Home-Grown Hockey Hero

Staff Photo By: Darcie Thom

Brooks Laich plays street hockey with children 12 and under during the Wawota Centennial Celebrations

By: Darcie Thom

Is he the next big name in the NHL, or just the guy next door? Depending on who you talk to, 25-year-old, Brooks Laich of Wawota, is making an impression on young people, whether he be a well-known hockey player or the guy down the street.

His fellow neighbors of Wawota joke that he is just the guy next door, a simple and motivated person with plenty of star-quality talent. Young and impressionable hockey fans don’t see Brooks the same way, many see him as the NHL superstar who has accomplished his dreams.

His career started when he was Ottawa’s 6th round choice (193rd overall in 2001). He was later acquired from the Ottawa Senators for a second-round selection in The 2005 Entry Draft and Right Wing Peter Bondra by the Washington Capitals.

Laich, who plays Center for the Washington Capitals, was a 6′2″ giant kid on Hill Ave. Saturday, August 2nd, he gave his time and efforts in the late afternoon to play with almost 100 kids of various ages, one little youngster couldn’t have been more than 3 years old but still joined the game with full anticipation. “It was fun and cool,” says a shy and soft-spoken youngster, Blake Fennig, of his experience playing street hockey with Laich.

“I would tell these kids to work hard but have fun,” says Brooks, “the day it becomes work (a job) is the day I retire!” Laich visited Wawota during the Centennial event to promote hockey and the love of the game, stating that he never wants hockey to be something that he has to do but wants to do.

Hockey has quickly become a full contact sport with a high expectancy of competition. Players may not always be aboard with the “team efforts” while others work to achieve their own personal goals (and at times, the team is forgotten).

Laich spoke proudly of his fellow teammates on the Washington Capitals, stating that he and fellow teammates work together to achieve their goals and support one another during their games. “I am pretty lucky,” Brooks says, “I have a front row seat to play with the league’s best players.”

Brooks Laich played in 82 games in the 2007/08 NHL Hockey Season with a total of 37 points (21 goals, 16 assists and 4 winning goals).

In 2002/03, Laich had the advantage to play for Team Canada in the World Junior Team, they lost the opportunity for the gold that season, but every team member learned and grew with the experience it provided.  “The experience was awesome! My dream of playing in the NHL and for Team Canada, what an experience!,” Laich said, “It’s hard to put into words how I felt at the time, wearing the national colors and hearing the anthem, I don’t know what words to use to describe those feelings.”

The Wawota Centennial Celebrations is not the first event that Laich has attended in support of children and the hockey dream. He, along with other star-rated hockey players, has also attended various events and fundraisers for hospitals in Regina and group fundraisers for children.

When the question ‘did you always plan to play pro-hockey’ was asked, Laich shyly looked to his mother and smiled. “Always, there was never anything else I wanted to do, it was in the cards.” He commented that his parents wanted him to have a back-up plan, hoping that his spirit wouldn’t break if he was not able to meet his goal of professional hockey. He recalls memories of being a child and looking up to neighbor Chris Porter, also of Wawota, when he compiled the ideas of hockey to his goal list.

“I really looked up to Chris Porter, he was really the first professional to encourage hockey in my life. My favorite NHL players, growing up, were Doug Gilmour and Mario Lemieux,” stated Laich.

After 3 years of playing with the Washington Capitals, Laich admitted to having been star-struck in his first ten-or-so games stating, “at first it was exciting to meet these people close up, but it didn’t take long to see that they are just men, like you and me.”

The final question, to the many asked, was ‘Do you play yourself when you play any of the hockey video games?’ His answer, laughter! He explained that he is not one to play many video games, but his friends often call him up and tell him how well his character did during a video game session. “One buddy called me up, telling me that I needed to go to his place with a trailer to haul away my winnings (in the video game). I  would be really hard on myself in the (video) game, thinking that I could have done better or went too slow.”

Many of the town locals and visitors showed up at the Corner of Hill and Alexander to play and watch the NHL superstar share moments with his adoring young fans. “It was great, a great experience,” says Debbie Fennig, mother of youngster Blake, “it was nice to see Brooks come out and spend time with the kids.”