Community Moment | Xavier Parent, uncontested leader of the Phœnix
Xavier Parent is the leader of Sherbrooke Phœnix. He’s the team’s captain on the ice and he’s without a doubt its top ambassador in the community.
He’s a part of every event and he’s always there when the team needs him. This maturity level and sense of responsibility go way back.
Growing up, the Blainville native was fortunate enough to live next door to a billet family that was home to two Armada players. It wasn’t rare to see them throw on their tuques and go play street hockey with the neighbourhood kids, much to the delight of a young Parent.
“I saw many Armada players getting involved in the community when I was young and I wanted to do the same thing. I always thought that was important”, mentions the 19-year-old forward. “It’s been a little harder to do since the pandemic began two years ago, but we still try to be present in the community and organize a few events.”
That community sense has become second nature to the centerman over the years.
“I’m really close to my family. They always taught me good values. It’s kind of the same thing with the Phœnix”, he states. “It’s really important to give something back to the people in the community. There are a lot of kids out there who look up to us and see us as role models.”
When his teammate Olivier Crete-Belzile was diagnosed with cancer in 2020, Xavier Parent decided to push his community involvement to another level.
“It really hit home when we heard the news. It became a priority for me to help a foundation dedicated to fighting cancer.”
For Parent, the Movember campaign suddenly took a very personal turn. That’s when the captain decided to organize a fundraiser in Sherbrooke in the hopes of raising at least $2000.
Plus que quelques jours pour faire un don et aider notre capitaine Xavier Parent à contribuer avec ses coéquipiers au Movember.
Aidez la recherche pour la santé masculine en visitant le https://t.co/pnUEdMV6g1 et recherchez la page de Xavier Parent ou Phoenix Sherbrooke. pic.twitter.com/0BXK6JMnBx
— Phœnix de Sherbrooke (@PhoenixSherbroo) November 27, 2021
Parent and his teammates gathered close to $3000.
“It was the first time I was involved in raising money for something like this, but every guy wanted to do his part. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting such a great outcome. We have a very young team, so not every player can grow a mustache or a beard!”, laughed the one who’s racked up a career best 38 points in 28 games so far this season.
Xavier Parent is also the one who asked every one of his teammates to use pink tape on their sticks during a game’s warm-up period last October. The idea was to help promote the fight against breast cancer.
“I had seen a few teams do it in the past and I thought it was a great idea”, he admits. “A lot of guys know women who had breast cancer. I think the fans really liked the initiative.”
In November, the Phœnix players used the same approach by using multicolored tape. This time, the objective was obviously to highlight pride month.
“Many teams had been doing it for a few years, but I believe it was a first for the Sherbrooke Phœnix organization”, mentions Parent. “We’ve been seeing gestures such as this one a lot more in the sports world and all the guys were more than happy to show support for this cause. It’s 2021, homosexuality should be accepted across the globe.”
Xavier Parent is the leader of the Sherbrooke Phœnix. By his words, but especially by his actions.