It used to be that the loudest hockey players in the locker room were the ones politely called “defenders.” Because if you were unlucky enough to hear the word “keep going» in her presence, You risk your eyes becoming the target of a laser beam attack. Not to mention the curses that might come to mind.
Today’s tough guys are more relaxed. It’s no longer just players who go onto the ice with the sole task of putting on their gloves. This species has disappeared.
Nowadays, strong players must have skills and be able to play.
This is the case with defender Arber Xhekaj.
The most popular after Caufield and Suzuki
What strikes you when you first meet him is his calm. He’s not the type to brag about his strongman exploits. Undoubtedly because part of his job is to cool the blood of warring opponents.
But he hears very well the cries of the partisan crowd that would like to see a Canadian player settle scores with an opponent. It’s the law of the environment, it’s the law of hockey.
“Everywhere I go in the city, I feel the love of the people,” says Xhekaj.
“It’s something very special. You work all your life to experience moments like that, you want to experience that all your life.”
Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
Xhekaj is the Canadiens’ most popular player after Cole Caufield and Nick Zuzuki. His popularity is on par with that of John Ferguson, Pierre Bouchard and Chris Nilan. Brawlers are always popular, whether in Montreal or elsewhere in the National League.
Despite the significant decline in fighting in the NHL, pugilists on skates are still very popular.
“The people are really wonderful,” he continues.
“People come up to you on the street and tell you they appreciate what you do for your teammates. They ask us to pose with them.”
He also sometimes receives unusual requests, such as putting his autograph on shoes and even on body parts such as the front of the forearms.
“Sometimes I get gifts, like drawings that people make of me or dishes that they want me to try.”
Its popularity is so great that the restaurant La Chambre I just created a great burger called “The Sheriff”.which corresponds to his nickname.
Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
Montreal doesn’t look like Canada
He likes Montreal a lot. He likes the European character.
“I know the Old Port, Griffintown, the South Shore,” he said.
“There is no shortage of good restaurants and I love the nightlife and atmosphere in the city. There is always something to do.
“We feel like we are in Europe. At 8 p.m. people sit down to eat. You come in at 6 p.m. and there’s no one there. We sometimes feel like we’re not in Canada.”
This is a beautiful flower for Montreal.
Its popularity now also extends to the field of advertising. Restaurant La Chambre, a microbrewery with locations in Montreal’s northern suburbs, has just created a hamburger nicknamed “Le Shérif.” The menu, specially created in his honor, includes five varieties.
It has to be something spicy.
A portion of sales will be distributed to two humanitarian foundations sponsored by Xhekaj. One of them is Inter-Cultures, an association in the south of Montreal that aims to help immigrant families. The other, Angel Project, is an organization in London, Ontario that provides medical equipment to patients in need.
His inspiration: his parents
► Nobody in the family received anything on a silver platter
At Arber
– It’s your decision.”
The answer comes immediately.
“My parents!” he says.
His parents immigrated to Canada in the 1990s in search of a better quality of life. His mother, Simona, was born in Hradec Kralové, Czech Republic, a country he visited.
She also works in the tire department at the same Costco where her famous son made his living during the COVID-19 pandemic.
His father Jack emigrated from Kosovo, where the defender wants to go one day, a year after the arrival of the woman who would become his partner. The two met through mutual friends at a hotel in Hamilton and then hooked up.
Started from scratch
This union resulted in two daughters, Sofia and Dominika, and two sons, Arber and Florian.
“My mother didn’t have a cent when she arrived and my father only had a few dollars in the bank account,” says Xhekaj.
“They started from scratch and started a family with four children. They have a son who plays for the Canadiens and another who was drafted by the same organization.
“Our sisters are also doing very well.”
Xhekaj’s junior career is comparable to his parents’ youth. Nothing was handed to him on a silver platter. He was passed over twice in the OHL draft. He suffered the same fate in the National League Draft.
It wasn’t that he lacked the looks for the job.
In 2018, the Kitchener Rangers invited him to their training camp and he earned a spot.
“My first junior year I was 6 feet tall and weighed 185 pounds,” he says.
“My sophomore year I was 6-foot-1 and weighed 205 pounds. Then I went up to 1.80 m and 90 kg.
His problems lay elsewhere.
“I had to improve my skills,” he continues.
“I had to do exercises that involved giving my hands more flexibility.”
In 2021, things started to unravel. In his third season with Kitchener, the Canadian offered him a contract as a free agent.
Andlauer and Staios: good guides
In the same season he was traded to the Hamilton Bulldogs, his hometown team. There he met Michael Andlauer, who owned the team, and Steve Staios, who served as president.
One is the new owner and the other is president of hockey operations for the Ottawa Senators.
“These two men are fantastic!” shouts Xhekaj.
“Andlauer was always in the amphitheater and in the locker room. He spoke to everyone. He is not the type of owner who is embarrassed to show his nose. As soon as we asked for something, we got it.
“Steve looks like him, he was always there and spoke a lot to the players. Sometimes he would invite us to his house to serve us food.”
Where everything is unlocked
Xhekaj was successful in Hamilton. In 2022, the Bulldogs won the OHL playoff championship. In the final of the Memorial Cup they lost to the Saint-Jean Sea Dogs, the representative of the Quebec Major Junior League.
When he arrived at Canadiens training camp last year, we saw him with the Laval Rocket. But his play in the rookie tournament and preseason games, combined with the absence of Mike Matheson and Joel Edmunston, opened a door for him to the big club.
How does he rate his play in this young season?
“I think I’ve taken a big step,” he says.
“I improved my defensive game over the summer, I changed my approach to the game. I focus more on the puck instead of chasing everyone.
“I feel like I can gain confidence in my position on the blue line and in the second unit, which is called upon to play on the power play. My coaches tell me that with my size I just have to let the opponent come to me and not run everywhere to hit them.
The opponents who side with him had better keep their heads up. Because it’s a 6-foot-tall wall that weighs 240 pounds and is at risk of getting stuck in the gang.