Chicago Blackhawks’ recent draft pick, defenceman Ty Henry, didn’t come to success through mere chance, but through faith in God, hard work and through the encouragement of those that came before him.Just shy of 18 years old, Henry always dreamed big and his father Pastor Andrew Henry says his being picked for the National Hockey League is exciting but not surprising.
“I knew my son had the ‘it’ factor when, at a party, he raced one of his friends 10 times and on the 10th time he threw himself across the finish line to win the race. That moment,” his father said, chuckling, “confirmed to me that this kid was a fighter and would do anything to win.”
Andrew and his brother, Mark Henry, president of the Jamaica Association, huddled on a Zoom screen to speak to the CONTACT following the exciting announcement that Ty was drafted by the NHL’S Chicago Blackhawks. To appreciate Ty’s story, it is important to know his foundation.
His father, Andrew, who had a successful 8 year run as a professional football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL), says because he knew that his son was destined for greatness, he was intentional with his parenting.
“God already had shown me this. Even before Ty got picked, I knew it was coming. It’s not just like that for Ty — for all my kids the Lord speaks to me about them,” he explains.
While it sounds like the words a well-intentioned father would speak about his children, Mark explains that they had to be deliberate about being fathers and had to learn from scratch because they didn’t grow up with a father.
“Our father was an absentee father and later on he died, so my siblings and I basically had to fend for ourselves since our mother had to work and put food on the table.”
And in Mark’s estimation, the community had already considered them lost causes.
“We shouldn’t even be here,” he said. “We were those troubled kids in the community and my brother (Andrew) struggled with his studies and didn’t seem to be talented in sports. But that all changed when we came to Canada.”
Their move helped broaden their perspectives and change their paradigm. The Henry brothers wanted to intentionally break the cycle of paternal absenteeism and abandonment. When Andrew noticed Ty’s athletic ability, he decided to give his son all the support he could. Not just as a father but as a former pro athlete and as a pastor.
Growing up in St. Leonard, Ty’s interest in hockey came from his maternal grandfather, who was always taking him to games and encouraging him to try the sport. He started out playing for the Braves, a Junior A ice hockey team, before joining Hockey Montreal Elite where he rose to be the captain. Unfortunately, at 13, he was sorely disappointed when he was snubbed for that year’s Quebec list of the top 13-year-old hockey players in the province.
“If he wasn’t the best, he was at least the second-best defenceman but perhaps because his name is Henry and not some French name he didn’t make the cut,” Andrew said.
But thanks to his grit, Ty refused to let that define him. He took the brave step of going to do a year of high school in New York before moving to Toronto where he joined Hockey Equality, which helps fund Black and minority young boys who want to play hockey. The organization pushed him to become even better. He was drafted by the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Erie Otters where he has played for the past three years.
Reflecting on his son’s journey, Andrew says that they all had to sacrifice to achieve success.
“He had to sacrifice being away from us to go get better and we as his parents had to sacrifice emotionally and financially to support his dream.”
Ty’s future with the Blackhawks has more development opportunities. The Blackhawks will work with the Erie Otter to ensure that he improves on his strengths and weaknesses so that he can become an even better player, one who can possibly play a major league game.
To other young people who are looking to follow in Ty’s footsteps, Andrew encourages them not to shy away from sacrifice.
“’It’s a process and sometimes you have to leave home to get what you want, and look at Ty, he did that.”
