Passion still burns in Brenton
East Stewiacke hockey player signs new professional contract in France
Most people are lucky to find one job they love. Matthew Brenton has found two.
The 32-year-old from East Stewiacke continues to live his dream of playing professional hockey while helping teammates and other young players stay healthy and fit as they strive to achieve their own goals on the ice.
Brenton has skated for Nantes in the Division 1 France league for the past three seasons. Two years ago, he took on a dual role for the team as player/head strength and conditioning coach.
“I love the side of the strength and conditioning and being able to help younger players reach their goals,” Brenton said during a recent phone interview with Saltwire Network from his apartment in Nantes — a city in northwestern France near the Atlantic Ocean.
Brenton, who also leads strength and conditioning for the Nantes U20 elite team, has played pro hockey in France for the past six seasons after a five-year AUS career at the University of Prince Edward Island. The five-foot-seven, 176-pound forward played in France’s top Magnus league for Strasbourg in 2017-18 before joining Nantes the following season.
The 2020-21 season was challenging for the league and its players, as the COVID-19 pandemic left its mark on both hockey and life in France. The entire Nantes team caught the coronavirus just two games into the season, leading to a seven-day quarantine for players.
“It was weird; it just hit me hard in terms of fatigue,” said Brenton, adding he didn’t feel any other major symptoms related to the virus.
Just days after the league was given the green light to resume playing in late October, France went into a second lockdown and teams didn’t see game action again until well into January.
The time off was stressful, said Brenton.
“It was extremely difficult mentally, more so at the start. We started that pre-COVID season and you didn’t know what was going to happen. And then when we went into the second lockdown that’s when you’re thinking, ‘am I going to have a contract next season? What’s going to happen with hockey?’ … There were so many questions during this period.”
The league returned and played a 12-game regular season. Including his two pre-COVID games, Brenton tallied an impressive 10 goals and 16 points in 12 games. He also experienced a first in his hockey career when he was suspended for two games for checking to the head.
“Which is awfully hard to do at five-seven,” he laughed. “It was another smaller guy; he ducked as I was hitting him and my shoulder hit his head, but it’s head contact, so ...”
Nantes finished first in its pool with a 9-2-0-1 record but lost a one-game semifinal to eventual champion Marseille. It was a tough loss, said Brenton, as the team had a veteran core of close-knit players who he felt was primed to win a championship. And while the loss stung, Brenton received personal good news in the days that followed, as he was offered a new contract by Nantes for the 2021-22 season.
“It’s a great feeling, especially after the year we just had,” he said. “There’s been a lot of players worldwide that were without contracts. So right now, I know the team’s trying to finalize their import spots, but there’s a lot of guys on the market because there’s so many guys that didn’t play last season.”
Brenton, who is also a personal trainer, is expected to be the oldest player on his team next season. He credits his work in strength and conditioning over the years for staying in game shape and still being able to play at a high level. He feels he still has a few good years left in him as a player and is focused on bringing a title to Nantes and helping the team advance to the Magnus league.
“I’m still very, very passionate about playing,” he said. “I still enjoy waking up and
“I still enjoy waking up and going to the rink every day and being there with the guys and training hard and on that side of the game I still feel like a kid...”
Matt Brenton Pro hockey player from East Stewiacke
going to the rink every day and being there with the guys and training hard and on that side of the game I still feel like a kid; I still feel like back in juniors, even younger. It’s one of those things you just live and breathe.”
Brenton grew up playing minor hockey in Brookfield and Truro. He attended Notre Dame private school in Wilcox, Sask., and later joined the Pictou County Crushers junior A team. He played four seasons in the Quebec major junior league in Moncton and Montreal before lacing ’em up in the AUS.
It’s been a long journey for Brenton – from his tiny Colchester County community to the sixth-largest city in France – and one that he couldn’t have made alone. He said he is grateful for the support of his family – mom Kathy, dad Joey and sister Jennifer – for the vital role they have played in helping him live out his dream.
“They’ve been with me through the thick and the thin and supported me all the way through and it’s meant the world to me because obviously without their support it would be tough to be where I’m at now. The sacrifices they made for myself, I don’t think you could ever pay them back enough.”
The last time Brenton was home to see his family was in 2019. He hopes COVIDrelated travel restrictions will ease and allow him to visit again this summer.
“It would mean a lot to get home and be able to see them and spend some time with them.”