Richard Brodeur knows a thing or two about saving a slapshot.
But even before the now retired Vancouver Canucks goaltender stepped onto the ice in the National Hockey League, he had ventured onto another path in the arts.
Brodeur, who now lives in Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island, is a professional painter, drawing from nature and his childhood memories playing hockey in Montreal. And his art is now on display at the Pitt Meadows Art Gallery.
“My dad used to do a backyard rink. We played there. We played on the street. We played on the lake. We played everywhere,” he explained about his hockey scenes titled “My Childhood Hockey Memories.”
“It brings me back to a happy place, a happy time and that’s how the people feel about it, and that makes me feel really good.”
Brodeur explained his hockey scenes are his fun paintings. He also paints landscapes, which, he described as more emotional.
One special painting called “Standing Tall” Brodeur painted after learning his sister had passed away. The painting features a single red tree, standing tall above the rest, in a motion that points toward the sky.
The mood in his other landscapes depends on the day and on the lighting.
Brodeur also enjoys painting figures of people. And he regularly rotates through all three genres to keep his paintings fresh.
He credits painting for helping ease the pressure he felt during his years as a professional hockey player, from 1972 until 1988.
“Even after a game sometimes I would paint until two, three o’clock in the morning,” he said, in order to calm himself down from the adrenalin and the emotion of a game.
Now he is enjoying his second career, especially from his home on the island.
“It’s pretty easy for me living on the island. You go out the door and there’s things to see and things to do,” he added.
Brodeur achieved the nickname “King Richard” for his performance on the ice while playing for Vancouver during the Canucks run to the Stanley Cup finals in 1982.
Aptly named “The King and the Artist” runs until Sunday, June 22, on the main floor of the South Bonson Community Centre, 10932 Barnston View Road, Pitt Meadows.
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