a coach who sought him out for the program. It was Fantilli, a player who felt the impact of Deschamps’ hands-on coaching style, who knew he deserved a spot with Michigan.
With some knowledge of Michigan’s culture and style of play, and at Fantilli’s recommendation, Deschamps joined the coaching staff last season specializing on the team’s defense.
In just his first season, Deschamps aided the Wolverines to a Big Ten Championship and a trip to the Frozen Four. The care and passion Deschamps has for the players materializes in their accomplishments. Last season, Seamus Casey finished third in the nation for points among defensemen while earning a spot as a First-Team All-American.
Deschamps made his mark through each stop on his coaching journey, and it took just one season at Michigan to continue that legacy.
“(Deschamps) has been unreal,” graduate defenseman Jacob Truscott told The Michigan Daily. “He’s one of my favorite coaches I’ve played for. He’s just an honest coach and he’ll be hard on you when he needs to, but he really cares about every single guy. That’s the biggest thing about him, is how much he cares about us and how much he is willing to push us every single day to be better.”
Deschamps shows that he’s there to support the Wolverines beyond time spent on the rink. His office door is always open, ready to go over video with any player that asks. He always keeps a positive attitude in the locker room.
When Deschamps received devastating news almost two months ago, it was the Michigan hockey team’s turn to be there for him.
Deschamps’ wife, Kelly, was recently diagnosed with rare inflammatory breast cancer. The tragic news put their lives on pause as they figured out the path to fighting the disease. And with how much Matt has given to the Wolverines in only one year, there was no hesitation in the Michigan community to rally behind the Deschamps family in any way they could.
“I think it’s great that every guy wants to support them,” Truscott said. “They want to do whatever they can to help out his family, because they have made such an impact on us.”
People immediately lended a hand, sending donations, prayers and food drops. Others have even come to their home to landscape for free. An online fundraiser raised over $60,000 for treatment, surpassing expectations. Each act of kindness takes one thing off the Deschamps’ shoulders as they put their full effort into Kelly’s battle.
When the Michigan hockey team heard the news, the players took a moment in the locker room to say a prayer for the family. Immediately after that, different players came up to Truscott and the staff asking how they could help. For everything Matt contributes to his Wolverines family, they immediately stepped in to help his family at home.
Michigan will be hosting a pink out game for the first time ever on Friday against St. Cloud State to honor survivors and those fighting breast cancer. The Wolverines will hold a special place for Kelly as the Deschamps’ will be dropping the puck as a family.
Not only are the Wolverines helping in every way they can off the ice, they’re also bringing awareness on it too. And that means even more to Matt.
“It’s hard to put into words,” Matt told The Daily. “It’s overwhelming in the greatest sense of the word, to know that the university, the athletic department, (Michigan coach Brandon) Naurato and that everybody is in our corner supporting Kelly and my family.”
As Matt’s family navigates the diagnosis themselves, they have found solace in the cancer community while learning about what makes inflammatory breast cancer rare. With this form being difficult to diagnose, the Deschamps’ are trying to educate others on the importance of early detection to access treatment sooner.
Even as this disease halted their world, Matt and Kelly’s first instinct was to help others.
That drive to be of service to those around him is what makes Deschamps the coach he is. His commitment to supporting his team and his family is what his players cherish about him.
“Everytime I walk out to the bench at Yost, I am so blessed and I am so lucky to be here,” Matt said. “There’s so many coaches in our business that are really good at what they do, but I get to be here at Michigan and that (feeling) has never changed. But I think the feeling becomes stronger knowing that through this process, through Kelly’s diagnosis, that the programs have been here to support us.”
Fantilli might have been the person to realize what Matt could bring to the Wolverines, but everyday Michigan reaps the benefits of his one question for Matt. Matt’s support, his commitment and his openness are all what makes him an essential coach for the Wolverines. And now as Matt and his family navigate this difficult time, the Deschamps have found a family that will return all those qualities.
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