Arber Xhekaj is getting a lot of praise around the hockey world for something that had little to do with hits, fights, or even that usual playoff intensity. The Montreal Canadiens defenseman reportedly helped save a person’s life earlier this week after noticing a suicide attempt close to Montreal’s Lachine Canal.
Xhekaj, who was out walking with his brother Florian, quickly rang 911 and then worked with the emergency responders during the whole scary situation. The person did survive, so this ended up becoming a tragic moment turned into something that showed calm thinking, real responsibility, and compassion off the ice.
According to Reports, Xhekaj and his brother Florian were around the Lachine Canal between Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when they saw a man jump into the water in what looked like an apparent suicide attempt. A bunch of folks were watching from farther away, but Xhekaj acted right away and kept his focus on getting proper, professional help to the situation as fast as possible.
Sources also suggest the Canadiens defenseman thought about going in himself, but he decided against it and went with the safer, more intelligent approach, which was calling emergency services. Since there wasn’t any rescue gear nearby, jumping into the canal could have turned into a bigger problem and put several lives at risk. So instead, Xhekaj stayed steady, called 911, and helped once the first responders got there.
The situation ended, pretty positively, with the individual making it through the whole incident. What impressed a lot of fans and insiders is that Xhekaj reportedly never actually sought attention, or any publicity for what he did. The story only came to light afterward, through people who were close to the events and knew what happened.
Montreal Canadiens Defenseman Arber Xhekaj Shows Leadership Beyond Hockey
Xhekaj is pretty well known all across the NHL for his toughness and physical-minded way of playing, but this one moment kinda showed a different side of the young defenseman. For a lot of people in the hockey community, what happened really pointed to the same kind of backbone and ownership that Martin St. Louis keeps stressing, over and over, inside the Canadiens group.
And the timing wasn’t small either. Just one day earlier Xhekaj had been hit with a fine after an on-ice altercation during the playoffs. Still, instead of using that off day to kinda stay clear of noise and drama, he got pulled into a real-life emergency, where every second felt crucial.
By the time it was said and done, the whole thing went past regular sports talk. Instead of being remembered for a fight, or a late playoff push, Xhekaj is now being talked about for helping save a life, and for doing the right thing when it actually mattered most.
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