The introductory speech in honor of Pierre Lacroix on Monday evening in Toronto will have a special touch. His grandson Max asked his family if he could give the speech. He had done the same at the funeral of his grandfather, with whom he had a deep friendship.
Max is a goalie for the Colorado Grit of the North American Hockey League. Next year he will return to Boston, a city he knows well, where he will play for the Boston University Terriers. He will celebrate his 20th birthday on December 13, which coincides with the third anniversary of his grandfather’s death.
Members of his family describe him as a young man who had great interpersonal skills and was easy to talk to.
“He’s quick-witted, he’s not afraid of reflectors,” says his father Eric with justifiable pride.
“We went to the Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament twice. My father was the general manager of the team and I was the coach. My father was Max’s best friend.”
According to Eric, Max has good potential as a goalkeeper, but time will tell if he can play in the professional ranks.
At the moment, studying is the top priority. His father, grandmother and uncle Martin are proud that he is a brilliant student.
Eric and his partner Jill are also parents to a 17-year-old daughter named Mia. The youngest, Ty, is 14 years old.
Big fan of Lane Hutson
Next year, Max may have the opportunity to have as a teammate defenseman Lane Hutson, the defender the Canadian drafted in the second round of the draft last year.
“I love him!” exclaims Eric Lacroix.
“I saw him play, he controls the game. He’s gotten a little bigger this year, but for his sake he should play a third year of varsity next year.”
According to the Canadiens, Hutson was 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds at his development camp last July. Last year he was listed as being 1.70 meters tall and weighing 78 kilograms.
His older brother Quinn, also a sophomore at Boston University, is 5-foot-10 and weighs 176 pounds. He went undrafted at the age of 20.
“But they say he is the third boy in the family [Cole] is even better,” adds Éric Lacroix.
And there’s the youngest, 14-year-old Lars, who plays on the Illinois State U15 team.
Not bad, the Hutson siblings!