Otis Boudreaux Jr

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind, a dream, a fog maybe? I just hope that I dont crash back down to reality and find myself back at home in Castletownbere. Not that I didnt like it there, but it is alot different than Houston! Let me see if I can wrap my mind around all of this. I had been having a good career in the local Irish league. They told me I was one of the fastest guys. I was leading in assists and was second in scoring, but that was the way it had been the last few years. I dont remember when I started to win the "Most Assists" award, but I have a few of them. I added some scoring titles and 3 league Most Valuable Player awards along the way and it looked like this season was going to be the same. That is, until the call came. Ronan Lavelle is well known in Irish hockey circles. The Irishman who led the way and showed all of us on the ice that we too could play at a higher level. He is who we all want to be like, playing at the highest levels of the sport in one of the best places to play, the United States. Rumor was that he was back in Ireland and was trying to catch some local matches. I had even heard he had been to some of ours, but who really believes that stuff? I didnt, why would he want to watch us play? We had fun, but it was just that, a fun league. Then I got that call. I had just gotten home from our latest match. We had won 4-2, I had a goal and 2 assists, so not too bad I thought. It kept us in the lead and closer to another league title. The phone rang (yea, we still have a landline telephone, yea, dad is really old-fashioned) as dad and I were talking about the match. He never missed one, he was my best support, and critic. He always offered insights and suggestions on how to get better and this was no exception. Mom answered the phone and we heard her voice break after she said hello. Dad and I looked at each other, her parents are not getting any younger and still live in Pennsylvania, what had happened? But then those words, when we hear them there is such a rush of emotions: excitement, fear, joy, trepidation...yea, a real jumble of feelings to say the least...but mom said, "Its for you" and with a trembling hand, gave me the phone. I somehow said hello and heard a voice I know so well, the voice of Ronan Lavelle, RONAN LAVELLE IS CALLING ME!!! I dont remember what he said right after that and no, I will never tell him that!. But finally I was able to get myself under control and realized he wanted me to join the minor league team he managed in Houston. I mumbled that he would need to talk to my dad and handed the phone over as I sunk into the settee. The next day Ronan was in the house as he discussed his plans, a contract, all of it with my parents. I hit Insta to let EVERYONE know RONAN LAVELLE was in my house! You better believe there were some selfies and some posting going on after it was all over with! Is it bad that all I really remember is that I would be going to Houston and was getting a signing bonus of $1,500,000. DAYUM!! Yea, that is right, I was getting PAID! The contract was signed, I hurriedly packed and caught a plane to Houston. Yea, it was in 1st class and right beside Ronan (we are on a first name basis now). Hell, I am famous for just knowing Ronan! We landed early in the morning and got in the stretch limousine. Oh my! This car was so BIG! He got me into the dorm at training camp and said we will hit the ice on Monday. So get acclimated and adjusted to hit the ice with the fire and determination he saw back home. I am lying on my bed after realizing I never knew what heat was! I decided to go for a walk and that lasted about 5 minutes! This is so much different than Ireland! I feel lost and am desperate for some real fish and chips and vinegar, why cant I find a good chippie? So many things are different, but I know that when I put on my skates and hit the ice, I will be at home again, no matter where I am. More next week....I hope

One of the toughest things I have ever had to explain is how does a guy with the last name of Boudreaux end up being Irish and on top of that loving hockey instead of football (okay, you call it soccer, but I still call it football). Yes, there is a story behind it and as you can well imagine, it is a good one. My great-great-great-great-great grandfather was from Ireland. He and his family left the Emerald Isle during the Great Potato Famine in the 1840s. As many of the Irish immigrants of that time, they landed in New York City. The family eventually moved to Pennsylvania where he became a coal miner and was part of the group known as the Molly Maguires from mining lore, but that is another story. The family stayed in that area and worked in the mines. Generation after generation started in the mines as soon as they could get hired, married a local girl, had children and the cycle would repeat. That is, until my mother was born. Orla Donoughue (can you get more Irish than that!) as a teenager knew she wanted more, not that living in the mining region was bad, but coal mining was in the decline and more and more people were moving away from the area, she wanted to be part of that movement. She had developed an interest in music and found she loved traditional Irish music. She searched for a college to allow her to pursue this love and found Tulane. She convinced her parents that this is what she wanted and she went to school in the state of Louisiana which was a huge culture shock for the young lady from the mining communities of Pennsylvania! She loved the food, the atmosphere, not the weather so much, and the music, oh the music of New Orleans! One night, she met my father as she was sitting in a small blues club soaking in the music of the soul, the blues. My dad, Hugo Boudreaux, is Cajun through and through. The family traces its heritage back to the early history of New Orleans. Just as my mom's family had stayed in Pennsylvania, my dad's had stayed in New Orleans. Dad was a musician, yes, you guessed it, a blues musician. But he loved other types of music, I guess you could say that music flowed through his veins. They hit it off and were pretty much inseparable from that point on. Mom, just a sophomore at Tulane, and dad, a blues musician in New Orleans seemed destined to stay in New Orleans. That is until they took their honeymoon. Dad had traveled to Pennsylvania to ask for mom's hand in marriage (he is so old fashioned) and the 2 families pitched in together to pay for their honeymoon, a trip to Ireland. As they say, the rest is history. Mom and dad got here, fell in love with everything "Ireland" and emigrated back home (as mom calls it). Hockey? Mom is a HUGE hockey fan!! Dad had to convince her not to name me Wayne Gretzky Boudreaux! To spend time with mom, dad went to hockey games. As he grew to love the sport, it became a part of the family experience. So when I was born, that is what we did as a family, watched hockey games. Dad enjoyed learning how to play as I was doing it. It just felt natural, even though finding teams in Ireland wasnt easy, we always found a way to make it work. Now, I am on the other side of the world (it feels like that to me) in Houston pursuing my dream. I am not sure what comes next, but so far, it has been one hell of a ride!

F - Duncan Idaho @Enorama

#HornsUp

Yes, I will give it a shot

Player Information Username: Otis Boudreaux Player Name: Otis Boudreaux Recruited From: Other (Gohls) Age: 16 Position: RW Height: 73 in. Weight: 190 lbs. Birthplace: Ireland Player Page @VHLM GM