Ty Dilello – The Niverville Citizen
Colin Tétrault of Ste. Agathe has spent much of his life in a pair of skates, and once again his talent on the ice has rewarded him—this time with $5,000 cash in the Hub Shoot to Win contest.
Tétrault, who is the first to win the contest, was at the Niverville Nighthawks game with his family on December 9 to promote the Eastman Speed Skating Club during the first intermission.
In the second intermission, he was picked to try his hand at the Hub Shoot to Win contest.
The contest gives the chosen person one chance to shoot a puck from the far blue line into a hole just big enough for a puck to enter.
“I honestly just wanted to hit the net,” Tétrault says. “As a former junior hockey player, I didn’t want to miss the net, but I did feel relaxed. After I shot the puck, I knew it looked good. But I really knew it went in when the crowd erupted. I was somewhat in shock, but I just felt like I should do a celebration, so I went for the kayak.”
What’s a kayak? It means he got down on the ice and pretended to paddle!
Tétrault says he felt like a celebrity after he won, as he was getting high fives from everyone around him.
“I think my daughter almost lost her voice from screaming loudly,” he says. “I honestly didn’t think of the money until after as I was so focused on doing well with the shot. It was such a terrific experience, and it seems like the arena became more lively for a great third period. The next day, I was helping at a speed skating meet in Portage la Prairie but I was also busy answering a barrage of messages from my friends during my breaks. Overall, it’s a surreal experience. Everyone asks me what I will do with the money. It’s nothing exciting; it will help pay for my children’s activities.”
Tétrault played junior A hockey with the Southeast Blades, now known as the Steinbach Pistons, from 2000 to 2003. He then went on to play senior hockey with the La Broquerie Habs for many years as well. He says he now just plays once a week with his friends for fun.