CHL Leaders: Former goalie Brennan enters thriving construction industry
Strapping on the pads for three seasons with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan before joining the OHL for an encore campaign with the Mississauga Steelheads, former goaltender Jacob Brennan often looks back at his junior career and the many lifelong memories it provided.
“The biggest thing was just what an incredible opportunity it was,” Brennan told Junior Hockey Magazine’s CHL Leaders presented by CIBC. “A couple times a week, you get to play games in front of thousands of fans, and just the way that you are treated in terms of getting great opportunities and with great teammates. It is really the opportunity of a lifetime.”
With his junior days wrapping up, Brennan then elected to earn an education, receiving a degree in civil engineering from Queen’s University where he also stood tall in the crease for another 34 games over three seasons with the varsity Gaels.
“Going to school and pursuing my education was the best fit for me,” Brennan added. “I started to think about opportunities after junior hockey. You start to think about what your interests are. I took several university-level courses at the time in different disciplines, so having a bit of a taste of everything helped me narrow down my choice to engineering.”
Today, Brennan puts his academic background to use as a project coordinator with Iron Maple Constructors, a Nova Scotia-based construction company.
“It is going great,” Brennan said. “We manage construction sites and projects. Construction is a big industry in Canada and there is lots to learn. It is definitely a big learning curve but it is going great so far.”
In all, it is an opportunity that became possible given Brennan’s time in the Canadian Hockey League that granted him access to the league’s invaluable scholarship program.
“It took a huge weight off my shoulders,” Brennan concluded. “It is great to be able to pursue your education and keep playing hockey and not have to worry about the finances. I have only great things to say about that program and I am very appreciative of it.”
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