The game of hockey has taken Hull-native and former Gee-Gee Dominic Jalbert ('14) to many places.
From the rural outpost of Chicoutimi, where he wore an "A" with the QMJHL's Saguenéens, to Chamonix, where he plied his trade the past two seasons in the French Alps, Jalbert has chased vulcanized rubber on two continents and in hundreds of arenas.
And now, in what is likely the swan song of a five-year professional career, the uOttawa alum will head to Australia to suit up for the CBR Brave this summer.
"Hockey has given me the chance to travel, visit new places, experience different lifestyles and meet interesting people," said Jalbert, a playmaker who posted 85 points (24G, 61A) in 83 games over three seasons (2010-13) as a Gee-Gee. "This could be my last time playing pro hockey overseas - it's not often you get to go to Australia, so it's an experience I'm looking forward to."
Jalbert is following something of a uOttawa pipeline to Australia, spearheaded by former Gee-Gees assistant coach Pier Martin.
"He's lived in Australia and coached hockey there," explained Jalbert, who wore an "A" with uOttawa in his final season (2012-13) and reprised the role this past season with Chamonix-Morzine. "He was talking about the opportunity to go there; their season is April to August, there's no conflict between it and the university or pro seasons."
A graduate of the Telfer School of Business, Jalbert is far from the first uOttawa alum to take the ice down under; former Gee-Gees Luc-Olivier Blain (Adelaide, 2013), Mathieu Guertin (CBR, 2016), Stephen Blunden (CBR, 2014-16) and Mathieu Ouellette (CBR, 2014) have all spent time on the Australian circuit.
Along with his playing duties with the Brave, a semi-pro organization in the burgeoning AIHL, Jalbert will also work at a marketing firm while in Australia.
"I'm going for the life experience," said Jalbert. "They're paying for my car, house, flight and got me a (non-hockey) job."
The former #HorseHockey assistant captain remembers his three years in garnet and grey fondly.
"The friendships I made with our team were incredible, we had a great group of guys," reflected Jalbert. "I met some best friends that as of today I'm still close with - we had a lot of fun on and off the ice."
As with the rest of the uOttawa Men's Hockey alumni, the 27 year-old was thrilled to see the program return to the ice this past season.
"We all thought it would be a tough year for the program, but Pat Grandmaitre and his first-years did an amazing job," lauded Jalbert, who represented Canada at the 2011 FISU Winter Universiade.
Beyond the end of the AIHL season in September, the offensive defenceman from across the river sees his future off the ice.
"I'm thinking about coming home - knocking on doors, looking for opportunities," admitted Jalbert. "I'm looking to find a team to coach next year, and hopefully finding a flexible job that will allow me to do that."
