Mathieu Caron froze on the near side of his crease, head down, with Denver’s game-winning puck idled in the net behind him.
“I’m very proud to be a BU Terrier,” Caron said. The Brown transfer was choked up with red, misty eyes after the Frozen Four loss on April 11. “I know I get referred to as the Brown goalie a lot, but I am through and through a BU Terrier.”
Five months after the heartbreaking loss, Caron stood outside BU’s locker room on media day. He didn’t look too different. His hair had the same tuft curling down over his forehead. He shaved his beard, leaving behind just a mustache. He was, understandably so, in much brighter spirits.
There was one outstanding difference — the redesigned helmet in his hand, accompanying a newfound confidence.
This season, Caron has already ingratiated himself with the Dog Pound, bears the scars of a championship run fallen just short and, most importantly, is a self-proclaimed BU Terrier.
Caron isn’t just the goalie, the Dog Pound favorite, the player from British Columbia or the guy who made a near-impossible save in the Frozen Four.
To truly get a glimpse into Mathieu Caron, just look at his helmet.
Front of Helmet
1. Fleur-de-lis/Maple Leaf
The goaltender takes great pride in his French-Canadian heritage, so it’s no surprise to see his half-maple leaf, half-fleur-de-lis take center stage on the back of his helmet. The symbol also honors the people back home who have supported him in his journey.
Caron called it a “fun little addition” to be added to a laundry list of French-Canadian goaltenders that includes Patrick Roy and Marc-André Fleury.
The logo includes a backsplash of British Columbian mountains. Caron was an avid mountain biker, skier and snowboarder growing up, and the background reminds him of the scenery back home.
2. Pride
The pride logo adorns the top of Caron’s helmet. He said family and friends who are part of the LGBTQ+ community have supported him throughout his career, and this is his way of showing support back.
It’s no secret the NHL and pride have had a tumultuous relationship in recent years. This past season, the league banned pride tape for NHL sticks in a controversial move.
“If anyone sees it and likes it, then great. If they feel more comfortable, then that’s fantastic,” he said. “If someone doesn’t like it, they don’t like it. I’d rather get comments thrown at me than others.”
3. The Angry Unicorns
The logo represents an old team Caron had with friends back home. It was just a “silly thing” that wasn’t too serious, but it included some of his best friends, leading to its place on the helmet.
4. The MAC Group
Caron has been working with Bryan McDonald, owner and director of MAC goaltending, throughout his college career. Caron said McDonald helped him both mentally and physically. The logo serves to give recognition to all of the goalie coaches who have helped him up to this point in his career.
5. The Alex Archie Foundation
This non-profit mental health foundation provides scholarships to high school athletes, provides equipment for starting and struggling programs, expands the discussion of mental health and suicide prevention and more.
The organization was started by Brown alumni after their son, a lacrosse player at the time, passed away due to mental health. Caron met them while at Brown, since they were neighbors with his girlfriend.
“When you lose a game, obviously it sucks, but there’s obviously a lot of bigger things to worry about at the end of the day,” Caron said. “That’s kind of the thought process.”
6. Hotel for Homeless Dogs
Caron started volunteering at the New England Humane Society animal care facility and adoption center in his sophomore year at Brown, giving baths or taking dogs for walks.
The center in Cumberland, Rhode Island focuses on rescuing pets from high-kill shelters, rehabilitating the animals and finding them a compatible home.
“It’s a pretty special place for me,” Caron said. “When things get busy with school and hockey, it’s a nice couple hours away that I can just disconnect from it all and just play with some puppies.”
7. Kachow
“I just love the movie, ‘Cars,’” Caron said, cracking a smile.
He still listens to the soundtrack, especially “Life is a Highway,” for childhood nostalgia. Whenever he needs to hype himself up, he turns on the first movie and watches the opening sequence. Being an athletic goalie and being quick, he adopted Lightning McQueen’s “Kachow” as a motto.
Back of Helmet
Skull
Caron’s new helmet is wrapped with a skull — an homage to his studies as a biology major. The gears behind it represent the mechanical inner workings of a goaltender.
He became interested in biology after a torn ACL in juniors, leading to a full ACL reconstruction, intensive surgery and a long recovery process. Working with a physical therapist, Caron realized it was the path he wanted to take.
It hasn’t always been easy balancing a demanding hockey schedule and the onerous studying necessary in STEM, but he has found a way.
“All the lessons I’ve learned from managing both are going to prepare me way better than anything else could for the future,” Caron said. “I’m very, very happy I did it.”
Illustrations by Daily Free Press Graphics Editor Lila Baltaxe
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