ST. JOHN’S – As the Montreal Canadiens march deeper into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Maverick Sports and Collectibles in downtown St. John’s has become a sea of red.
Canadiens jerseys are lining the wall – covering just about everything else in the store. Alex Newhook’s No. 15 sweater sits front and centre.
If you want one, act fast – owner Andrew Corbett said he’s selling those jerseys about as quick he can print them.
“We’re sending some up to get done every day, pretty much, now,” he said. “Newfoundland players are always popular around here … but certainly he’s on a great little run now.”
Newhook has scored six goals in Montreal’s last six playoff games, a streak that started with his Game 7, series-winning goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
That hot stretch has turned heads in the hockey world. Newhook entered this year’s postseason with just two goals in 31 playoff games.
“All of a sudden, Newhook is Guy Lafleur,” remarked ESPN play-by-play commentator Sean McDonough.
“When the puck starts to find you, it finds you in good positions,” added analyst and ex-NHLer Ray Ferraro.
St. John’s hockey coach Andrew Piercey – who worked with Newhook one-on-one – said the streak isn’t simple luck.
“(Being in the) right place at the right time has a lot to do with hockey IQ,” said Piercey. “He has always been a very, very smart hockey player.”
It’s a mix of skill and hard work, Piercey proclaims. The coach remembers training sessions with Newhook at 1 a.m., when the pair were unable to find any other time for practise.
And Alex isn’t the only Newhook that Piercey has taken under his wing: His sister, Abby Newhook, spent even more time training with Piercey’s Vision Hockey Group.
The winger also had a breakout season, beating expectations for a fifth-round draft pick. She scored seven goals and seven assists with the Boston Fleet of the PWHL in her rookie year, placing fifth in rooking scoring across the league.
“Most of the time, those types of players, you don’t get as many looks,” said Piercey, “But she had such a great training camp, and then parlayed that into a great season.”
“She’s a big, strong player,” he added.
Abby, Piercey pointed out, wasn’t on the ice for any even-strength goals against during her rookie season.
“It just goes to show her defensive mindset,” he added. “She’s a very good player in all zones.”
Perhaps the siblings inherited some hockey gifts from their father, Shawn, who was a skilled player of his own throughout the junior ranks.
His wife, Paula Newhook, said her husband was as talented as any player on the island, but found it hard to leave the province to pursue a higher level play when the time came.
Whatever it was, both Alex and Abby are making names for themselves in professional hockey.
“We kind of joke about … was it in the food?” laughed Paula Newhook in a park behind the family home.
It’s been a whirlwind for the Newhook clan. Paula said she’s watched five of Alex’s playoff games in person this spring.
Abby, too, competed in the playoffs. She recorded one assist in the Fleet’s four-game series against the Ottawa Charge.
“We have been following the kids around and it’s been super fun just being a part of it and being able to experience it with them,” Paula Newhook said.
Alex Newhook has already brought the Stanley Cup home once, in 2022 as a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Thousands attended a parade in his honour in St. John’s that summer.
Paula Newhook said she’s not letting herself look too far ahead.
“They’ve been really close games,” she said. “The team looks good … you know the hockey looks great. And so we really are just enjoying it as it goes.”
