Moffet sticks with childhood passion

While most student athletes at Roseville High School find themselves participating in activities around campus, sophomore Philippe Moffet found his own passion in a more unconventional setting — the ice.

Although it is common for families to pass down traditions and customs through each generation, for the Moffets, a love for hockey is their most entrusted value. As for Philippe, he is a third generation hockey player and a first generation American.

According to Philippe’s father René, both he and his son began playing hockey at the age of four.

But unlike his father, Philippe had to move over 3,000 miles away from his native Quebec City in Canada.

“We didn’t want to move to California at all,” René said. “He was already playing a lot of high level hockey in Canada so the first thing we [looked] at was ‘is there any hockey in California?’ and the answer was yes.”

At the time of the move, Philippe was only nine years old.

Despite cultural and linguistic differences between a French-speaking Quebec and suburban California, Philippe’s love for hockey and support from his family remained a constant.

“That was a really good immersion for him. He kept his Canadian roots,” René said. “As [Canadians] say ‘after walking, we start skating before running.’ Hockey is the national Canadian sport so it means a lot for us just like football for Americans.”

While most Californian kids aren’t able to say they’ve grown up with a 30 by 60 foot ice rink in their backyard, Philippe has the luxury to do so. While living in Canada, René built a rink in order to teach Philippe how to skate and handle a puck.

“We spent a lot of time outside [while Philippe was] 2, 3, 4, 5 years old,” René said. “That was really fun to watch and even at night with the lights out…that was a really nice moment for him.”

Having started playing at such a young age, Philippe attributes his abundant scoring habits to his speed and handling skills.

Philippe currently plays for the Capital Thunder 18U team in the NorCal youth hockey travel league.

The Capital Thunder find themselves in first place with a record of 12-1-1.

According to Philippe, playing competitive hockey grants him the ability to form bonds with his teammates on-and-off the ice.

“I think the most important thing about hockey is teamwork,” Philippe said. “Our team chemistry is really good. We communicate really well together and that’s how we win most of our games.”

Since Capital Thunder is a travel team that extends across Northern California, Philippe and his parents find themselves huddled in a car most weekends to drive to rinks ranging from a ten minute drive to Skatetown Ice Arena in Roseville to an unfamiliar rink in Fresno or Lake Tahoe.

According to René, they’ve gone as Vancouver for one of Philippe’s tournaments.

“My parents are always there for me,” Philippe said. “They get me my food, they drive me to the rink. They’re always there for me in the morning, at night, wherever there’s hockey going.”

Looking to the future, René remains optimistic that he and his son can continue to bond over their common appreciation for their native sport.

“We really enjoy playing the game and it’s a lot of fun,” René said. “Maybe we’re going to play together in a few years.”