Boasting a deep lineup, mixed with highly skilled young players and wily veterans, the 2019-20 Pontiac . . .
Senior Comets have shown an ability to score goals in bunches and compete with every team in the Outaouais Senior AA Hockey League (OSAAHL).
For 31-year-old Comets’ forward Olivier Donovan, the first handful of games with the organization have provided the kind of thrilling atmosphere the long-time competitor had been craving.
Despite his five-foot-seven stature, Donovan plays a rugged style, combined with keen offensive instincts that make him a threat with and without the puck around the opposing team’s net.
Growing up idolizing former Anaheim Mighty Ducks superstar Paul Kariya – because of his speedy, hard-working style of play – Donovan tried to model his game after him.
Originally from Gatineau, Que., Donovan played his minor hockey in his hometown until his late teens.
With his younger brother Guillaume, Donovan recalls spending the majority of his childhood years playing street-hockey in his neighborhood or at the outdoor rink in their family’s backyard.
As an elite young player, he mostly played at the AA level for the Gatineau Intrepide, before moving up to Midget AAA in the same organization.
During his five years of high school, Donovan attended l’École secondaire Nicholas-Gatineau where he evolved in their Sport Etudes hockey program.
In his first year of Midget AAA (2003-04), he scored 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 38 games, finishing seventh on the team in scoring. Playing alongside future NHLer Derrick Brassard, he helped his team win the Kiwanis International Midget Hockey Tournament in Gatineau.
In his second year, Donovan’s hard-work and dedication to the game earned him the captaincy of the team, which brought him a lot of confidence, especially offensively, heading into the year.
“Before, I produced,” he said. “But, in my second year of Midget AAA, I started producing like a top scorer on a team.”
As captain, he led the Intrepide’s with 49 points (26 goals, 23 assists) in 42 games, while helping the team win its second consecutive Kiwanis tournament title.
Donovan explained that winning the Kiwanis tournament – an event he watched as a kid – was something that meant a lot to him.
“When I was young, I always went every year,” he said. “So, to actually win it myself was definitely something special.”
In the 2005 playoffs, he ended up as the Quebec Midget AAA Hockey League’s (QMAAAHL) second-best scorer with 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 16 games, while leading his team to two QMAAAHL playoff finals and a berth in the Midget AAA national championship game.
“It was a year that gave me confidence for the future,” he said.
During the off season, one of Donovan’s biggest childhood dreams came true when the Drummondville Voltigeurs picked him with the 152nd pick (ninth round) of the 2005 QMJHL draft.
“When you’re young, that’s the goal if you’re from Quebec,” he said. “The QMJHL is like a mini professional league. Every day you’re on the ice and you’re followed by fans and the media.”
In 36 games with the Voltigeurs (2005-06), Donovan put up two points, but ended up playing nearly half the season around an hour and a half west of Drummondville with their Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (QJAAAHL) farm team, l’Action de Joliette.
In 21 games with Joliette, he put up 11 points (two goals, nine assists).
Donovan explained that constantly alternating between Drummondville and Joliette made getting used to the junior ranks a lot more difficult than he first envisioned.
“It was really a year of transition,” he said. “The biggest difference was the size and speed of the guys.”
Despite how hard his first year of junior was, he said it was instrumental in his development as a player.
Near the end of the year, Joliette traded Donovan to the Terrebonne Cobras, where he ended up third on the team in scoring with 81 points (29 goals, 52 assists) in 54 games as an 18-year old.
During the following season (2007-08), he led the team in scoring with 95 points (36 goals, 59 assists) in 54 games.
While his team experienced plenty of regular season success during his time there – finishing as high as second place in the QJAAAHL standings – they never got over the playoff hump, bowing out early in the 2008 playoffs.
Living with a supportive billet family while playing for a well-structured organization, Donovan remembers his time in Terrebonne fondly.
“We were spoiled for a Junior AAA team,” he said.
After two years in Terrebonne, the Cobras traded Donovan to the Valleyfield Braves.
In Valleyfield, Donovan played with his little brother Guillaume for the first and only time of his career – something he felt grateful for.
Having played countless hours together on the outdoor rink in their backyard or in their driveway, Donovan recalled them having noticeably cohesive chemistry when they were on the ice together.
“When we played together, we found each other easily on the ice. On the powerplay, we were always together. It was like if we had always played together.”
In his only season with the Braves (2008-09), Donovan led the team in scoring with 121 points (40 goals, 81 assists) in 49 games, alongside his brother who put up 77 points (28 goals, 49 assists) of his own.
However, they didn’t experience as much team success as he would’ve wanted, finishing with a near-500 record capped with an early playoff exit.
During his junior career, Donovan received a number of scholarship offers from Canadian universities, including McGill, Concordia and the University of Ottawa.
Eventually, he committed to the Universite du Québec in Trois Rivieres (UQTR) where he played the next four years.
“I decided to go there because it was in French and they had good bursaries,” he said. “I liked the city and I knew some of their guys. Knowing a little bit of background on UQTR, I knew that it was a University that was strong at hockey.”
Aspiring to become a physical education teacher, Donovan enrolled in the school’s physical and health education program.
In his first year with the Patriotes (2009-10), Donovan ended up seventh on the team in scoring with 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 28 regular season games.
Despite starting in a fourth-line role with some special-teams’ duties, Donovan took advantage of his opportunities when his number got called.
“At some point, there were a few injuries,” he said. “I ended up on the third line and it went well.”
In the playoffs, he finished as UQTR’s leading scorer with eight points (five goals, three assists) in as many games.
“I don’t know why, but in the playoffs, I always scored more points,” he said. “My averages are higher in the postseason than in the regular season.”
During his second season at UQTR, Donovan had his best numbers, ending up as the Patriots’ leading scorer with 37 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 28 games.
“I think I played above my abilities,” he said. “I was the top scorer, like nine points ahead of guys who put up like 90 points in major junior. Things were going well. Everything was rolling. My line-mates and I had great chemistry.”
In the postseason, he scored 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in nine games, good for third on the team.
In his final two years at UQTR, Donovan put up 41 points (12 goals, 29 assists) in 53 regular-season games, along with 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 17 playoff games.
In four years of university, Donovan helped the Patriotes finish first and second in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) East standings on two occasions respectively, while experiencing three trips to the U Sports National Championship tournament.
Playing hockey on a daily basis while surrounded by a great support system, Donovan recalls his tenure at UQTR to be quite similar to his years in junior hockey.
“It was like a mini major-junior,” he said. “You have a hockey schedule adapted to your school. You practice in the morning or in the afternoon. On the weekend you travel with the guys and you play games. Just a true hockey atmosphere.”
After university, Donovan continued his hockey career by joining the Saint-Gabriel Blizzard of the Montreal Senior A Hockey League (MSAHL) where he played the next two seasons
“I wasn’t ready to let go of hockey,” he said. “That’s why I continued.”
Already knowing some of the players on the team while only playing games once per week, the transition to senior hockey was quite comfortable for the Gatineau-native.
In two seasons with the Blizzard, Donovan was a proven scorer, putting up a team-leading 35 points (19 goals, 16 assists) in 18 games and 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 19 games respectively.
Donovan’s playoff dominance continued, as he led the Blizzard’s scorers in both seasons – 29 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 11 games, followed by nine points (one goal, eight assists) in eight games.
After the season, Donovan moved to the league’s Joliette Sportifs, after the Saint-Gabriel franchise got banned from the MSAHL.
In 2015-16, Donovan scored 20 points (seven goals, 13 assists) in 19 games, playing nine with Joliette before getting traded to Louiseville Bellemare where he finished the season.
The following season, Donovan returned to Joliette where he put up 28 points (14 goals, 14 assists) in 17 games.
In 2017, Donovan took a hiatus from the game he loved to focus on his teaching career and raising a family.
After graduating from UQTR with a bachelor’s degree in physical and health education, Donovan sent his resume to the Commission Scolaire au Coeur des Valleés and eventually earned a contract to teach physical education at l’École Saint Michel in Buckingham.
Once his contract ended, Donovan landed a permanent gig at the school and spent the next four years as its gym teacher.
A couple of years ago, he requested to transfer schools and landed at l’École du Sacré Coeur in Gatineau, where he’s taught gym classes for the last two years.
Last year (2018-19), Donovan returned to the ice, after he joined the now-defunct Cornwall Senior Prowlers of the OSAAHL, where he scored eight points in as many games. While he enjoyed getting back to playing at a high-level, Donovan admitted that the situation wasn’t the most ideal.
During the offseason, Comets’ head coach Jean-Francois Lavergne contacted Donovan regarding an opportunity OSAAHL hockey in Fort Coulonge. Intrigued by the opportunity, Donovan didn’t hesitate to attend the team’s tryouts back in July.
So far, Donovan has enjoyed his time with the Comets.
Looking at the different skillsets and personalities up and down the lineup, Donovan is confident that the team is capable of achieving great things this season.
“We have a great group of guys,” he said. “If we keep the same team, we have a really good chance this year. There’s a very good vibe around this team.”
Outside of hockey and work, Donovan enjoys spending time with his two sons, Maverick (two years old) and Eli (five months old), both of whom he hopes becomes avid sportsmen when they grow up.
“As long as they do sports, I’m not worried about it,” he said.
Satisfied with where he stands in his teaching career, Donovan intends on teaching at Sacré Coeur for many years to come.
As a gym teacher, Donovan feels grateful to stay involved with sports every day while promoting an active lifestyle to the next generation of athletes, doctors and lawyers.
“Sport has always been a part of my life and I was interested in continuing that,” he said. “I like making the kids move, having fun with them and teaching them what I know about sports.”
