›› | MINO R H OCKEY |
WITH CARTER BROOKS
AN EMERGING
LEADER
W
innipeg-born
hockey players are
tough as nails.
In fact, if the
names Paul Baxter,
Dave Semenko,
Mike Keane, Colton Orr, and Ryan
Reaves don’t send a shiver up your
spine, you may very well not be
the hockey fan you say you are.
Born and raised in the frigid
cold of Manitoba’s deep freeze,
these athletes are otherworldly
durable. In the Heart of the
Continent, learning to skate as a
toddler in minus-40 degree weather
on the Red River is considered a
privilege. Having a rink in your
backyard is the utmost honor.
Winnipeg Thrashers defenseman,
Ryden Fedyck, who was raised on
a backyard rink in North Kildonan,
carries that Winnipeg Tough factor
with him wherever he laces up.
“I’m 16 years old, stand 6-foot-
3, and weigh about 190 pounds,”
Fedyck (2001) said. “I work out at
NRG Fitness and I skate with my
team throughout the winter, of
course. During the summer I skate
with Dave Cameron and Jon Cara.
I try to spend as much time on
the ice or in the gym as possible.”
Fedyck has all the physical
tools to be playing high-level
junior hockey, but unfortunately,
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