Hockey hero tells kids to stay in school

Students at Sunshine Academy in Dollard des Ormeaux received a positive message on Monday afternoon from the Montreal Juniors Hockey Club star left winger Matthew Brenton. "It's important to keep training, that's how you get better at something. It's the same thing at school, the more you practice, the better you're going to be at that subject, or if it's a sport, the better you're going to be at that sport," Brenton told the enthusiastic group of youth who listened to him attentively in the school's brightly lit gym.

The interaction between Brenton and the students became playful after he began to ask them questions. "How many games do you think we had in our nine games (in the season) so far?" He asked at one point, with a student breathlessly replying "836." "That's a big number on nine games," Brenton said with a laugh.

He appeared to speak to the children as part of a new agreement between Lester B. Pearson school board and the Montreal Juniors Hockey Club.

The club had started to individually act with schools last year to motivate children to keep pursuing their education, said director of communications Valérie Clément. "But we wanted to be more organized this year," she said.

And so the club approached Nancy Battet, a project co-ordinator at the school board, to talk about awarding hockey game tickets to deserving students who prove themselves either through their marks or their good behaviour. "We came up with a plan as to how we could make the biggest impression on the students, " Battet explained. "It's important for them to have role models," she said, "to realize that they can reach their dreams, but they have to work hard for it."

Brenton attempted to draw that point home to the students, explaining that he still takes classes at the Athabasca University even as he continues to play. "I try to find some time when I'm on the bus," he said on when he manages to read up for his homework.

He also told students it is important to keep pushing forward, explaining that he, for example, may join a professional hockey camp after he leaves the league this year, or go play at a university-level team.

In the meantime, he occasionally relaxes by playing a game of NHL 2K10 on the Xbox-360, he said, which drew much laughter and applause from students.

Though Brenton only spoke at Sunshine, the partnership between the school board and the hockey club is across its network of schools.