from Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News,

Parents rolled heavy equipment bags and sticks toward the exit, their precocious, young goalies in tow, as a crowd began to gather at Quartier Hockey on a humid August afternoon.

“You know who that is, right?” a father said to his son.

A group of children emerged from an adjacent hallway, completing a sprint from the locker rooms, and the sight of the ice sheet caused one boy to belt out, “He’s on this side!” They raced toward the glass and playfully jockeyed for the best view.

On the ice, Devon Levi listened to instructions from his longtime goalie coach, Marco Raimondo, then skated toward his crease to prepare to stop a barrage from three shooters. One by one, Levi stymied their attempts to score with ease, each movement as perfectly executed as the last with a singular objective on his mind: stay square to the puck.

A few of his saves evoked audible gasps from the dozen or so people who stuck around to watch the goalie who became a larger-than-life figure to kids in the Montreal area. His journey to the NHL began with the same passion that attracted them to the try to stop pucks and, as someone who grew up nearby, he’s a symbol that the dream is attainable.

It wasn’t long ago that Levi was the kid hanging around the rink after practice to try to meet the athletes he adored.

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