'He loved everything about the Jr. Blues': Fan favorite, hockey team's do-everything dies

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by Anna Munhin Mar 21, 2023 News
Zack Defreitas worked for the Springfield Jr. Blues since 2018 and took on many different roles with the hockey team, including its play-by-play announcer on the team's internet broadcasts. He died on Friday, March 17, 2023 from complications of a rare form of colorectal cancer. He was 30.

The Springfield Jr. Blues fans had a lot of love for Zack Defreitas.

With thick red hair and a bushy red beard, Defreitas was instantly recognizable inside a Nelson Center. When the junior hockey team was on the road, his voice was used by fans to follow the team.

A yearlong battle with rectal cancer led to the death of Defreitas. There is a rare form of colorectal cancer called signet ring cell carcinoma, and it is even more rare for someone my age.

He played youth hockey with the Springfield Kings, Peoria Jr. Rivermen and Pekin Dragons before embarking on a junior hockey run. He graduated from high school.

A celebration of life will be held on April 2 at the Nelson Center.

Busy with the Blues 

The Jr. Blues hired Defreitas as their Director of Marketing and Communications.

He was brought in to do game operations, marketing, develop content and other things. In our second year, he joined us on the road after talking about his desire to be a broadcaster.

Ferguson wanted to find a way to get Defreitas to call home games, even though he was good behind the microphone. He was too valuable to be able to do that initially.

He needed to be out on the floor because he was in charge of fans and game operations. He did a lot of things.

He hired and managed staff that worked the games, he managed our ticketing operation, he did our marketing and then all the volunteers and all the moving pieces it takes to put on a game.

Zack Defreitas, the director of marketing and communications for the Springfield Jr. Blues hockey team who also voiced the team's broadcasts, died on Friday, March 17, 2023 after a yearlong battle with rectal cancer.

The 2022-23 season was supposed to be the first season of full-time broadcasting.

Brad said that his brother was a big fan of the Jr. Blues. It was perfect that he was a huge fan of hockey. Even before he got sick, the players and the coaches were great.

If he could, they would do anything for him.

The team had a series on March 10 and 11. The jerseys were sold at an auction after the game. There were 24 game-worn jerseys that were sold. There was a high bid.

He was upset that the doctors wouldn't let him go to the game. I have never seen a crowd like that at a Jr. Blues' game. There were two or three rows on the glass in the standing room only.

Diagnosis shifts everything 

Plans to marry his college sweetheart,Erica Davis, in July 2020 were pushed back due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The man was diagnosed with cancer last March. The couple were married in the month after pivoting. He posted on social media about his battle with cancer. He was focused on the future.

Brad stated that he had his surgery target date. He said that he was going to have surgery and that he would be fine. Even though he wasn't completely positive, he was still trying to make sure everyone knew that he was going to be okay, even though he wasn't completely positive.

His body just couldn't handle it, so he fought so hard to stay.

Ferguson said thatDefreitas did what he could with the Jr. Blues.

Ferguson said that he was still doing a lot of things from his house. He did a lot of organization from home because he was tired from the treatment, but he was also available to do work from home.

The fan base was the most missed part of him. He was missed because he wasn't here as often as he would've liked to have been. The fans didn't get to see him very much.

Zack Defreitas grew up playing hockey in Springfield, Peoria, Danville and Pekin but found his niche as the Springfield Jr. Blues director of marketing and communications, where he also picked up broadcast duties with the team. He died of cancer on Friday, March 17, 2023.

Brad said that the players did the same thing.

His brother said that he loved dealing with the players when he was at the rink. He was thought of as an uncle by all of them.

In the summer of 2021, Defreitas broadcast games for the Springfield Sliders collegiate wood-bat baseball team, as well as working for the Peoria Chiefs and as an intern with the Greenville (S.C.) Tourists. The East Coast Hockey League has a group called the swamp rabbits.

He spent most of his time there. His brother said that it was the right place to have his celebration of life.

That is where he would have it if he chose.

Ryan Mahan can be reached at ryan.mahan@sj-r.com.