Canmore U15 Team Wears Jasper Jerseys to Support Teammate From Devastated Community

Hockey culture can often get a bad rap. While by no means is the hockey world without its issues, the good stuff can too often get overlooked. This is why we’re thrilled to share a story that really warms the heart, and shows off the values that minor hockey associations across Canada work tirelessly to build in our players.

Everyone in Canmore (and beyond) is aware of the tragic events that occurred in the town of Jasper last year, with the devastating wildfires that ravaged nearly half of the town. Sadly, many families lost their homes, and several of them relocated to Canmore. Not only did families lose homes, but many kids lost a place to play the game of hockey that they love. In light of this, Canmore Minor Hockey was ready and willing to take in any kids from Jasper who wished to play hockey in Canmore, with open arms. One such player who came from Jasper is Max Lescard, who this season plays for the Canmore U15 REP Black team. You may be familiar with the Lescard family, and their story, as they were interviewed by Ron McLean at the recent Hockey Day in Canada. 

Contrary to popular belief, the goal of the Canmore Minor Hockey Association is NOT to win banners, although when this happens, it’s amazing! The goal is to make kids stronger, more resilient, and caring, through the game of hockey. With this value system, being a good teammate goes so much further than any individual achievement like scoring a big goal, could ever go. And one such player, Ethan Hay, recently reminded us of this value in the best kind of way. 

Ethan is a goalie on the U15 REP Black team and a teammate of Max. One day, while sitting around with his coaches, Ethan mentioned that he thought given that all Max had gone through, it would be nice to do something to show him a little extra love and support. Ethan asked a simple question of his coaches: “Would it be possible for us to get Max’s team jerseys from last season in Jasper, and wear them in a game?”. One of Ethan’s coaches (and his father), Mike, could only help but smile back and reply simply: “Yeah, I think we can”. For Mike, who is also the currently sitting President of Canmore Minor Hockey, this was a proud moment. Not only as a father, but as a coach, and hockey parent. Asking Mike about how he felt when Ethan proposed the question, he said: “It was a truly special moment that showed what minor hockey is all about. Very gratifying to see the hard work of teaching kids to be good human beings, before being good hockey players, is paying off”. 

And so, with the idea in hand, things were set in motion with players and parents rallying to get the jerseys from Jasper to Canmore, for a game against Chestermere on Jan 25th. It was a truly inspiring site to see the kids rally behind Max, and the rest of the Jasper community, wearing the red, white, and black jerseys of the Jasper Bearcats. In the midst of all of this happening, Mike said he had never seen a smile like that on Max’s face before, which sums it up about perfectly. 

As can often be the case with acts of kindness: they are contagious. Max’s younger brother, Will, also moved to Canmore Minor Hockey this year, playing for the U13 REP B team. After getting wind of the U15 game, the U13s will be following suit and wearing Will’s old team jerseys in support of him this coming weekend. 

To Max, Ethan, and the entire U15 REP Black and U13 REP B teams, thank you for being an inspiration, and reminding us what the game of hockey, that we all love, is truly about.