Guy LeGrande Bio [2/2]

[Steve 1,958]

Name: Guy LeGrande

Age: 18

Position: Defense

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 210 lbs.

Birthplace: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guy was raised by his father, Ron, as his mother died after giving birth. She was actually dead before the birth due to a horrible car crash and determined brain dead. Her body was kept stable so Guy could be born. A tragic time for the LeGrande family. His father was a hard working man. Devoted to his wife and now his only son. He handled it the best he could and if not for the strength of his father, Guy would not be the person he is today. During the first year, Guy was cared for by his best friends wife Tracie. She was a very caring woman with two young children of her own, so Guy fit in just fine. His dad worked long hours but always had time to spend with his son. He was there at every milestone in a babies life. First step, first words, first everything. Guy was his world. In turn, Guy's father was everything to him and all he had. As he reached the age of 5, he had already shown interest in playing street hockey with the kids on his street. Everyday there would be a few of them out there playing and Guy wanted to be a part of that. Guy was not a small kid, tall and stocky for his age, the right ingredients to compete with the street kids. Guy's dad was nervous and happy at the same time he wanted him to play. He did everything he could to instruct him on what to do. His dad played years ago in a Beer League as a Defensemen so he had the insight to show him some things before he went out for the first time. Guy played the whole day. He was beat and battered and loved every minute of it. The neighborhood kids fully embraced him and wanted him to play all the time. That was the start of Guy LeGrande, defensemen in the VHL. By the end of the year, he was on his first pee wee team. Guy's father was happy for Guy but not happy about making hockey the only thing in Guy's life. Guy was in for some rule changes, dad's rules.

 

 

 

 

 

Back Down to Earth

 

Guy had a great first season in hockey. He was playing defensemen like he wanted, because his dad did. All was great until the end of the season and dad had “the talk”. Ron explained to Guy that he really wanted him to continue playing hockey but not until he was further along in school. He didn't want his son to be stuck in a low paying job and to not rely on some fantasy about making the pros someday and being rich. He wanted his boy to learn and be smart. Be smart with his time, his work ethic, and his money later on. The whole growing up plan laid out in front of him at a young age. Guy was so young, but did not even question a word his did said. If that's what his dad thought, it must be the right way. So school was first, hockey second. This really was one of the early defining times in Guy's life. It would prove that his father was a very smart man and cared deeply for his son.

 

The next several years Guy excelled in school. He actually loved school and had a knack for making friends. He was able to join the High School Hockey team, and records started to fall. He was a natural at skating. His team mates loved him. The coach couldn't believe he had a player in the school that way outclassed anyone in the school league. It was a great time in the life of Guy LeGrande. By the time he was in his senior year, he was being scouted by many colleges around North America. The pressure to succeed was never higher, but he didn't miss a beat. One scout commented on his skating and positioning are on par with some comparable superstars when at the same age. He was a standout, they all knew he was more than a big kid with a stick.

 

 

 

 

 

College, Short Lived

 

Well, Boston, here he comes. Looked like a great place to get some real development. He approached college just like high school. Learning first, hockey second. Well that might of worked back home but here in the big city, you played hockey, ate hockey and drank hockey if you wanted to play hockey. You study on your own time. It really went against everything that Guy's dad had instilled into him at a very young age. This was going to be a problem, one that would end his stay at Boston College on his own terms. He did play very good. He loved his team and they loved him as well. You have to have self worth in life and if you feel you are doing something wrong, you fix it. Guy played his heart out and did all of his studies, though it wasn't what he thought it would be like at all. He was there to learn something, and play hockey, in that order. It seemed to him that learning was just a byproduct of playing hockey for them. Well, he talked to his dad about the problems he was having and he wanted to play hockey but wanted to learn something. His dad was very proud of him for having learned those values and understanding what it meant to commit to a life long plan to succeed. Guy decided, drop out of college, go back home and attend a local college. He could always play hockey on his terms on any local team after his studies. That is exactly what he did and not only did he get a BA in law. He also stayed in shape, grew to 6'3” and 210 lbs. A hulking young man with a brain and a degree at only 18, amazing. Now the next stage, “Big Defensemen Looking for Team”.

 

VHL to the rescue

This was enough to get a call from VHLM GM Thranduil, asking Guy to join the Halifax 21st as one of their defensemen. From this point on Guy had started his professional hockey career and intends to entertain the world. Now in his first season, he knows he has full faith from his father and teammates and intends to build upon that to become the elite defensemen he knows he will be.

 

Word count: 1104
 

 

[fonziGG 1,071]

Review:

 

Great to see such an intelligent player enter the league. I loved seeing the psychology of why Guy chose to play defense as well. Great way to tie his father to him a lot.

[ConnorMcdavid 180]

Review: Great Bio! Really developed your story well with ties back to your dad and how that impacted your decisions in life. Nice to see you touch on what brought you to the VHL as well. Good job!