TRURO - It's no mystery as to why Kendall MacInnis has turned out to be the player he is.
After all, he had his Hall of Fame uncle Al MacInnis to learn from.
"It was definitely pretty special, and it still is," the 20-year-old Port Hood native and Truro Bearcats forward said about growing up with the famous NHL defenceman. "I get a lot of questions from everybody, but I don't mind answering them because I know I'm pretty lucky."
Kendall grew up idolizing his famous uncle, a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophy winner with the Calgary Flames in 1989. His No. 22 is a testament to his uncle, who wore the No. 2 on his back through 23 NHL seasons with the Flames and St. Louis Blues.
"It's hard not to say he was my favourite player," Kendall said with a laugh. "I remember being younger and watching him on TV as nervous as could be."
Although uncle Al, an Olympic gold medal winner in 2002 with Team Canada, was away each hockey season, Kendall would often get a personal training camp with Al and his two sons through the summer months in Port Hood. The pro would put the up-and-comers through a series of workouts designed as much to condition as to keep them busy. The sessions showed Kendall just how much work goes into becoming one of the top players in the world.
"He always talked about it," Kendall said. "He just put in so much work off the ice. Even in his older years in St. Louis he was still one of the best-conditioned guys on the team. He worked extremely hard."
It's a quality that's rubbed off on his nephew. Kendall has applied those principles to his own career and they're paying dividends for the surging Bearcats, who host the Yarmouth Mariners tonight at 7:30 at Colchester Legion Stadium. The Bearcats are winners of eight of their past 10 games.
"In his three years here Kendall has been the glue of the team," Bearcats head coach Shawn Evans said. "The glue of a team is a guy who is accountable and a guy you get a consistent effort from and that's certainly Kendall."
Kendall has developed into a player his coach has confidence putting into any situation, be it a power play, killing penalties, helping to protect a lead late in a game or to get a timely point.
As the Bearcats have been heating up, so have Kendall's offensive numbers. He enters tonight's contest with 30 points (13G, 17A) in 41 games, good for fourth on the team.
"He's a very underrated player," Evans said. "He's not the type of guy who makes the big end-to-end dash or puts the puck through the net, he just gets the job done and he's good all over the rink."
But what he's best at is giving the opposition fits. Kendall has become a player who has mastered the art of taking away time and space from opposing players by getting his body or stick in the way before they can make a move.
"He's got the best positioning and stick in the league," Evans said.
It's a style of game Kendall takes a great deal of pride in.
"I like being a guy who can be put out there at any time," he said. "I don't want to feel like I'm a liability."
And thanks to his famous uncle, who Kendall keeps in regular contact with, Kendall likely never will.
"I watch a lot of hockey. I like putting in the work," he said.
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