| Moore on the Moose Blog
By John Moore
A heat pack wrapped around Pascal Amyot’s neck as he stood in the trainers clinic Monday afternoon.
A trainer blurted out, “Cam wants to see you before practice.”
A trip to the head coach’s office could be good news or bad. Pascal headed down the hall and pushed opened the door.
“Come on in. Congratulations,” could be heard as the door swung closed.
The 19 year old 2nd year Mooseheads defenceman has been named one of 5 finalists for the Marcel Robert Trophy. The trophy is awarded annually to the QMJHL Scholastic Player of the Year.
3 minutes later, Amyot emerged with a smile. He was then congratulated
by teammates as he reached for a red (non contact) practice jersey. The Quebec City native is recovering from a shoulder injury.
“Obviously it means a lot. It was one of my objectives to do well and apply myself at school. Its an honour but you know its not won yet.” Pascal is hoping to return to the lineup Wednesday but had to come out of Sundays game due to some discomfort in the shoulder. He tried to play due to a rash of injuries on the blueline but knew it was a mistake after several shifts in the 1st. He tugged at his skate laces.
“Well, there is hockey and there is life after hockey. Even though you make a career or not, you are not going to play your entire life, so I want to enjoy the game and still be prepared to face life after hockey and by getting an education it makes things a whole lot easier.” Pascal adjusted his helmet and wiped his visor.
“I’ve always been a good student and my parents raised me telling me ‘apply yourself at school because there is more chance you will have a career with school rather than with hockey.’”
A lot of teenagers don’t know what type of career they want to pursue but Pascal has a vision.
“I want to become a doctor. So, I’m not done school. Probably have to study for another 10-12 years. That’s my plan right now. Maybe its going to change eventually cause I don’t know what the future holds.”
How does he manage the demanding major junior schedule and the academic load?
“A lot of discipline. You can not be late. As soon as you are a week late, you are to far behind and its to difficult to catch up. You must be disciplined.”
Education advisor Ross Thompson is awfully proud of one of his prized students. He was attending the practice and watched Amyot grab his stick and head toward the ice.
“With Pascal, its all about achievement. He wants to achieve, he likes to achieve. In his hockey experience he has sampled achievement there, certainly the future he sees in his academics is one of achievement. You can tell from the courses he is taking. This year he is taking Beginners and Intermediate Neurobiology, Anatomy and Differential Calculus.
Pascal and the 4 other finalists will fly to Montreal on March 1st for an interview with a 5 member panel. The Marcel Robert Trophy winner will be announced in late March.
(Watch Pascal talk about being named a finalist at sportsandmoore.com.)
See you Saturday when the Mooseheads host Kiril Kabanov and the Moncton Wildcats. It’s the final home game of the regular season.
John |
