For as long as I can remember, I have loved playing two sports: hockey and lacrosse.
That was the case throughout my childhood in Tilbury, Ontario, and it stayed that way when I moved back to my birthplace of Brantford, Ontario, around high school. Winters were dedicated to hockey; summers were dedicated to lacrosse.
These days, as I've become established in the NHL, I try to spend my summers giving back in any way I can. It's made me realize how lucky I was to have the opportunities I had growing up.
I spent part of my upbringing on Canada's largest First Nation reservation -- the Six Nations of the Grand River, right outside of Brantford. It's a tight-knit community, and it showed at games. I always had so many people showing up to watch and wanting to be involved in some way -- grandparents, cousins, friends, you name it. In some ways, it's still like that even today.
I take a lot of pride in my indigenous heritage, so one way I try to use my platform now is by visiting different reservations and seeing what others experience. I took a trip to the Yukon this past summer, and one in particular visit stuck with me. This reservation had no ice surface at all. All they had was a small ball hockey arena, probably the length of the goal line to the closest blue line in a normal rink. If the kids who live there want to skate, the nearest town with an ice rink is two hours away.
I was fortunate to be able to spend time with a lot of kids during that visit, just doing simple things like playing pass or even just talking. I tried to share whatever I could, and I tried to learn from their experiences as well. I believe we learned from each other.
I grew up one of three boys, and all of us played the same sports. I was lucky to have those sports readily available and to have two parents who sacrificed a lot for us. It's because of those circumstances I have the privilege to play in the NHL today.
I feel fortunate to have this platform, and I plan to use it to continue to give back as much as I can.
