Local hockey fans know that Victoria Royals defenceman Joe Hicketts and head coach Dave Lowry will reprise those roles with the Canadian team at the 2016 world junior championship in Helsinki, Finland.
But there鈥檚 a third Island connection to the Canadian team and it鈥檚 rather unique.
Twelve-year-old Aiden Rose of Langford won a national competition to design one of the Canadian goalies鈥� masks and it will be worn by Mackenzie Blackwood, the likely Canadian starter once he sits out the first two games of the world tournament due to a suspension.
Rose was flown to Toronto, along with dad Scott Rose, to meet Blackwood during the reveal ceremony Monday for the winning mask designs. The national competition, sponsored by Hockey sa国际传媒, Bauer and Boston Pizza, received more than 1,000 submissions.
鈥淚t was pretty cool and I was really excited,鈥� said Aiden Rose, about the experience.
鈥淚t was cool seeing my mask and how the artist [David Arrigo] interpreted it.鈥�
鈥淚 chose a beaver on one side of my design, because it鈥檚 a national symbol, and a moose on the other side because no matter how cold it gets, moose are powerful animals and keep on moving through the seasons. Then I put hockey sticks on the chin line and the words 鈥楾rue North鈥� on the back. The year 2016 was added to the bottom.鈥�
You don鈥檛 have to ask what Rose鈥檚 favourite subject is in Grade 7 at Dunsmuir Middle School.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been good at art and very artistic,鈥� he said.
鈥淭hat might be a cool job for when I get older. There is an artist at Bauer whose whole job is to paint goalie masks.鈥�
Said dad Scott: 鈥淎iden has such a natural talent for art and is very focused on developing it.鈥�
It took Aiden Rose four weeks to design his mask, although it almost didn鈥檛 get off the page when his seven-year-old sister Ella accidentally ripped the paper that an early version of the design was drawn onto. But little sisters can be forgiven such transgressions.
鈥淚 am going to be so proud to see it on TV, and to say, I designed that mask,鈥� said Aiden, an avid road-hockey player, and second-Dan blackbelt in Taekwondo.
鈥淓specially since Blackwood told me he can鈥檛 draw or design very well.鈥�
The other winner of the national mask contest is 17-year-old Jessica Tran of Calgary, whose design will be worn by Mason McDonald and Samuel Montembeault.
