MONTREAL - For the 12th consecutive year, the Montreal Canadiens are teaming up with the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence (FAEQ) to reward the next generation in women's and men's hockey. Tonight, prior to the NHL game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Anaheim Ducks at the Bell Centre, 29 of Quebec's most promising hockey student-athletes each received a $1,500 scholarship from the team's general manager, Marc Bergevin.
Canadiens and the FAEQ award bursaries to 29 young student-athletes
They each receive a $1,500 scholarship
"As a sports organization, we are very proud to have been promoting the sporting and academic success of young hockey players across the province for 12 years, and to, once again tonight, highlight the outstanding performance of our recipients both on the rink and on school benches," said Geoff Molson, president and CEO of the Montreal Canadiens Hockey Club.
Thanks to the bursary program created in 2008, the Montreal Canadiens play an active role in the development of homegrown talent. In 2015, the partnership with the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence was extended for another five years with an amount of $250,000 invested in the program until 2020.
"What more could a young hockey student hope for than to be supported by the Montreal Canadiens? The Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence is truly proud of this valuable collaboration from the Habs, which goes well beyond financial support, reminded Claude Chagnon, president of the FAEQ. Indeed, what a feeling to be encouraged by the most famous hockey club in the world! The Montreal Canadiens are a prestigious and key partner for the FAEQ, and together, we are dedicated to the success of our province's best hockey student-athletes."
This year, the Montreal Canadiens Bursary Program, administered by the FAEQ in partnership with Hockey Québec and the Midget AAA Hockey League, will benefit 29 student-athletes between the ages of 15 and 17, who were selected for their on-ice achievements as well as their academic results. Eight were awarded to laureate players from the women's Quebec team looking for a selection with Canada's national team, while 21 bursaries were handed out to young hockey players from the Midget AAA level. One of the eligibility criteria for the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence scholarships focuses in the scholastic perseverance of young athletes in preparing for a career after sports.
In addition to the 26 scholarships for academic excellence awarded to student-athletes with outstanding academic achievements and the 2 scholarships for support for academic and athletic achievement awarded to further encourage a better conciliation of sports and academics, a new in memoriam scholarship is being presented this year. Granted in memory of the late Denis Baillairgé, former president of the Midget AAA Hockey League who passed away last August, this $1,500 Leadership scholarship, designed to reward athletic and academic successes combined with involvement in the community, was given to Nicolas Daigle, captain of the Chevaliers de Lévis.
The 29 student-athletes honored on Tuesday will follow in the footsteps of fellow FAEQ scholarship holders with stellar achievements, such as multiple Olympic medal winners in women's hockey Marie-Philip Poulin, Mélodie Daoust, Lauriane Rougeau and Ann-Renée Desbiens, who participated in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang and have all been supported several times by the Foundation's various scholarship programs at the beginning of their sports career. On the men's side, Alexandre Fortin (Chicago Blackhawks), Maxime Comtois (Anaheim Ducks) and Nicolas Roy (Carolina Hurricanes) stepped on the ice of the coveted National Hockey League (NHL) rinks for their first games this year. They joined the ranks of other former distinguished recipients of the bursary program - such as Samuel Girard from the Colorado Avalanche, Michael Matheson from the Florida Panthers, Anthony Duclair from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Samuel Blais from the St. Louis Blues - who have all played at least 20 games in the NHL this season.
RECIPIENTS OF THE 2019 MONTREAL CANADIENS BURSARY PROGRAM
(29 scholarships of $1,500 each)
About the Quebec Foundation for Athletic Excellence
The Foundation's mission is to guide and financially support student-athletes in their pursuit of academic and sports excellence, therefore contributing to the promotion of models in Quebec society. The organization stands out for its personalized approach, its rigorous management and its influential role in the sports and education circles. In 2018, the FAEQ awarded close to $1,425,000 in bursaries to over 500 student-athletes, in addition to offering them accompaniment services in terms of educational guidance and to encourage the conciliation of school and high-performance sports. The FAEQ teams up with former scholarship recipients and partners towards the success of all laureates in their academic, sports and personal advancement.
