Robbins Hebrew Academy

N I N E T E E N ZACH HYMAN Zach Hyman is a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is a published author of children's literature. And he's a 2006 graduate of Robbins Hebrew Academy. Zach came back to RHA last month and talked to over 400 cheering parents, kids and visitors. The excitement in the room was palpable. Here was one of our own in the hockey big leagues. His happiest moment that night? When Donnie Friedman, his English teacher at RHA, introduced him. We sat down with Zach for a one-on-one chat. Tell me about your years at RHA. They were amazing. I guess two things stand out. The first is the teachers. They went above and beyond to prepare us for the next step in our lives. They taught us what it means to be Jewish and how important it is to give back. The second is the friends I made. Many of them are still my best friends today and a huge part of my life. You've won so many awards. You were named the 2011 CJHL Player of the Year, University of Michigan's Athlete of the Year and a First Team All-American. But what stood out most for us was the Hobey Baker Award. The Hobey Baker was really important to me. It's great to win awards for how well you play, but this one is about strength of character both on and off the ice. It's about contributing to the integrity of the team as well as having great skills. I was a top-ten finalist for the award and I was so touched that I got the most fan votes for it. Beyond your athletic skills, what do you think has made you so successful? There are so many things you can't control but the one thing you can control is your attitude. If you're positive, that's not only going to help your game – or whatever you've chosen to do – but it will also influence the people around you. It's also about work ethic. If you want something, you've got to give it your all. You have to get up, dust yourself off and keep going. Not everything is going to go your way all the time. But if you work hard enough, you will get there. I also think it's about perspective. Things go wrong but we have to think about how lucky we are. Today I went to visit the children at SickKids Hospital with some of the other Leafs. You realize very quickly that we are very fortunate. So much of what I learned about attitude and hard work and gratitude came from RHA and, of course, my parents. Not only are you a major league hockey player, you are also a published children's author. How did that happen? Here is the funny thing. My second book actually started right here at RHA. I won the UJA Creative Writing Contest for my story about a shy hockey player who overcomes playing in his brother's shadow and eventually makes his dream come true. Years later, I turned that story into a book and Penguin Random House published it. How do you see your life in ten years? I hope I'll be playing hockey. And I would like to have a family by then. It would be great if I was living in Toronto. Of course, my kids will have a Jewish education – at RHA! KEEP IN TOUCH: Tell us where you are and what you are up to. Connect with us at alumni@rhacademy.ca. We want to hear from you. GETTY IMAGES

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