Honourable senators, I rise today to pay tribute to a friend, Maurice Chaput from Ste. Anne, Manitoba, who passed away earlier this year following a valiant battle with cancer.

Maurice was an icon in his hometown, but to me he was both a friend and a hockey rival. I first met Maurice on the ice playing hockey. He was a 22-year-old captain of the Ste. Anne Aces while I was an 18-year-old playing for the Landmark Dutchmen. And while I don’t recall the precise moment, I suspect it was probably his elbows that I was introduced to first.

Maurice was renowned for his hockey skills but also for being a rough and tough player. Today, his tactics might be frowned upon, but back then he was respected as an aggressive and accomplished player.

Maurice was big and intimidating and four years older than me, but I was short and speedy and determined. Both of us were fiercely competitive and we would often meet in the corners as sticks clashed and bodies slammed into the boards, fighting each other for control of the puck. I attribute many of the neck and back ailments that I carry with me today to those close encounters with Maurice Chaput.

But though we were fierce competitors, to the surprise of many, we were also great friends. Many people stood in disbelief years later when, at the start of a curling season, I stepped on to the ice with Maurice and his brother André. That year, they both curled with me as I skipped a men’s team at the Ste. Anne Curling Club.

In later years, I worked with Maurice when he was the president of the Manitoba AAA Midget Hockey League. When Maurice decided to give up his position as the president of the local Eastman Selects AAA hockey team, he came to me and asked if I would consider taking over from him. I was honoured to do so.

Maurice was very involved in his community, where he was considered a local hero. He served in many capacities, including fire chief, Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne, president of the Ste. Anne Minor Hockey Association and president of the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League, as well as playing an active role in the construction of Ste. Anne’s first covered arena and later getting the artificial ice plant for the arena.

Like his older sister, the Honourable Maria Chaput, whom many of you will remember as our former colleague in this chamber, Maurice was also a proud Franco-Manitoban. In 1994, he became the first director of maintenance and transportation with the Franco-Manitoban School Division, where he served tirelessly for the next 20 years in different capacities. Following his passing, the town of Ste. Anne honoured Maurice and his many accomplishments by naming the Ste. Anne arena the Maurice Chaput Sports Complex.

Colleagues, I will always fondly remember my good friend Maurice Chaput for his warm friendship, his good-natured spirit and his undying loyalty to the people and the causes that he was devoted to. Although time does not allow me to list all of his many contributions to his community and his province, Maurice Chaput was always someone who you wanted in your corner.

Today, I pray that all those who mourn his passing will find joy in his memory and experience the comfort of God in their lives. Thank you.