Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Emanuelson Charbonneau, whom everyone calls Manu, welcomes us to the pretty home of his grandparents, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. The 6-foot-3 defenseman, who plays for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League (BCHL), hopes to be drafted into the NHL on Friday.
It’s his dream, like that of many hockey players. But whether or not this dream materializes this year, Manu will not give up. “If it’s not this year, it will be next year,” he said.
When we know his story, we can only believe it: we are dealing with a fighter. A real.
An only child, Manu was raised by his mother, Annie Charbonneau. His father has never really been a part of his life — he sees him about once a month.
The young man was 12 years old when his mother was found dead, poisoned by carbon monoxide in a house in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, on December 29, 2016.
He was being looked after by his grandparents that night, as was always the case when his mother was working or going out for a night out. Annie Charbonneau, 39, had an appointment with a man met on a social network. At the end of the evening, the duo went to the man’s house, who had left a generator running all day in the basement.
“They both died maybe 15 or 20 minutes after they entered the house,” says Thérèse Charbonneau, Manu’s grandmother, who returned just in time to join us for the interview. .
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Emanuelson Charbonneau and his grandmother Thérèse
Mme Charbonneau looks at his grandson with adoration. The love she has for him is felt in each of her sentences. She remembers very well this day which turned her life upside down, that of her spouse and that of her grandson.
“He was crying, he kept screaming, says his grandmother. I slept with him a few nights. We talked a lot. You have no choice but to believe in fate. We ask ourselves lots of questions all the time, but his time had come.
” I found [Manu] strong, very strong, she adds. But hockey saved him. »
Life buoy
At the end of the table, the young man nods discreetly.
Would you say that hockey has been your lifeline? we ask him.
“Yes,” he replies without hesitation. Still today. I’m on the ice all the time, in the gym. […] I wouldn’t say I live for hockey, but it’s 95% of my life right now.
“I still experienced it well because I was well supervised, he continues. They didn’t let me destroy myself inside with that. My grandparents, my friends, my school…everyone really looked after me. I never really stopped either. I went back to school immediately. I continued hockey. »
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Emanuelson Charbonneau hopes to be drafted by an NHL team.
“He had a tournament organized in Saguenay right after, adds his grandmother. The parents [des autres joueurs] celebrated his birthday, bought him lots of presents. Frankly, we were well surrounded. »
Manu mentions Noah Warren, who is currently playing for the Gatineau Olympiques and who is also eligible for the draft. “His parents really helped me a lot,” he says. It was like my brother, I was with him all the time. »
Thérèse and Luc Charbonneau, who had just lost their daughter, obviously did not hesitate to welcome their grandson home. Their life has changed.
“In the morning, I woke him up, prepared breakfast and lunches, he took the bus,” says the grandmother.
“We found that a little olé olé! she adds with a laugh.
Outstanding Player
A year and a half later, in 2018, Manu Charbonneau was one of three players from Quebec to receive the status of “exceptional player”. He therefore made the jump to the Quebec M18 AAA Hockey League, with the Riverains of Charles-Lemoyne College, at the age of 14.
Charbonneau, who says he stands out for his physical play and vision of the game, had 15 points in 39 games that year. He posted the same harvest the following year. In 2020, he was selected in the third round of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada.
Except that Manu always wanted to play in an American college, “because [qu’il est] still good at school and [qu’il veut] a plan B,” he explains. He therefore preferred to agree with the University of Nebraska at Omaha, in NCAA Division 1, which offered him a full scholarship.
Before making the jump to the American circuit, he had to finish high school; he joined the Alberni Valley Bulldogs, with whom he has scored 16 points in 41 games this season.
It’s my dream to go far in hockey and these are the sacrifices that have to be made. I will never play high if I stay here. It’s part of the thing, to move and leave.
Emanuelson Charbonneau
In Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the Charbonneau grandparents did not miss a game despite the three-hour time difference. “We put it on the computer, we connect the wire to the TV and we watch all his matches, launches the friendly lady. […] It’s in English, but we see him play! »
Three goals
Next year, Manu will head to Omaha for his first season in the NCAA. He hasn’t met virtually any NHL team, but remains hopeful his name will come out in Friday’s draft.
If there is a team that believes in me this year, great, I will be honored. But I won’t stop my efforts if I miss it.
Emanuelson Charbonneau
Whatever the future holds for him on the ice, he can always be proud of how far he’s come. And the young man he has become. The loss of his mother remains “a bad memory”, but he tries to get “as much positive as possible from it”, he says. “That’s what makes me mature today,” he says.
“It was my dream to play junior one day, to continue playing hockey. At the same time, I finished high school this year. I go back to university. I always told myself that I wanted to keep in shape, play hockey and do well in school. I’ve achieved my three goals very well so far, so I’m satisfied. »