Energized Etchegary
St. John’s native and former Quebec Remparts captain ends retirement, joins UPEI Panthers
Kurt Etchegary is anxious to get back to playing competitive hockey after a short retirement from the game, and the St. John’s native will get the chance to hit the ice again this fall with the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers men’s hockey team.
Late last November, after a brief stint in pro hockey, Etchegary announced via his Twitter account that he was retiring as a player.
“Due to numerous injuries, surgeries and pain in certain areas, my body is no longer able to compete at the level at which I would like it to,” tweeted Etchegary, who had undergone a double hip surgery and three procedures to remove fluid from around his heart during a four-year Quebec Major Junior Hockey League career with the Quebec Remparts.
Add in a separated shoulder he suffered during the 2015 QMJHL final and a damaged wrist, and the litany of injuries made Etchegary’s decision understandable.
But time heals in many ways and his recovery has been such that he can’t wait to return to competition.
“I’ve been away from hockey for the last eight months and I’m super hungry to play,” said Etchegary after the announcement he would play for the Panthers. “I’m 100 per cent healthy, haven’t had an ache or a pain in a long time. I’ve never felt so energized.”
Etchegary spent four years with Quebec, including two as captain, totaling 137 points (53 goals and 84 assists) and 237 penalty minutes in 208 regularseason games. His final junior season was 2014-15 when the Remparts hosted the Memorial Cup after losingto the Rimouski Oceanic in double overtime of Game 7 in the QMJHL President’s Cup final.
“That’s still burnt in my memory and keeps me even more motivated to come back and win a championship,” Etchegary said.
After leaving the junior ranks, he went to the Detroit Red Wings camp and played for the Wings in the annual Traverse City, Mich., prospects tournament. That was followed by training camps with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins and ECHL’s Toledo Walleye, both Detroit affiliates. However, through it all, he was troubled by lingering injuries, including the separated shoulder suffered during the President’s Cup series.
Etchegary then went to Europe, where he played three games with a team in the Czech second division, Still, his body continued to send signals he wasn’t up to snuff. After returning to North America and suiting up for one contest with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL, he decided the best thing would be to step away from the game.
At that time, it seemed for good. It turned out to be just for a while.
Panthers head coach Forbes MacPherson, who had recruited Etchegary during his final season in the QMJHL, again reached out to the forward to see if he was interested in coming to UPEI. Talks with Panthers forward Marcus Power, also from St. John’s and a former linemate from minor hockey, and Marcus’s father, Tim, helped seal the deal.
He was coming back to the game.
“I’ve heard nothing but unbelievable things about not only the school aspect of things, but also on the ice,” Etchegary said.
He said his biggest attribute is as a playmaker and the expression 9 to 5 describes his style.
“Just coming in with the work boots on doing all the dirty work,” he said. “On top of that, I think, I bring a lot of skill to the table and I can definitely contribute offensively.”
MacPherson is excited to have Etchegary join a strong recruiting class for the 2016-17 AUS season.
“He’s the kind of player that I love,” he said. “He covers all the inches of the ice. He’s a character player . . . He’s just a hardnosed team player that can do it all.”
“I’ve been away from hockey for the last eight months and I’m super hungry to play. I’m 100 per cent healthy, haven’t had an ache or a pain in a long time. I’ve never felt so energized.”
Kurt Etchegary