"It's funny, when we went to daycare together before kindergarten we would play hockey in the yard and the [teachers] would tape a stick to his wheelchair," Duchene said. "He had an electric wheelchair from day one, so he was out there playing with us and he had a stick taped to it. I'll remember that forever."
Duchene met Micallef after he moved to Haliburton, Ont., at 2 years old to receive palliative care for spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system.
Although Micallef wasn't expected to live past early childhood, he defied the odds and lived his life to the fullest for many years.
Throughout his life, Micallef traveled, as well as participating in sports and outdoor recreation. He earned a Bachelor of Information Technology degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, graduating with honors.
From there, Micallef created his own business designing aids for physically handicapped people and both served on the board and played in a wheelchair hockey league.
"He was dealt such a tough hand in life, but the way he attacked life, it didn't hold him back," Duchene said. "He was one of the smartest people in our school and in our graduating class. He was incredibly bright. He was witty and he was funny. He had a smile on his face all the time. He never had a victim attitude about his situation… I think as humans when we all go through tough times, you can choose that kind of 'poor me' route. That's a route [Anthony] never took. So he's inspiring in that way."
After living a full life inspiring those around him and helping others, Micallef passed away in July.
Duchene, wanting to honor his friend's impactful life and memory, partnered with the Preds Foundation to create Duchene's Hockey Tonk hats for a great cause.
