Cowan: Canadiens' Alex Newhook left Newfoundland house at 14 to chase NHL dream

Article content material

Newfoundlanders are the nicest individuals I’ve ever met in all my travels.

The 2 occasions I visited Newfoundland — in April 2016 to cowl the AHL’s St. John’s IceCaps for every week after they have been the Canadiens’ farm group and final October after I lined a Kraft Hockeyville pre-season sport between the Canadiens and Ottawa Senators in Gander — I used to be blown away by how welcoming and pleasant everybody was.

Article content material

Article content material

I used to be eager about that when Canadiens GM Kent Hughes acquired Alex Newhook from the Colorado Avalanche on June 27 in trade for a first-round choose (thirty first total) and a second-round choose (thirty seventh total) on the subsequent day’s NHL Draft, together with minor-league defenceman Gianni Fairbrother.

Newhook is from St. John’s and his dad and mom, Shawn and Paula, nonetheless dwell there.

What makes Newfoundlanders so good?

“We’re a reasonably small province,” Paula stated over the cellphone from St. John’s Monday night. “As islanders, Newfoundlanders have been identified to dwell off the land. It’s an enormous fishing province. I feel persons are all the time simply out to assist one another in good occasions and dangerous and I feel that kind of tasks out now to anybody who comes right here. Newfoundlanders like to have individuals come to go to. We went by way of 9/11 once we had lots of the planes grounded right here (in Gander). We’re all the time ones to open our doorways and have individuals in and present them an excellent Newfoundland time.”

However Newfoundland isn’t the very best place to dwell if you happen to’re a proficient, younger hockey participant, as a result of there isn’t sufficient high-level competitors. That’s why Newhook left house at age 14 to attend St. Andrew’s School in Aurora, Ont. He spent two years there earlier than transferring to British Columbia, the place he lived together with his aunt, Kelly Newhook, and performed for the BCHL’s Victoria Grizzlies.

Article content material

Article content material

Newhook was named rookie of the 12 months his first season within the BCHL and was MVP his second season, when he had 38-64-102 totals in 53 video games. The Avalanche have been impressed sufficient to take Newhook within the first spherical (sixteenth total) of the 2019 NHL Draft, one choose after the Canadiens chosen Cole Caufield.

Newhook is considered one of solely eight Newfoundlanders ever chosen within the first spherical of the NHL Draft, becoming a member of Keith Brown (seventh total by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1979), John Slaney (ninth total by the Washington Capitals in 1990), Terry Ryan (eighth total by the Canadiens in 1995), Brad Brown (18th total by the Canadiens in 1994), Daniel Cleary (thirteenth total by the Blackhawks in 1997), Dawson Mercer (18th total by the New Jersey Devils in 2020) and Zach Dean (thirtieth total by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021). Newhook will change into solely the fifth Newfoundlander to play for the Canadiens, becoming a member of Ryan, Brown, Michael Ryder and Darren Langdon.

Article content material

Newhook performed two seasons at Boston School earlier than making his NHL debut with Colorado in 2021 and he was a part of the Avalanche group that received the Stanley Cup the subsequent 12 months. Newhook introduced the Cup again house to St. John’s to rejoice together with his household and he was on the household house when he realized the Avalanche had traded him to the Canadiens after he posted 14-16-30 totals in 82 video games final season.

“He didn’t actually see it coming,” Newhook’s father stated. “We have been within the kitchen speaking concerning the risk he may get traded. He wasn’t certain. He went downstairs and got here again upstairs 5 minutes later and stated: ‘Dad, I simply bought traded.’ ”

Newhook’s dream of enjoying within the NHL began quickly after he realized to skate at age 4. However watching her son go away house at 14 to pursue that dream wasn’t straightforward for Paula.

“It was actually exhausting,” she stated. “Alex got here to us eager to go (to St. Andrew’s School) for Grade 9 and firstly we stated no. However by the third time he got here and requested and stated: ‘That is what I actually wish to do,’ we thought: You realize what? We’ll give it a shot and we’ll assist him to use. Nevertheless it was all the time his dream to go.

Article content material

Article content material

“Who desires their baby at 14 to maneuver away?” Paula requested. “Positively emotional to not have your baby at house. However I keep in mind saying to Shawn: ‘How may we not have let him go?’ He was a cheerful baby each day of his life. With the character he has, he’s very level-headed, there’s no drama. He had stated many occasions he simply desires to be a greater hockey participant each day. Watching him undergo the years and seeing him do what he may do, it turned that I feel we weren’t prepared. I feel he was all the time prepared. I feel it was extra if we had not let him go it will have been us standing in the way in which of him discovering his dream.”

Newhook will now proceed to dwell his dream in Montreal.

“He’s only a good child,” Paula stated. “He’s a very level-headed, sort baby. There’s no drama. He simply desires to play hockey and he’s very welcoming to everyone.”

A real Newfoundlander.

[email protected]

twitter.com/StuCowan1

Article content material