Canadiens' Alex Newhook comes from a really athletic household

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The Canadiens’ Alex Newhook isn’t the one athlete in his household.

His sister, Abby, performs hockey at Boston Faculty and is a part of the Canadian ladies’s growth workforce. His mom, Paula, is a marathon runner. His father, Shawn, is a physical-education instructor at Waterford Valley Excessive Faculty within the household’s residence city of St. John’s, N.L.

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Earlier than the 2019 NHL Draft — when the Colorado Avalanche chosen Newhook within the first spherical (sixteenth general) — he was requested to fill out a questionnaire to present perception into his persona. One of many questions was: “Not lots of people know that I …”

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Newhook’s response was: “Have a sister who is best than me at hockey.”

Abby, 20, is 2 years youthful than her brother. As a sophomore ahead final season at Boston Faculty, she posted 19-14-33 totals in 36 video games.

Alex performed two seasons at Boston Faculty after being drafted by the Avalanche.

Alex and Abby’s dad and mom spent a number of time driving them to arenas once they have been rising up and that led to Paula changing into a runner. She is a social employee on the Bliss Murphy Most cancers Centre in St. John’s and likewise works as a private coach.

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“I’ve at all times been an athlete,” Paula mentioned throughout a cellphone interview Monday night. “I at all times performed workforce sports activities. I performed a number of basketball, a number of soccer, water polo, that form of factor. However once I was getting so busy with the hockey and driving children to all their sports activities I believed: You recognize what? I would like a sport that I can do at any time of the day. You’ll be able to run at 5:30 within the morning or you’ll be able to run at 7 p.m. So I now run most mornings earlier than I am going to work after which do an extended run on the weekend.

“As a result of I used to be operating a lot I believed I would as properly put it in the direction of one thing,” she added about beginning to run marathons.

Paula, 52, has now accomplished 13 marathons, the newest one in London, England, in April.

“I at all times mentioned I’d run my first one at age 40 and I ran it at 40 years and 6 days in Niagara Falls,” she mentioned. “I’ve just a few native individuals who mentioned they’d prepare with me they usually’ve actually turn out to be six of my finest mates. You spend that a lot time with these individuals and it’s nice. Shawn says we’re travellers with a operating habit as a result of we don’t simply do the native races.”

Paula has accomplished 5 of the six main marathons on this planet: Boston, New York, Chicago, Berlin and London. Her finest time was three hours and 42 minutes in Berlin and she or he hopes to in the future run the sixth main marathon in Tokyo. She has already certified to run the Boston Marathon once more subsequent 12 months.

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“For my age, Boston is at all times the Tremendous Bowl or the Stanley Cup,” Paula mentioned. “That’s the one individuals attempt to get into. I’ve managed to qualify for that 4 instances, which is nice as a result of the children have been in Boston going to highschool.”

Aside from educating phys-ed, Shawn can also be the technical director of a minor hockey affiliation in St John’s. He believes the Canadiens shall be a superb match for his son.

“I believe it will likely be a superb likelihood for him to get some extra touches, extra ice time, extra confidence,” Shawn mentioned about Alex, who had 14-16-30 totals in 82 video games final season with the Avalanche whereas averaging 13:57 of ice time. “I just like the coach, (Martin) St. Louis. He appears to say all the precise issues. I believe he’ll be a superb mentor. And the Habs are only a youthful workforce. Quite a lot of the fellows on the Avs had households, they’re slightly older group, so I believe it’s going to be nice socially for Alex, too.”

Shawn and Paula have been to Montreal just a few instances and watched Alex play for the Avalanche final season once they beat the Canadiens 8-4 on the Bell Centre. They are going to be again on the Bell Centre for the Canadiens’ residence opener in opposition to the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 14.

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“I’ve at all times appreciated Montreal,” Shawn mentioned. “Nice metropolis, nice eating places. I just like the tradition there and the entire bit and it’s near residence. We’re wanting ahead to going again there extra and being a part of the Canadiens with all their historical past.

“I didn’t actually understand what number of Habs followers there are right here (in Newfoundland) till Alex received traded,” Shawn added. “It’s loopy. They’re popping out of the woodwork.”

Shawn grew up as an Edmonton Oilers fan, however mentioned with amusing: “I’m certain I’ll slowly ease into being a Habs fan.”

Aside from the actual fact he has a sister who he says is a greater participant than him — and a mom who runs marathons — is there anything Canadiens followers is perhaps shocked to find out about Alex?

“He was a superb trombone participant,” his father mentioned with one other giggle.

“He performs a imply trombone,” his mom added. “He’s very musical, truly.”

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