Massachusetts HS hockey player speaks publicly for first time since serious spinal cord injury

WCVB Updated: 7:21 PM EST Feb 20, 2021

ATTLEBORO, Mass. — A Massachusetts high school hockey player shared a public message for the first time since he was severely injured on the ice last month.

A.J. Quetta, a senior at Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, recorded a video message that was shared on the Twitter account of Joe McDonald, a sports writer for the Worcester Telegram and Gazette.

Quetta crashed headfirst into the boards in a Jan. 26 game against Pope Francis in West Springfield and suffered a serious spinal cord injury. ... The Providence native was taken off the ice on a stretcher and rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. He was transferred to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Jan. 29 and was recently transferred to the Shepherd Rehabilitation Center in Atlanta on Tuesday.

According to his family, Quetta is expected to spend at least three months at Shepherd. ... “I would just like to thank you for your support," Quetta said in the video. "What’s been going on lately is crazy. I don’t have words to describe how awesome you people are and how supportive you’ve been for me. You all give me a reason to keep pushing and keep fighting. It’s awesome."

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