Kyle Hardy breaks a lot of expectations. Native to the Montreal area, one would likely make a few assumptions about him. However, there is a good chance they would be wrong. The only one he seems to adhere to is that he has a deep passion for hockey. That passion has carried him across the ocean, and, potentially, to a Ligue Magnus championship.
Despite being native to the Great White North, Hardy, now 29 and playing in France, never felt the strong pull of junior hockey. Instead, he was drawn by the prep school route.
"I had some friends who had gone to prep school, and that just sounded like a great opportunity," Hardy said. "My parents sort of stressed education." Hardy enrolled at New York’s renowned Hoosac School. He would play there and thrive, which, naturally, opened some doors for his hockey future.
His career at Hoosac drew some collegiate attention. Like pretty much any talented hockey player these days, Hardy could have opted to do a few years of junior hockey, maybe boost his stock to a level to potentially play Division 1. Instead, he decided to jump right into school. It was a small school in Brunswick, Maine, that drew his attention.
"Bowdoin would be a tough school to pass up on," Hardy acknowledged, given its academic reputation. "We had visited Bowdoin, and (my mom) sort of fell in love with it." He also was impressed and decided that’s where he would continue both his academic and athletic pursuits.
His freshman year with the Polar Bears unfolded as many do. A defenseman, he had some growing pains and had to make adjustments. Chief among those adjustments was building himself from a boy into a man.
"I think when I got there I was about 150 pounds," he said. "Just my body changing helped me a lot." Even as an undersized freshman, he managed to put up 13 points and showed a potential that had coaches excited. From there, he would start to make an even bigger impact.
His sophomore year, he put up 21 points in 22 games from the back end. His production would increase, yet again, as a junior as he helped lead Bowdoin to the NESCAC final, with Bowdoin dropping a heartbreaker to Middlebury. Bowdoin would overcome that devastation in Hardy’s final season. His 38 points were second on the team, first among Division 3 defensemen, and he helped the Polar Bears to their first NESCAC title.
After making an impact on the Bowdoin record books, Hardy looked to make some sort of impact at the professional level. He was realistic with his expectations and decided to try to open his professional résumé in France. Though he admittedly was not fluent in Quebec’s primary language, his French skills did prove somewhat beneficial as he made adjustments to the slightly new culture. All the while, he was trying to soak up the realities of postcollegiate life.
"You’re looking for your first job, and you’re finally getting paychecks," he said. "It was just so exciting for me to be playing hockey for a living."
Hardy would provide solid production for Dijon in his first two seasons, but the two went their separate ways following that second season. After weighing his options, he opted to take his game to Chamonix. It’s a decision he certainly would not regret.
"Honestly, I fell in love with the town," Hardy said. "I would settle in Chamonix. I still go back as often as I can. I loved it there." Perhaps the love of the city aided his play, as he led Chamonix’s defensemen in scoring in both his seasons there.
Feeling more comfortable as a professional, Hardy decided it was time to try and make the jump to a more prestigious league. He took his talents to Tingsryds of the Allsvenskan, hoping to establish a footing in Sweden. However, a teammate seemed to fit the team’s style a bit better, and Hardy often found himself on the outside.
"That was actually the first time that I really had any adversity in my career," he admitted. "For me, it was a big learning experience." He would finish the year in the United Kingdom.
Disappointed by his first attempt to venture out, Hardy returned to the familiarity of France. He signed with one of the league’s powerhouses, Grenoble. While his one-year absence from the league seemed more negative than positive, perhaps he reaped more benefits than he thought. Back in France last year, Hardy had his most productive season, putting up 36 points in 44 games and helping Grenoble to the semifinals. This season, he has blossomed even more. In the regular season, he put up 47 points, leading all defensemen and trailing the overall leader by just 11 points. His production helped carry the Wolf Burners to the top of the standings.
Yet, as much fun as Hardy seems to be having in France, he still looked back fondly on his days at Bowdoin.
"Once you’re getting paid to play, it might be a little bit different," he noted about the locker-room feel in the pros. "College was a little more of … you’re ready to die for the guy next to you."
Of course, the change in mentality hasn’t changed his on-ice production. The former Polar Bear seems to be entering his prime, and he looks forward to where it might take him, both this season and beyond.
"We have everything right in front of us to do well," Hardy said after the team advanced to the second round of the playoffs with Hardy a driving force. If the Wolf Burners do manage to take home the French championship, Hardy surely will be a major reason why.
Meanwhile, by no means is he becoming complacent.
"I still have another sort of level I could reach," Hardy said. If that’s true, and if he finishes the season a champion, Hardy might get a second look from other European leagues. A seven-year pro seeming to be hitting his peak should certainly appeal to a few teams.
