Hockey player Verreault-Paul overcomes language barrier to excel at McGill
By Donna Spencer (CP) – Apr 25, 2010

CALGARY — On his first day of classes, Francis Verreault-Paul wasn't sure he was going to survive at McGill University.

The hockey player from the small Innu community of Mashteuiatsh, Que., didn't understand much of what professors were saying to him in English. Verreault-Paul needed to understand because he had to keep his grades up to play for the Redmen.

"I came to McGill not speaking any words in English, so it was really hard," Verreault-Paul recalled Sunday in Calgary. "I worked so hard. I read my texts two, three, four times sometimes. Every night I had a headache. I asked myself 'what am I doing here?'

"I was at school and understanding nothing and my grades were going down. But I spoke with a lot of guys on my team who were in the same situation as me and they just told me to keep working hard and that after four years I would be proud of what I did."

The 22-year-old forward didn't have to wait four years to feel proud. In his second season with the Redmen, Verreault-Paul finished tied for the lead in goal scoring in Canadian university hockey with 25 goals in 27 games. The psychology student has aspirations of obtaining his master's degree and perhaps a PhD in the future.

Verreault-Paul was one of eight athletes summoned to Calgary for Monday's BLG Awards ceremony. Four men and four women from Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) were nominated for the top male and female awards. Each winner receives $10,000 to put towards post-graduate studies.

Calgary Dinos quarterback Erik Glavic, Western Ontario quarterback Michael Faulds and University of New Brunswick forward Hunter Tremblay join Verreault-Paul in the running for the Doug Mitchell Trophy that goes to the male winner.

University of British Columbia volleyball player Liz Cordonier, Wilfrid Laurier hockey goaltender Liz Knox, Cape Breton University player Kelsey Hodgson and University of Montreal soccer player Veronique Maranda are nominees for the Jim Thompson Trophy given to the top female athlete.

The BLG Awards were established in 1993 and are sponsored by the law firm Borden, Ladner and Gervais. TSN will broadcast the awards ceremony May 16 (11 a.m. ET).

Last year's recipients were UBC swimmer Annamay Pierse and Alberta volleyball player Joel Schmuland. Previous winners include Calgary heptathlete Jessica Zelinka, who competed for Canada in the 2008 Olympics, McMaster football player Jesse Lumsden, who plays for the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos and is also an Olympic bobsledder, and McGill goaltender Kim St. Pierre, who won a third Olympic gold medal in February.

A quick look at the other BLG nominees:

-Hunter Tremblay. Forward from Timmins, Ont., won the CIS men's hockey scoring race with 57 points, three points ahead of Verreault-Paul.

-Liz Knox. Goaltender from Stouffville, Ont., tied CIS shutout records for a single season (11) and career (30) with Charline Labonte, who plays on the Canadian women's hockey team.

-Michael Faulds. Quarterback from Eden Mills, Ont., threw for 509 yards in the Ontario conference's Yates Cup final despite torn ligaments in his knee. Set CIS passing records for a single season (3,033) and career (10,811) in his final year of university eligibility.

-Erik Glavic. Won the Hec Crighton Trophy that goes to university football's top player for the second time in his career. The Pickering, Ont., quarterback guided the Dinos to their first Vanier Cup appearance since 1995, but Calgary fell in the final to Queen's.

-Veronique Miranda. Midfielder from Saint-Lambert, Que., scored five goals for Montreal, but is more of a playmaker. She led the Quebec conference with 13 assists.

-Kelsey Hodgson. Won her second straight scoring title in CIS women's basketball averaging 22.1 points per game.

-Liz Cordonier. The outside hitter from Vancouver helped the Thunderbirds post a 27-0 record against CIS opponents and was chosen MVP of the national championship.

Verreault-Paul played five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens before heading to McGill. In his first two seasons in Chicoutimi, he often saw Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby on the other side of the puck. Chicoutimi and Crosby's Rimouski Oceanic have a heated rivalry.

"He was only 16 and 17, the same age as me," Verreault-Paul said. "When you knew before the game your line was going to be matched up against Crosby, you have a chance to finish the game minus-four, minus-five, so it wasn't that cool.

"But five years later, I have fun thinking about it. I'm really glad to have played against him. He's the best hockey player in the world. In my personal opinion, he's better than (Alex) Ovechkin."

Verreault-Paul's counts Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg and Jarome Iginla among his hockey heroes, but also says he feels a kinship with Nashville Predators forward Jordan Tootoo, who is also Inuit.

Tootoo grew up in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Mashteuiatsh, with a population of about 2,000 people, is located on the shores of Lac Saint-Jean.

"I'm really proud of where I'm from," Verreault-Paul said.

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