By Diana Lento
Staff Reporter
Liam Clare, a junior at Sacred Heart University, left his hometown of Ontario, Canada, to pursue a career in hockey and education in the United States.
Clare is a defenseman on the Sacred Heart University’s Division I Men’s Ice Hockey team.
Clare has become a stellar hockey player at Sacred Heart and is comfortably adjusted to living in the United States.
“In Canada, there is a completely different focus in sporting events compared to that of the U.S. Canada, is all about playing [in a division] of junior hockey. Since many of the top NHL guys are Canadian, and they all have gone through the junior ranks,” said Clare.
Clare took two years off schooling after graduating high school, to better focus on hockey.
“We were kind of ready to move away from home after taking that time off,” said Clare.
Before coming to the United States, he had some suspicions surrounding the possible stereotypes he had heard of, in relation to people who lived in the United States.
“At first, there was a bit of an adjustment period to the stigma that came with Americans,” said Clare.“Then once I actually came down here, and actually started living here, it’s all more-or-less, the same. There isn’t anyone that is too different than back home, we pretty much live the exact same way.”
Since coming to America, Clare has found some of the cultural differences between Americans and Canadians, to be quite surprising.
“Some Americans don’t even have passports, and that’s crazy to me. They say there are 50 states to see, so they don’t really need it,” said Clare.
But what really got Clare interested in Sacred Heart, was his passion for the sport of hockey, and Sacred Heart had the opportunity for him to play with passion.
“I have been playing since I was about five years old,” said Clare.
If given the opportunity, Clare would love to continue his hockey career in Europe.
However, if that doesn’t happen, he would love to work in a field of the subject that he is currently studying in. He is double majoring in finance and economics, and he is minoring in marketing.
While Clare’s interests are versatile, he has a special passion for the stock market.
Clare has also previously worked with The Spectrum, as the Assistant Advertising Manager.
When he’s not playing on the ice rink, Clare spends his time in the library studying for his exams, and keeping up with his studies.
Although he seems to be enjoying his time in Connecticut exploring the state has to offer, he said that he does miss his mom, and even more so, her treats.
“We don’t get to go home a lot, because of the hockey season. The only time we do go home is for Christmas and for the end-of-the-year. For Christmas, we are back [on campus] on the 26th [of December],” said Clare.
Despite the short Christmas break, he will again this year, be able to make the eight-hour trip home, and spend time with family.
While his family may live far away, Clare has found a brotherhood in his teammates and in his coaches.
“I am close with my team members, and our class is especially close, because we lived with each other, and we all live pretty close to each other back home,” said Clare. “So for Christmas break, we will all drive home and drop each other off on the way and pick each other up when we’re coming back.”
