Luc Moreau - Metal Cutting Through Ice Touched His Soul

[minman 95]

Luc was born and grew up in Paris, France. As a small boy, there was a lot of football  playing in his neighborhood. With Les Bleus as perennial powerhouses, Luc went to many great games at the Stade de France. It was easy to just grab a ball and play in the park with the neighborhood kids. Luc played and loved to run around on the pitch but football never touched his soul. 
 

When he was 9, his parents brought him to an outdoor ice rink to skate. It was cold and he was worried about falling. But once Luc got steady on his feet, he fell in love with the speed of metal blades cutting the ice. His soul was touched. He quickly asked his parents for all the used equipment they could get to get playing ice hockey. They weren't rich parents, so they got what he needed since they could see the fire in his eyes. During the first season playing hockey, he found where he could shine. Given his endurance from chasing a ball, he could skate circles around others in the third period and learned to be clutch in those tight games, whether to score that critical tying goal or protect leads. Luc discovered that he loved to assist on a goal, as much as he loved to score, as well as a great defensive play. Coaches trusted him in all three zones. What drove Luc was one thing, winning. He'd ask teammates parents for video so he could watch what he needed to improve on. 

Luckily, the VHL had teams in Europe and he could watch how the best played the game. Luc begged his parents to take him to Davos or take the Eurostar to London to see live VHL games. There were many days of school where he couldn't keep his eyes open as he was tired from catching a Legion vs Bears game in North America on TV. He scoured the internet in the morning to see the box score for Wranglers or Americans stats to see his heroes efforts. Sometimes there would be clips available to watch. 
 

As he dove into following the VHL world, he saw French  players, Obuz Schneider Canet du Bocage @Grapeand Conference Prince-de-Galles @UnkemptCL4PTPbreak into the league, shine, and win awards. Seeing France produce such great talent, Luc knew it was possible. He didn't know if he'd make the VHL, so he grinded it out in youth and junior leagues. Every season, he just focused on getting better and helping his teammates win games. Luc looked at being responsible in his own zone, grinding out on getting better at puck retrieval. Coaches and scouts saw the potential and the hard work. They played him on travelling teams and All-Star team.

When he was 14, Luc was offered spots to two prestigious hockey academies. One in Stockholm and the other in Quebec. It was a hard choice as only a handful of Europeans each year were invited to that elite Canadien academy. But Luc chose Stockholm as it was closer to family and the time zone difference wasn't as great. The Swedish had developed a great program for getting the most out of each persons talent. And Luc learned to control his physical play and channel it more to the Swedish style of puck movement and control. This definitely unlocked more of where his innate talent was. Over the next two years at the Academy, Luc continued to hone his skills with the best Swedish and Finnish players. He also learned the meaning of really cold. Paris would be cold but nowhere near the winters in Scandinavia. 

As he turned 17, he looked towards the VHL minor leagues as the coaches, academy administrators, and his agent told him he was ready to take the next step. Not knowing if he'd be good enough for the VHL, the VHLe was his goal, so he could continue to play near home. Luc did know he'd have to go across the pond to play in VHLM before coming back to Europe, so he's glad he stayed closer to home for those few years so his parents could watch him play and be home for weekends and holidays. He knew how much his parents sacrificed and helped him follow his passion. 

Luc and his agent looked for a thoughtful GM to help him understand what it meant to develop in the VHLM to get ready for the VHLe. Luckily, @Ricer13 from Miami was the first GM that Luc talked to and it felt like a great place to move so far away from home and get established. The VHLM has its share of men playing and Luc took a bit of time to adjust. But even more dramatic coming from Stockholm was Luc enjoying the extreme benefits of Miami - the beach, the weather, the lifestyle, Cuban food, and of course the women. Luc was only 17 so Ricer definitely helped Luc understand how not to get in trouble with the fine pleasures of Miami. And being from Europe, Luc's pale skin definitely stood out. 

Luc is very thankful that @Ricer13 made several moves to retain Luc on the team for the M draft. After his initial half season in the M, they decided to disband the VHLe which was a disappointment. But then Prague drafted Luc, so he knew he'd go back to Europe when he made the VHL. Luc had visited Prague once and loved the architecture and food. 
 

After a promising S98, it's a shame Miami lost in the first round. Even enjoying the fruits of Miami, Luc continued to drive forward in getting better. He knew it was his last season with Miami as his talent level had capped in the M. So Luc is excited to go back to Europe and begin his VHL career. Striving to be the best teammate and help his team win their next Cup.

Edited February 12 by minman