Ottawa hockey fans haven't forgotten Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and it looks like he hasn't forgotten where he came from either. The former Ottawa Senators forward, who now plays for the New York Islanders, made his way back to the National Capital Region recently to donate hockey equipment to kids in Gatineau.
A Hometown Return
Pageau spent parts of eight seasons with the Ottawa Senators, growing into one of the more popular players to wear the black and red before being traded to the Islanders. For a lot of local fans, he was one of the few homegrown names on the Senators roster — a player from right here in the region who worked his way up through junior hockey to the NHL. That local connection is part of what makes this donation resonate with Ottawa-area hockey families.
Gatineau, just across the Ottawa River from downtown Ottawa, shares a tight-knit sports community with the capital. Kids from Gatineau and Ottawa often play in overlapping minor hockey leagues, tournaments, and rec programs, so a gesture like this touches families on both sides of the river. For Ottawa parents who've dealt with the rising cost of hockey gear — skates, pads, sticks, and helmets can easily run into the hundreds of dollars for a single kid — donations like Pageau's make a real difference in whether a child gets to lace up at all.
Giving Back to the Next Generation
</br> Hockey is an expensive sport, and equipment costs are one of the biggest barriers keeping kids off the ice in communities across the Ottawa-Gatineau region. When an NHL player with local roots steps in to help cover that gap, it's a reminder of how much of a hockey town this region still is, even with the Senators currently rebuilding.Pageau's connection to Ottawa hockey runs deep. Before making the NHL, he played junior hockey with the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL, giving him ties to the local hockey scene well before he ever put on a Senators sweater. That background makes his return to donate gear feel less like a one-off publicity stop and more like someone checking in on a community that helped shape his career.
Why It Matters for Ottawa
While Pageau now plays his NHL games in New York, moments like this show that his roots in the Ottawa area haven't faded. For local kids who may not have the means to afford new equipment, a donation from a familiar NHL name carries extra weight — it's proof that someone who grew up playing on the same rinks made it to the pros and hasn't forgotten the community that got him there.
Ottawa Senators fans who watched Pageau anchor the team's penalty kill and score some of the most memorable goals in recent franchise history will likely see this as one more reason to keep cheering for him, even in an Islanders jersey.
Source: Ottawa Citizen
