There are not many professional athletes who would choose to spend their retirement years this way -- particularly if they are as young, talented and smart as Joe Juneau. In this week's Sports Illustrated, Michael Farber writes about the inspiring path Juneau has taken since leaving the NHL after the 2003-2004 season. link The setting is the town of Kuujjua in the Nunavik region of the Canadian sub-artic. The town's 2,100 residents -- mostly Inuit -- live in drab pre-fab housing. Temperatures drop to -58 degress Fahrenheit in winter. Suicide is the leading cause of death. The life span of an Inuit is almost 15 years less than the Canadian average. Drug and alcohol abuse is rampant among all ages. As Farber reports, many children are "physically, psychologically and sexually abused".
Why would any sane person with a bright future move to Nunavik by choice?
Joe Juneau is both sane and accomplished. He could probably accomplish almost anything he set out to. When he arrived on campus at Rennsselaer Polytechnic Institute in Upstate New York, he did not speak a word of English (RPI is not located so far north that French is the second language). Juneau graduated in three years with a 4.0 grade point average with a degree in aeronautical engineering. He made almost $3 million a year when he was a pro hockey player. Before his pro career, he was an Olympic silver medalist.
Now, this most famous resident of Kuujjua is the head of the Nunavik Youth Hockey League. Juneau is devoting this portion of his retirement life to 180 children who participate in the youth hockey program. Juneau's not scouting young talent for the Montreal Canadiens. His partner of 10 years and mother to their two children, Elsa Moreau, says that Juneau's "investing in a mission, something bigger than himself. This is a grand projet humain."
Juneau's mission is about the education, health and welfare of these kids. To learn more about the Nunavik Youth Hockey League and lend support to Juneau's mission visit their website link
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