A Moncton man is spreading his love of junior hockey to others.

Alex Arsenault purchased Moncton Wildcats flex tickets for the 2023-2024 season.   He is giving them out to newcomers or others who want to experience the game for the first time.

He has 24 families lined up already out of the 34 games he has tickets for currently, that’s just until January.  He plans to look at the rest of the season going forward.

Arsenault says when people think about Canada, many think about the game of hockey.

“Junior hockey is the highest level of hockey that there is in Moncton. A lot of newcomers have no idea what hockey is. I have a co-worker who immigrated from Morocco. His daughter is seven years old. She told him that she wanted to play hockey, but she had no idea what hockey was, she just knew the kids at school were talking about hockey. That was what put me over the edge to say I have to do this. There are people out there, who have never even seen hockey, and this is a way for newcomers to feel more at home in their new home,” Arsenault adds.

He started a Facebook page, and called his group, ‘Al’s Pals’. In a post on his page, he describes himself as a junior hockey enthusiast with a passion that runs deep, “For me, it isn’t just a game; it’s memories, friendships, and life-changing experiences. I’ve met some of my closest friends by attending Moncton Wildcats games, including my best friend/wife of 9 years whom I met at a road game in Bathurst 16 years ago. I believe in paying it forward to create new fans and forge lasting bonds within the community.”

So far, he has given tickets to families from countries including Morocco, Nigeria, Philippines, Syria and Ukraine.

“A lot of these people have abandoned everything they have and all their hobbies and their pastimes and everything they know to come to a little unknown part of Canada. So I really admire the sacrifices that people make. So I just want them to feel a little bit more Canadian, I guess,” Arsenault adds.