Goalie Feature: Martin Chandonnet, From Dartmouth to Ottawa

The other day I was pleasantly surprised to have an email in my inbox from the mother of a young goalie with whom I spent a lot of time the season before last.  I was very excited to get an update from Suzie, the mother of Martin Chandonnet.  Martin played for the Dartmouth Whalers Minor Hockey Association in the 2011-12 season at Novice Advanced level under Ken Cormier.

I was very lucky to be called to help kickstart his training that year and after the season was finished, both Martin and I had spent a lot of time on the ice working on his already well-established skills.  When I first met him, Martin was bringing a lot to the table with great athletic ability and the makings of a dandy down-game.  He was able to slide using the butterfly as well as any goalie his age at the time.  He also was starting to use the backside edge (or shimmy) pretty effectively as well.  Anyways, we had a lot of opportunity to work on those things and add a few more skills to his golf bag of tricks during the six months together.

Just as things were getting interesting with Martin, Suzie dropped the news that they had to move to Ottawa for work that summer.  I was saddened to say the least to see a young promising goalie leaving the stable.  Martin was starting to have the makings of major contributor to the Dartmouth Whalers program by being a great netminder for years to come.  I had to choke down my disappointment and I bravely wished both Martin and his family the best of luck in the nation's capital.  I knew that the hockey in the city would be terrific, as I lived and loved the city for four years in my youth.  The myriad of hockey playing opportunities in snowiest capital city in the world would be broad and with Martin's skills and passion for the position, I knew he'd find a place and team to settle-in with very quickly.

I was not wrong at all, after reading Suzie's email update.  After arriving in Ottawa, Martin went on to make his Atom Minor "A" team, the highest level available in the hockey systems in Ottawa.  His great season during the winter impressed the locals so much that he ended up playing for the Ottawa '67 AAA program in the spring.  

Suzie also just sent me a new update that Martin made the oversize roster for his Atom Major "AA" for the new upcoming season.  The team's tryouts and roster gets finalized in August.  Way to go, Martin!

I know from myself and all his old teammates and coaches from the Whalers organization that we wish him the best of luck and are proud of how he has represented the Maritimes in the big city.  Good luck, MC!