| Kyle Chipchura |
Article Index for Kyle |
Website Links For Kyle |
Information AboutKyle Chipchura |
|
in action.]] Kyle was born in Vimy, Alberta and played minor league hockey in nearby Legal, Alberta and Westlock, Alberta , and attended high school at R. F. Staples Secondary School. He currently plays major-junior for the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League , part of the Canadian Hockey League . Kyle attended Team Canada's selection camp prior to the 2005 World Junior Hockey Championship and was expected to make the team despite being only 18 (players up to 21 years old are eligible for the tournament). During the tryouts he suffered a severed Achilles Tendon and was not able to participate as a member of the gold-medal winning Canadian team. Kyle was able to recover, however, and was invited to try out again for the 2006 Tournament . After being selected for the team, Chipchura was named Team Captain by Head Coach Brent Sutter on December 16th 2005. Being named the captain of Team Canada at any level is a highly prodigious honour, and the World Juniors are closely watched in Canada. When asked why he chose Chipchura, Sutter said: ''"He's a heart and soul guy and when you have a team that is perhaps lacking some experience at the national level, which obviously we are, you need a real strong character and real strong person mentally that's totally committed to the way we want to play. He's probably a huge reflection of myself."'' The 2006 team went on to win the gold medal making Kyle a national figure in Canadian hockey. On March 25th, 2006, Chipchura was signed to a three-year contract by the Montreal Canadiens. REFERENCES
|
|
|