Luca Zanatta: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

As the second of three brothers and the son of a former ice hockey player, Luca Zanatta's path seemed predetermined from an early age, leading him to the ice. "Honestly, playing ice hockey was completely natural for me, given my father's life and career. One of my earliest memories involves a pair of skates I received as a small child. I was so excited I even slept in them, and then it was only natural that I started playing without anyone forcing me," the defenseman recalls.

In the Zanatta household, everything has always revolved around the black puck. Father Ivano was born in Toronto and came to Cortina in the summer of 1984, where he began his Italian adventure and met his future wife, Giuseppina Menardi. A few years later, the Italian-Canadian instilled the fastest team sport in his three sons: Michael (born 1989), Luca (1991), and Alessandro (1996). "I remember our father drawing training exercises on the blackboard at home when we were kids and pointing out our mistakes. We learned so much from him. He was crucial to our personal and athletic development," says the middle Zanatta brother.

First Cortina, then Switzerland The Zanatta family grew up with ice hockey. First in Cortina, then in Switzerland, because the family patriarch joined the coaching staff of HC Lugano at the turn of the millennium. The three children continued their youth careers in Switzerland. Luca followed Michael to North America for a year, where, at the age of 15, the idea of becoming a professional ice hockey player took root in his mind. However, a serious injury almost shattered this dream. For the next two years, Luca Zanatta struggled with severe pain and could only return to the ice sporadically: "By chance, I found a specialist who could help me. Suddenly, the pain was gone, and all doors were open again for me to become an ice hockey player." Luca Zanatta in the duel against Switzerland – a personal derby for the Azzurro. © APA/afp / PIERO CRUCIATTI

At the age of 18, he made his debut for Cortina's first team, winning the Italian Cup with them, before honing his skills for five years in the Swiss National League B. After five more seasons with his hometown club at the foot of the Tofana mountain, where he played alongside his brothers and won the Scudetto in the 2022/23 season, the defenseman was offered the opportunity to complete preseason training with HC Pustertal in the summer of 2024. Hardly anyone would have predicted at the time that he would make the jump to the ICEHL and secure a contract in Bruneck. The 34-year-old is currently playing his second season with the "Wolves."

Tears after Olympic nomination Last spring, he helped Italy return to the top division at the World Championships in Romania and was named the tournament's best defenseman. Shortly afterward, the father of four-year-old Odette, who attends the ice hockey school in Bruneck, was selected by national coach Jukka Jalonen for the Olympic squad, alongside Damian Clara, Thomas Larkin, Tommy Purdeller, Diego Kostner, and Daniel Mantenuto. For the defenseman, a dream came true: "I couldn't believe it and burst into tears of joy."

Eight months later, he's living that dream in Milan, where his father, Ivano, had already celebrated great success with the Devils Milano. The now 65-year-old, who embarked on his coaching career in 1996, was part of the Italian national team at the 1992 Olympic Games in Albertville. Thirty years later, he was on the sidelines for host nation China at the Beijing Games. The day before yesterday, I met Ivano Zanatta at the entrance to the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. He wasn't there to cheer on his son, but for work. Since 2023, he has been an assistant coach on the French coaching staff. The on-ice duel between Zanatta Junior and Zanatta Senior didn't materialize in Milan. Yesterday, both Italy and France were eliminated. For the Zanattas, to paraphrase the saying, "Being right in the thick of it" or "Being there was everything" was the motto.

tennis

hockey

Winter sports

football

Italian

International leagues

International

Learn More

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Favorites

Luca Zanatta: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" or "Like father, like son": two proverbs that fit Luca Zanatta perfectly, to use another idiom. The now 34-year-old was – and this is another idiom – "born with talent."

Comments (0)