Duchene making gains on and off the ice this summer

"I honestly can't make this up if I tried…"
Earlier this week an impromptu meeting at a Tim Hortons drive thru in Orillia went viral after a few Sens fans were greeted carside by none other than Matt Duchene.

Duchene, his wife and another couple were on their way back from the Boots and Hearts Country Music Festival where his friend Thomas Rhett had just performed on Sunday night. The group decided to grab a quick snack before their 90 minute trek back to Haliburton, ON when Duchene spotted a fan sporting a Sens hat in the car in front of them.

"The drive-thru was pretty backed up and I could see that the guy in front of us was wearing a Senators hat," recalled Duchene. "Should I get out and say hi to them? I thought it would be a pretty funny moment, like would they expect us to be behind them?"
"I got out of my truck and walked up to their window and had a quick conversation with them," he said. "We talked about the concert which they were coming back from as well so it was kind of funny that he tweeted that story out."
The tweet blew up on Monday and has become the latest piece of evidence that confirms what most of us already knew: Duchene is as good of a person off the ice as he is a player on it.
A similar story occurred last season
when Duchene spotted a young fan wearing his #9 Colorado Avalanche jersey prior to a game in Ottawa and he set him up with an updated #95 Sens jersey. So while the impromptu meeting at Tim Hortons came as a surprise to the unsuspecting car in front of him, it's another example of Duchene's commitment to connecting with the fans.
"I really enjoy meeting people like that who support our team," said Duchene about his most recent encounter in Orillia. "I thought that it was a good opportunity to have a cool experience with some fans so I'm glad that they appreciated it as much as I did."

Duchene still returns home to spend his summer in Haliburton, which is about 3 hours west of Ottawa, but the rural nature of his hometown does possess some challenges when it comes to offseason training.
"We don't really have any public spots to train. There isn't even a gym up here so I built my own at my place a few years back," shared Duchene. "My workouts typically consist of three days in the gym and two days either on the turf or on the hill."
In addition to building an 800 square foot gym, Duchene has also added a 100x50 grassy area for dryland workouts, a hill with two different grades on it and a shooting pad so that he can spend his summer where he grew up and still enjoy activities like fishing and wake-surfing on a daily basis.
"It's nice to be able to spend time up here but you have to make some sacrifices to make it happen so you can still have a chance to train and get better during the offseason," he added.
Between the training sessions, time on the lake and country music festivals, Duchene was able to add a new feature to his summer activities this year. He recently launched a local clothing line called "hali." that features his own designs and benefits Food For Kids, a local charity that helps feed underprivileged kids in Haliburton.
"People that know me, they know that I have a creative side. I think if I hadn't been a hockey player, I would have gone to school to be a graphic designer so I've always done little things on the side just for fun," Duchene said. "This is something that I've been thinking about for a while and it came to me one day. I saw something similar in my hometown that a friend of mine had designed and I started thinking how I could expand on it, really take it to the next level and raise money for a great local cause."
Duchene looked at similar regions such as Muskoka as inpiration since that area boasts numerous lines of branded merchandise and apparel. His hunch that his hometown could see similar success was spot on. Available only at JoAnne Sharpley's Source For Sports in Haliburton, his first order effectively sold out overnight when it launched at the beginning of August and has prompted him to put together a second order featuring more youth/extra small sizes as well as hats at the end of the month.

"I think it's something that the community has really gotten behind," Duchene said about the project. "I have a lot of ideas for where I can take it next and I'm excited for the future of it."
Even with his first foray into the clothing world a success, Duchene remains focused on helping to right the ship in Ottawa after a disappointing finish last season.
"I've been in this situation before where you have a tough year and you come into camp the next year with a chip on your shoulder," he shared. "Sometimes when the world writes you off, that's when it's the best time to strike and I think we're going to be a much better team than people give us credit for. We need to use that as fuel in camp and all season."
"We have such a good group of guys and a lot of talent of our roster," he continued. "The pieces are there for us to be a good team and compete for a playoff spot and that's what we're looking to do. I'm looking forward to camp a lot and I'm sure the rest of the guys are too."
One of the new faces at camp this season has a brief history with the Sens' top centre. Mikkel Boedker, who played in 18 games with the Avalanche in 2015-16, excelled during his stint in Colorado's top 6 and according to Duchene, the pair clicked immediately.
"He's going to be a big piece for us and I think fans will be pleasantly surprised with his contributions on the ice," said Duchene. "He's going to fit in perfect with our group. When we played together we would talk hockey non-stop and we got along really well so I'm excited that we're back playing together. He's going to be a really big addition to our team on and off the ice this year."
As Duchene looks forward to a next season he's still able to draw on his past experiences to keep things in perspective. After being acquired by the Senators a little over a month into last season he admitted that the move to Ottawa has helped him find his groove again on and off the ice.
"It's given me that hockey itch back," shared Duchene. "Coming into last season, I wasn't as excited as I felt I could have been. This season is totally different. Even with some of the adversity we've had to go through, I'm so excited to be a part of this team and really excited to get the season underway."