The 2019-20 Pontiac Senior Comets boast a highly experienced lineup of talented players from all parts of the region, including a number of local products.
For 24-year-old . . .
Fort Coulonge-native Stephane Paré, one of the best parts about playing for the Comets is that it allows him to keep playing the game he loves for his hometown team.
Born and bred in the Pontiac, Paré spent the majority of his minor hockey years in the region, playing mostly at the CC level in Shawville, before joining the Hull Olympiques Midget BB team in his final year.
As a husky kid with slick hands and a heavy shot, Paré dominated at his playing level growing up and often played with teams in older age groups.
“Until I was up to Midget, I always played a year up,” he said. “I wouldn’t go play in the city. So, I played with the older kids to be more on my level.”
He received several offers to play at higher levels. However, he wasn’t enthusiastic about the thought of playing with strangers in a place far away from home.
“I got a bunch of offers to go play AA, AAA in Gatineau,” he said. “But I was just too shy. I needed to have a few people that I knew because I wouldn’t go.”
Plus, he didn’t only have hockey on his schedule. As talented as he was on the ice, Paré was an all-around athlete and his focus was largely centered around golf.
Competing in provincial and national tournaments as a youngster, Paré spent the majority of his time, travelling and playing in tournaments and working on his game to become an elite player.
“During my summers off from high school, I wouldn’t have any time to spend with friends,” he said. “I would have to practice my golf game and I would have to go to a bunch of different places in Quebec and in Ontario to play golf tournaments.”
One of his most memorable golf moments came in his last year at the junior level when he was 18. He qualified for the Canadian Junior Boys Championship – a yearly tournament involving the country’s best golfers aged 18 and under.
Despite how much he excelled in sports, he admitted that he was still considerably out of shape and wasn’t reaching his full potential because of it.
Paré recalls playing in golf tournaments at almost 40 degrees celsius and struggling to cope with the climate conditions to the point where it affected his health.
“It was really tough for me – being overweight,” he said. “I would end up being sick a lot of the time when it was hot like that. So, I realized that I had to do something about it.”
“I knew that it would help me gain speed, hockey-wise,” he said. “I knew I was going to be a faster hockey player and that would really help me because I had the shot and I had the hands. So, maybe if I had the speed, I could do something here. That’s what really flicked the switch for me.”
Shortly after graduating high school at the age of 18, Paré decided that it was time to lose weight.
He started off by changing his diet. Then, he got into a routine of rollerblading, jogging and home workouts like pushups and sit ups.
In the span of a year, he went from 260 pounds to 190.
Then, he wanted to bolster his workout regimen. So, he contacted a friend – Comets forward Martin Dubé – who had his own gym at the time, with a specific purpose in mind.
“I knew he knew his stuff,” he said. “So, I went to him and since I lost all my weight, I said ‘I want to maybe play junior hockey and I want to get in shape and gain some size and some strength.’”
Now at a muscular 230 pounds, in the best shape of his life, working out and healthy nutrition has become a significant aspect of Paré’s daily routine.
“Pretty much everything that I do revolves around that,” he said. “My nutrition, I watch every single day, except maybe during the weekend – I eat a little bit more whatever I want. I try to go to the gym at least five or six days per week, plus my hockey and all my other sports.”
At 19 years old, he finished atop of the Chapeau men’s league in points and led his team all the way to the final.
On the opposing team that day was Danby Suckow – assistant coach for the Renfrew Timberwolves of the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League (EOJHL) at the time.
After losing in the final, Paré and his teammates headed to the local bar to celebrate the end of their almost successful season. At the bar, Suckow walked up to Paré and proposed to him the possibility of playing Junior B hockey the upcoming season by inviting him to the Renfrew’s Junior B training camp.
A few weeks later, Suckow invited Paré to the Central Canadian Hockey League’s (CCHL) Pembroke Lumber Kings junior A training camp. Pare attended the camp but unfortunately separated his shoulder on a hit, which left him out of commission for the rest of training camp.
Fortunately, he got back in time for the start of the EOJHL season and was confident that he could excel in the league.
He started the season off on the right foot, as one of the league’s top scorers in the first handful of games. However, things got less enjoyable as the season progressed.
“Guys dropped down from Pembroke to us,” he said. “So, I got kind of bumped down the lineup to a third line centre role.”
While his ice-time and production was lower than he expected, Paré’s experience with the Timberwolves was still a positive one. He noted that he felt grateful to be surrounded by such great talent.
However, he still wishes he had more of an opportunity to make an impact and to show folks what he was made of.
“I’m sure if I would’ve had the chance to play a bit more that I could’ve proven to the coach that I would’ve belonged there for real,” he said.
Done with junior hockey, done with golf tournaments, Paré kept himself busy by playing men’s league hockey in Chapeau, Fort Coulonge and Shawville where he dominated once again.
But he had to pay his bills one way or another. So, he picked up a number of odd jobs, including a stint as an installation technician with DeryTelecom and another as a labourer at Gatineau-based pulp and paper mill Kruger.
But he never particularly enjoyed those jobs – mainly because his schedule constantly conflicted with his activities outside of work.
“I really didn’t like it because it was shift work and I had to miss a lot of my sports,” he said. “My sports are a big part of my life.”
While he wasn’t sure about what he wanted to do career-wise, he knew that he had a knack with children and that he could maybe find his niche in teaching.
After seeing an ad stating that École secondaire Sieur de Coulonge (ESSC) was looking for a sports and leisure coordinator, he applied for the job, completed an interview and landed the position.
Paré spent one year at ESSC before moving onto St. Anne Elementary school in Grand Calumet Island to be their physical education teacher.
At ESSC, he mostly organized after-school and lunch-hour activities.
Whether he was running the school’s hockey program, serving as assistant coach with the boys’ volleyball teams or participating in and organizing trips for the school’s outdoor education program, he really enjoyed his short tenure there.
Now teaching physical education at St. Anne Elementary, Paré feels blessed to be in the position to show a younger generation of students, many of whom attend Comets home games, the fundamental values of sport and citizenship.
“I like being able to demonstrate sports and the ability to play different games and stuff – just being a good role model for the kids,” he said. “A lot of the kids come to our games, so just being a good role model for them, to be someone they can look up to.”
In the summer of 2018, Comets goaltender Danick Boisvert approached Paré about his intention of establishing a senior hockey team in Fort Coulonge.
Admittedly tired of the recreational atmosphere of men’s league hockey, he was excited for the chance to play hockey that meant something. So, he joined the team for it s inaugural season last year.
In the Comets first season, Paré was a shining light for the team, finishing first in goals and second in points after finding the back of the net 21 times in 20 games.
Safe to say, he’s really enjoyed his time with the team so far.
From the locals who tell him ‘good game’ when he runs into them at the local grocery store to seeing his mother Sylvie still watching him hit the ice every other weekend, playing for the Comets has allowed him to stay connected with his family and his community even more.
“A lot of people say they’re proud of you and that you represent Coulonge well because I’m one of the only Coulonge guys on the team,” he said. “So, I think I make the whole town proud. That’s a big honour for me.”
As a teacher, a local hockey star and a deeply-entrenched member of the community, Paré feels attached to the Pontiac and doesn’t see himself leaving the region anytime soon.
“I will stay in the Pontiac for sure,” he said. “It’s a small community. Everyone knows each other. When something happens or whatever everyone’s there for each other. It’s just nice to know that you have a strong community like that.”
Plus, after a nearly four-year hiatus from competitive golf, Paré is back to playing in tournaments representing the Renfrew Golf Club after joining them this year.
Now, with his summers finally off because of teaching, he intends on spending as much time as he can on the golf course.
As far as his career goes, Paré plans on teaching for as long as he can.
Whether he’s commuting to Mansfield et Pontefract or to Grand Calumet Island, he just wants to stay in the region and be a great example for local youth.
by J.D POTIÉ
