Game On Magazine 2017 February 2017 | Page 15

Brian Foreman is a hockey dad . A good player in his day , he spent three seasons with the Boston University Terriers in the mid-1980s and was an assistant coach with the MJHL ’ s old Winnipeg South Blues in 1991 and ‘ 92 .

When his son Brayden was born , it didn ’ t take dad long to get his boy to Fort Garry ’ s outdoor rinks . Considering that Brian ’ s dad , Ted , was inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011 , it ’ s pretty clear that hockey is part of the Foreman bloodline .
“ Brayden started playing when he was five , like every other child I guess ,” said Brian with a smile . “ He played A-1 hockey from eight through 10-years-old and then joined the Twins organization . He played out of Fort Garry North in Whyte Ridge where he grew up . He played his minor Peewee and Peewee year with the Twins and then Bantam 2 and Bantam 1 with the Monarchs . He ’ s now playing with the City Midget Monarchs , his third year with the Monarchs organization .”
These days , dad is kind of looking forward to next year . That ’ s when the kid they call , “ Brady ,” will get his driver ’ s license , giving dad a little more freedom , although it ’ s unlikely Brian will ever miss any of Brady ’ s games .
After all , Brian Foreman , his daughter Madison , a student at the University of Winnipeg , and Brady , have been through a lot in the last four years . Probably a lot more than any family should be forced to go through .
On Sept . 29 , 2015 , Brian ’ s wife and Madison and Brady ’ s mom , Marnie , passed away after a three-year battle with cancer . It wasn ’ t an easy time for anyone , but for Brady , who was 11 when his mom was diagnosed , it could have been emotionally crippling .
Fortunately , for Brady and his family , there was more than one support system .
“ He ’ s gone through a lot ,” said Brian , 50 , a regional sales manager with the pharmaceutical company , Pfizer . “ His mom was diagnosed with cancer right around his 1 1th birthday . No 11-year-old should have to see his mom go through that . But he had hockey . He played
through three pretty tough years and right before his season in Bantam 1 , Marnie passed away .
“ Last year , he played through the whole season with that on his mind and he had a pretty good year . He ’ s persevered through a lot . I ’ m very proud of him and my daughter . They went through a lot and they handled it with dignity .”
For Brady himself , nothing has been easy . After all , his mom went to all of his games and there was a big hole in his heart when she passed . But hockey was something they shared and it played a major role in his ability to process and accept his mom ’ s death . “ My mom never missed a game , no matter how sick she got ,” Brady recalled . “ I tried

He ’ s persevered through a lot . I ’ m very proud of him and my daughter . They went through a lot and they handled it with dignity

2016 - 17 ROSTER DEADLINE EDITION GAME ON 15