With 11 points in 12 games played this season, 27-year-old forward Guillaume Grégoire has been key cog in the Comets lineup through their rise to the top of the OSAAHL standings.

Standing at a slender six foot one, Grégoire is an offensive-minded player with a quality scoring touch and playmaking ability.

Having amassed 56 points (23 goals, 33 assists) in 34 career games with the Comets, he’s currently the leading-scorer in franchise history.

Originally from Amos in Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Grégoire started playing hockey at age seven, when his grandfather, Alain Grégoire, introduced him to the game.

“My parents didn’t know anything about hockey,” he said. “They didn’t even know what an offside was.”

Unable to skate during his first practice, Grégoire used a chair to keep himself up and roam around the ice.

“I had never had a pair of skates in my life,” he said.

Frustrated watching other kids skate circles around him, he vowed to ditch the chair for the next practice and prove that he could keep up with his peers.

From that point forward, Grégoire practiced constantly and evolved his skills until he became a standout minor hockey player in his hometown.

“I always continued to persevere in it and give it my 100 per cent,” he said.

Growing up with two older sisters and one of them playing goalie throughout his youth, he didn’t have to go far to work on his game, which helped him develop a keen eye for goal.

“It allowed me to practice my entire childhood,” he said.

At 15 years-old, when he finished Bantam, he tried out for the local Midget AAA team – the Amos Forestiers – hoping to land a coveted roster spot.

But, during the final game of try-outs, Grégoire broke his ankle, which sidelined him for several months. Unable to play for the Forestiers, he moved to Mont-Laurier to live with his mother, Nancy Turcotte where he healed up and eventually played in Midget BB for the next two seasons.

In his final year of Midget (2009-10), Grégoire played at the BB level for the Hull Olympiques when he and his mother migrated to Gatineau.

After finishing off his minor hockey career, he set his sights on the junior ranks.

While he was interested in trying out for a number of Junior A and B teams in Ontario and Quebec, Grégoire’s work and school schedules weren’t compatible with the high demands that came with playing in Junior A and B.

“I couldn’t practice during the week, and that’s when they do their practices,” he said.

Instead he decided to play at the Junior C level in the National Capital Hockey League (NCHL) for the La Pêche Prédateurs.

After being approached by Richard Savard regarding an opportunity to play for the newly established franchise, Grégoire accepted on the condition that he could suit up for all the games despite not being able to attend the team’s weekly practice sessions.

“I couldn’t allow myself not to work in order to play hockey,” he said.

Going from playing with full cages to visors and competing against more physically evolved athletes every game, the transition from minor hockey to the junior level required some adjustment.

“The game is different,” he said. “It’s a lot faster for sure.”

But ultimately, he settled in admirably, notching 53 points (33 goals and 20 assists) in 33 games during his first season with the Prédateurs (2010-11).

In his second campaign, he put up 49 points (25 goals, 24 assists) in 26 regular season games, as well as eight points in four playoff games.

During his third and fourth seasons with the Preds, his numbers soared to 79 and 81 points in 33 games respectively and ended up as the NCHL’s leading scorer in 2013-14.

However, Grégoire didn’t experience much glory as a team, noting that the Prédateurs largely underachieved in the postseason during his time there.

“We had some okay regular seasons,” he said. “But in the playoffs, we would get beat down pretty hard. I think we won only one playoff game during my time there.”

For Grégoire one of the most enjoyable aspects of playing in the NCHL was that it provided him an avenue to play the game he loved competitively while still dedicating time to school, work and family.

“It was the perfect league for people who want to play competitively, but who can’t get involved themselves during the week,” he said.

After four memorable years of junior hockey, Grégoire made peace with the notion that his career as a competitive player was over.

For the next four years, he played recreationally on a weekly basis and in tournaments with coworkers as well as with friends who invited him to spare in men’s leagues.

During the summer of 2018, Grégoire learned about a new league being established called the Outaouais Senior A Hockey League (OSAHL).

Eager about an opportunity to play with some of his old pals from Mont-Laurier, Grégoire wanted to try out for the Montagnards, but unfortunately, missed training camp.

But shortly before the beginning of the OSAHL’s inaugural season, he received a message from the league’s Administrative Director and owner of the Comets, Danick Boisvert, regarding an opportunity for a one-game trial.

Working together with STO for a brief period of time, Grégoire and Boisvert knew one another from playing together in a hockey tournament involving teams of employees from different public transit companies.

“He saw that I wasn’t playing anywhere so he wrote to me,” he said. “He told me to try one game.”

Despite being unsure if he wanted to get back to playing full-contact competitive hockey, he accepted the invite.

On Oct. 13, 2018, Grégoire suited up for the Comets for the very first time, coming out with two goals in a 6-5 loss against the Maniwaki Forestiers. After the game, he knew that the right decision was to stick around.

“It takes one game to get back the itch,” he said. “It’s gone well since.”

In his first season with the Comets, Grégoire was a great asset for the club offensively, leading the league in scoring with 43 points (16 goals, 27 assists) in 20 games.

While his numbers aren’t as impressive as they were last year, he feels positive about his game, noting that the league has become much stronger in its second season and that he’s now part of a winning organization supported by a passionate fanbase.

“The team is better,” he said. “We’re not going to hide it, the league is a lot faster than last year.”

Blessed with an opportunity to hit the ice every weekend with his spouse, Valerie Martin, and his sons Mavryk and Maeven cheering him on in the stands, playing for the Comets has been an absolute thrill for Grégoire.

“I love it,” he said.

Away from the rink, Grégoire works for the Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO), where he has been for the last five years.

Intrigued by heavy machinery from a young age, which he largely credits his father who owned a wood-transportation company, he decided to apply for a job with STO to become a bus driver.

“I’m into big trucks and big things,” he said. “So, I told myself that a bus driver works with a big machine, has a good salary, a good pension, insurance, etc. With kids that was really important.”

After driving the bus for a couple of years, Grégoire moved up the ranks to STO road inspector where he specialized in supervising bus drivers.

“I knew I wasn’t going to stay as a driver,” he said. “I wanted more than that. I gave myself five years to move up in the enterprise and it finally took me two years. So, I’m really happy.”

Last December, he was promoted to trainer with the company and now teaches new drivers everything they need to know about their jobs.

“I train all the new drivers,” he said. “For new projects, I’m the one who does presentations for drivers. All information relating to the STO, I take care of it.”

Currently living in Val des Monts, Grégoire spends most of his down time driving from one arena to the next with his biggest fans – his family.

“Ever since I’m in junior my spouse has been following me everywhere and since we’ve had kids they’ve tagged along too,” he said.

Still playing competitive hockey with his family following his every step, a secure job and a home in Val des Monts, Grégoire doesn’t complain much, knowing he’s got it all pretty good.

“For the future, for sure I don’t envision changing jobs,” he said. “My job will remain stable.”

But as far as hockey goes, he knows that father time is catching up and that he needs to prioritize the right things – his family.

“I won’t hide it that every year I play, I think that I’m close to hanging up my skates to give more time to my kids,” he said. “We’re going to finish this year and next year is another thing. We’ll see how the kids are going too.”

Now five and six years old respectively, Maeven and Mavryk are avid hockey players and Grégoire has taken up to coaching them at the MAHG level.

Next year, Mavryk will move up from MAHG to Novice, which means he’ll start having practices during the week as well as on weekends.

From coaching his kids on Saturday mornings to making long trips to his games in the evenings, weekends are very busy in the Grégoire household.

While it’s something everyone seems to enjoy right now, he doesn’t see things going like this forever.

“I live two hours away from each arena,” he said. “So, that’s eight, nine hours dedicated just to play my game. It’s a lot of time. My kids don’t want to miss them, so we bring them everywhere and my spouse enjoys them as well.”

Grégoire skates into the offensive zone during the second period of a matchup against the Maniwaki Forestiers.

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