BONNYVILLE – An Alberta adaptation of Roch Carrier’s “Le chandail de hockey” (The Hockey Sweater) performed by École des Beaux-Lacs students left audience members in stitches on the evening of Dec. 20.
Performing in the play crossed with a traditional Christmas concert was elementary students from kindergarten to Grade 6, with a helping hand from several Junior High students.
The Alberta adaptation was set in the 1980s when every child wanted to play like the legendary Wayne Gretzky of the Edmonton Oilers.
As the play unfolds, the audience learns that “Emmett (Brosseau) and his friends are huge Oilers’ fans. One day, seeing that Emmett’s hockey jersey had become too small and worn out, his mother orders him a new Oilers jersey from the Sears catalogue.”
True to the original story, instead of receiving his favourite hockey player's jersey Emmett discovers he was sent the jersey of his rival team. In the Beaux-Lacs version, the main character unwraps a Calgary Flames jersey to his great dismay.
By the end of the play, the boy learns that his love for the sport of hockey is more important than the jersey itself.
