LEWISTON, Maine — A man who survived being shot during the Lewiston mass shootings last year is rejoining his hockey team but in a new role.
Kyle Secor was a player for the Maine Nordiques, a Tier II junior hockey team in the North American Hockey League's East Division. He most recently served as the scorekeeper when the shooting happened in October 2023. Now, he is the team's associate head coach and made his debut Friday night.
Secor was shot at least four times at Schemengees Bar & Grille and was rushed into the back of a police cruiser to Central Maine Medical Center. He was revived twice at the hospital.
"That saved my life," Secor said.
Secor is the nephew-by-marriage of Joe Walker, the manager of Schemengees Bar & Grille, where one of the shootings happened. The other happened at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley. Walker was killed along with 17 others on the day of the shootings. Secor was one of the 13 people injured.
"At this present time, I'm obviously feeling better mentally and physically. But going through it all, it's definitely rough," Secor said. "Obviously, we all know now that someone dropped the ball, and this could have been avoided all along. But knowing that there's nothing we can change now, we've got to keep our head up, move forward. And if we don't continue moving forward, then unfortunately he still wins."
After the shooting, the Nordiques hung Secor's jersey inside The Colisee, where they practice. Secor's teammate, Seth Murch, bequeathed his jersey number, 14, back to Secor as the team prayed for him to recover.
Secor has undergone more than 20 surgeries, with more on the way. He still wears a walking boot-style cast nearly one year after the shooting. His doctors told him he would likely never play competitive hockey again, but Secor said he did manage to get his feet into some skates.
"My goal is to skate again. We'll see if that happens," Secor said.
When team management asked him if he wanted to be the associate head coach, Secor said he was flattered.
"It's a dream of mine. I've always been a part of hockey, always want to continue being part of hockey. With all the stuff that's happened to me, I didn't think I would even have this chance or opportunity. I was able to fight through battle, the hospital helped me battle through it," Secor said. "Now, today is the night that I get to be behind the bench, not on the ice, but on the bench, and obviously support the players and obviously be here today at this moment to start my next chapter in life."
He said his wife and two daughters have been his motivation to get better and have been instrumental in his recovery. His wife works at Central Maine Medical Center and had left work just two hours before he was brought there with gunshot wounds.
"My wife was able to stick around with me, fight with me through the battle. And then my two little girls," Secor said. "The only reason I'm still here today, I think, is because of my two little girls, and I had to fight for them and continue to continue to fight for them."
All teams in the North American Hockey League East Division will wear patches on their jerseys' shoulders with a state of Maine outline and a heart over the city of Lewiston.