By 93 Rock’s J. LaLonde

Name: Steve Montador

Profession: Defenseman for the Florida Panthers

Adventure sport: Hiking and cycling

Not a lot of people golf with black eyes, especially in Weston. But while Steve Montador of the Florida Panthers and I were on the links recently, we agreed golf would be better if it were a collision sport. Montador would win the Masters.

We were at the Weston Hills Country Club for the Florida Panthers Foundation’s Golf Classic. As I looked at him I thought, He’s living the “American dream.” Only he’s Canadian.

Montador, who you can catch once a month on my radio show, is an intellectual with three missing teeth and a massive house without the minivan or the white picket fence. He has women throwing themselves at him and a crooked nose that ladies find “cute.” For Christ’s sake, he even went to Africa this last summer to help the children who suffer from starvation and a dismal education system.

Number 7 is a dwarf compared to others who play his position. The others, however, are no match for the charisma and heart he plays the game with.

And he’s masculine enough to keep your wife away from him. He’s a playboy. But he’s not promiscuous, even though I’ve tried to hook him up with countless lady friends. He’s more of the guy you wouldn’t mind your sister marrying.

Montador is an avid hiker and cyclist who explores the Canadian mountains as often as he can. A few years ago he was biking in Whistler, training for the upcoming NHL season, when he crashed. Luckily he walked away with only scrapes and bruises, no more than from any hockey fight. Here in South Florida he and teammate Jay Bouwmeester often cycle to practice. He might be safer in Whistler.

In a time when sports are tarnished with corruption and greed, we must not overlook those who still give organizations a good name. Steve Montador is one of them. He’s humble with success, and he’s never dated Paris Hilton—that alone would be an adventure. Don’t let his hockey upper-cut fool you, he’s a gentleman. In some cases he actually asks opposing players “Excuse me, but would you like to throw down?” Montador claims to have vices but they’re certainly masked. No booze, no smokes, no late-night runs to Taco Bell. Perhaps his high comes in the form of playing hockey and living an adventurous life in the off-season.

Montador is living the American dream and we should be jealous. We all hope to see the world, live debt-free, own a home and enjoy our outdoor hobbies just like him.