Legendary sports journalist Pat Hickey, who recently retired from The Montreal Gazette Newspaper after 58 years in the business, is joining the English Montreal School Board as a sports reporter.
Throughout his career, Mr. Hickey has covered every facet of professional and amateur sports, from the Montreal Canadiens hockey beat to the Olympic Games. At the EMSB he will file stories for our website at www.emsb.qc.ca/sportsnews about activities going on at the school level. As well, he will tell the stories of sports personalities in this city who have a connection to the EMSB.
Mr. Hickey will contribute to EMSB publications and be available to visit schools and meet with students as part of ECA (Extra Curricular Activities). He is even open to becoming a substitute teacher.
“I have worked for six newspapers across this country, starting with the Montreal Star in 1965,” Mr. Hickey recalls. “I’ve made stops at the Gazette, Toronto Sun, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star and Vancouver Sun with multiple stops at three of those papers. Life lesson number one is to never burn your bridges. I’ve covered stories on four continents I’m proud of all we’ve accomplished at the Gazette, particularly in recent years. I valued the time during the pandemic when I left the toy department and worked as a general news reporter. I joke about being on the demonstration beat but, on 10 consecutive Saturdays, I covered a total of 11 demonstrations, ranging from tenants upset with landlords in Mile End to women whose partners were trapped outside Canada by immigration red tape to the grand-daddy of all protests which saw thousands of anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers and every other disaffected group marching through Montreal. I wish all my colleagues, past and present, well. “
Alexander Vekteris said he wasn’t that interested in hockey, but he did indeed enjoy visiting the NHL’s Mobile Museum when it made a rare visit to Montreal this month.
Students at Gardenview Elementary School in St. Laurent were treated to a visit from the Grey Cup, accompanied by two members of the victorious Montreal Alouettes: running back William Stanback, a Gardenview parent, and offensive lineman Jamar McGloster. The duo spent the better of the morning as they addressed an assembly of pupils and posed for selfies with teachers and staff members.
Shaun Simon believes in exposing his students to the great outdoors, whether they are ice-fishing and snowshoeing in the Lanaudière or using GPS to locate hidden items on city streets.
Pat Hickey is welcomed to the EMSB by Assistant Director General Jack Chadirdjian and Director General Nick Katalifos
