NHL Alumni Reggie Leach Visits Akwesasne Schools

On Friday, March 4, 2016 Reggie "The Riverton Rifle" Leach visited all the schools in Akwesasne prior to playing in the Native NHL Alumni game scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Reggie Leach is a former Philadelphia Flyers NHL Alumni and the current author of the book, "The Riverton Rifle," which is his personal story. At each school he relayed many good messages to the students.

The Rifle (Reggie) made a visit to the students in grades 4, 5, and 6 at Kanatakon School. During his talk he shared information about his family. Reggie has a son and a daughter. Reggie's son, Jamie, is a former Pittsburgh Penguins NHL Alumni. He has two Stanley Cup rings for his team's wins. His daughter Brandi, also a great athlete, played lacrosse for Team Canada in 1991-92. Presently, she coaches women's lacrosse for the University of Texas. Like his son, Reggie has a Stanley Cup ring for the Philadelphia Flyers win. He acquired that ring when he was just 25 years old.

At the Akwesasne Freedom School Reggie was introduced by MCA District Chief Vince Thompson. Reggie spoke a great deal about his life growing up. In this discussion he said that he was raised by his grandparents in Riverton, Manitoba. He began skating at the age of 10. From a young age he idolized the local men's senior hockey team. As he grew up he strived become better just so he could play on that team. Later on he set his goals higher and aimed to play in the NHL.

Much of his discussion emphasized the importance of pursuing one's dreams. He spoke to the students and said that there may come a time when you have to leave home to accomplish your goals in life, but it's ultimately worth it to fulfill and accomplish your dreams. A portion of his visit was also dedicated to taking student's questions. Students asked such questions as, "How hard is your shot?" and "How long have you been playing in the NHL?" Reggie also addressed the topic of language and culture when he was asked how his culture helped him on his journey.

At each school he stressed the importance of working hard and listening. Reggie specifically said, "You have to listen very carefully with everything you do. If you don't listen carefully, you won't be a good athlete or a good student." Reggie also told students to think ahead and make the right choices, "Whatever choice you make, you own that choice, good or bad. Don't blame anyone else for your bad choices. You are all smart enough to make your own choices. When we do make mistakes, we learn from them." Reggie also acknowledge, "We are each different from each other and we think different."

At "The Riverton Rifle" book signing, which took place at the Casino on Friday evening, Reggie wanted to share this personal note with our newspaper. Reggie said, "Tell everyone that I am very happy that I got to visit the 5 schools in Akwesasne. The students I met and the people of the community were very nice and they made me feel welcomed and happy to be here."

Thank you for all your good words, Reggie. Special Thanks also goes to all the former NHL players who put on a wonderful game on Saturday afternoon.