Former McGill hockey star to be inducted into university’s sports hall of fame

He had graduated from McGill University more than a decade ago, so Francis Verreault-Paul was a bit surprised to see the school’s director of athletics calling him.

But it was a call that Verreault-Paul was happy to receive. That’s because Geoffrey Phillips, the director of athletics and recreation for the Montreal-based school, was calling to say that Verreault-Paul had been named as one of this year’s inductees into the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame.

“I hadn’t really thought about the hall of fame at all,” said Verreault-Paul, a Montagnais from Mashteuiatsh, an Innu community in Quebec.  

Verreault-Paul starred for four seasons at McGill from 2008 to 2012 before embarking on a pro career.

“I was surprised, but I was very happy and a bit emotional. I’m overwhelmed and it’s something that I share with my family,” he said.

Verreault-Paul said his father introduced him to hockey when he was just three years old. He loved the sport even though he would often play outdoors in his hometown where the temperature sometimes dipped to minus-30 degrees Celsius.

Verreault-Paul, who is now 36, appeared in a total of 156 games while he was at the university. He earned 221 points, including 120 goals in those matches.

His offensive totals still rank among the career leaders in McGill record books. He’s second among all-time goal-scoring leaders and fourth in career points.

Verreault-Paul, a forward who had played the game with plenty of aggressiveness, also racked up 642 penalty minutes during his McGill career. That figure still places him second in career penalty minutes among all those who ever donned a McGill jersey.

Verreault-Paul capped off his collegiate career in 2012 by helping his squad capture the national university championship. And he was chosen as the most valuable player at the Canadian championships that year, after earning five points, including three goals, in three contests.

Following his McGill days, Verreault-Paul played for four different minor pro franchises in North America before heading overseas and continuing his career with squads in Switzerland, Denmark, Italy and England.

Verreault-Paul then played portions of three seasons in the Quebec-based Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey before retiring in 2022.

He now works as the director of communications and government relations for the First Nation Education Council in Wendake, Que.

Verreault-Paul said he’s thrilled with the career he had and is not disappointed he never made it to the National Hockey League.

“I have no regrets at all,” he said. “That was my path and I’m fine with it. Because I didn’t make it I decided to get my Master’s degree. And I’ve got a really great job now.”

Verreault-Paul graduated with a Science degree in psychology from McGill. He started working on his Master’s degree from the University of Buckingham while he was playing for the Milton Keynes Lightning of the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League during the 2017-18 season.

Verreault-Paul said he no longer plays hockey at a competitive contact level since a cardiologist updated him on the condition of his heart murmur.

Verreault-Paul said he was first told he had a heart murmur while playing at McGill but, at the time, it was an issue he did not have to be concerned about.

A recent trip to the doctor, however, provided Verreault-Paul with some updated news.

“The cardiologist said it’s more serious than we thought,” Verreault-Paul said, adding he will require surgery at some point in the future to try to correct his condition. “I was pretty much done with hockey. So, it was good timing. Not that there is good timing to find out you have something like that.”

Verreault-Paul added he continues to remain active by running and cross-country skiing with his fiancée.

“I’m just trying to stay in shape,” he said.

This year’s McGill University Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be staged Oct. 20.

“I don’t know how many people I’m allowed to bring,” Verreault-Paul said.

Ideally, he would like to be joined at the event by his fiancée, parents, two brothers and his grandmother.

Verreault-Paul said several of his former McGill teammates have phoned or texted him in the past week after news of his upcoming hall of fame induction broke.

“And I’ve gotten so many messages on my social media as well,” Verreault-Paul said.

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Local Journalism Initiative Reporters are supported by a financial contribution made by the Government of Canada.