Michael Chua (12) has been on skates since he was just 4 years old. He began his long hockey career when he started playing ice hockey. 

In his freshman year, he swapped his skates for roller blades, and joined Westview’s roller hockey team. He has played  roller hockey for Westview and ice hockey for a local club team ever since.

Following in his brother’s footsteps, he has become captain of the team, and is devoted to the sports he has played for so long.

Chua has long recognized that as his brother was an avid hockey player and the captain of the roller hockey team before him, he has had a lasting impact on Chua’s view of the game.

“I knew that having an older brother playing the exact same sports would have some sort of effect on how I approached being a team captain,” Chua said. “I looked up to him, and though I didn’t always agree with him, I knew I was going to be somewhat like him, at least in my own way.”

Coming back to the roller rink following an on-and-off COVID-19 season a year ago, Chua has returned as the team captain this season. He said he wants to lead by bringing the team together, and by giving everyone equal opportunity. He also wants to make sure that everyone on the team, including himself, can accomplish their own goals.

“I like to make sure that everyone is comfortable playing in their own way around each other,” Chua said. “[That team dynamic] really helps with the entire team morale if we’re all unified and working well together. If I can get the entire team on the same page, then in my mind, I’m doing my job. And if somebody wants to take a leading role on the team, I say give them their chance. I am the team captain, and I think part of that role is to let others prove themselves and their leadership in some way, and I encourage them to take their opportunity.”

While Chua’s sportsmanship and friendliness has helped lead the team, his technical skill also makes him a key part of the defense, according to goalie Matthew Mahlow (12).

“[Chua] is our conservative position player, he’s our stay-at-home defenseman,” Mahlow said. “He’s the guy who plays in deep and the guy I can most rely on to clear [opponents] out of the crease in front of me. He is a dominant defenseman.”

Mahlow also discussed how Chua will stick his neck out for his teammates, and wants to ensure that everyone feels like part of the team.

“[Chua] is the guy who might not say a lot, but is really good at commanding the defensive flow of play,” Mahlow said. “And when he takes charge of the team, he gives off such a strong positive vibe that he will fight for us, and I mean really fight, to keep us together and keep us in the game. The refs might see him as the fighting type sometimes, and calls don’t always go his way because of that, but he is the one sticking up for us, and me especially, in the crease. He’s a big guy that you don’t want to mess with. He’s a dominant force on offense, stepping up and taking shots, but he’s also very good at sharing the puck and helping all the other players else get experience.”

Though fighting isn’t something Chua enjoys, he sees his dominant and aggressive play style as a way to express his frustration. According to him, one of the most frustrating things he feels during a game is when his opponents use cheat-like tactics and don’t show him and his team any respect.

“A big part of who I am when I play is that I think my team and I deserve respect, and our opponents deserve respect,” Chua said. “We’re out there to play to the best of our ability, and I think that’s honorable and respectable. It’s really frustrating to me when my opponents use cheap strategies to try to get advantages, cause they don’t really deserve respect and they’re certainly not respecting me. I just try to let them know that I don’t need to resort to their cheap tricks and that I play with heart to get things done.”

With all his years of experience in hockey, Chua is no stranger to injuries. He knows how much damage an injury can do to a player’s mental health, and has his own way of coping.

“Hockey is kinda what you call a pretty physical sport, so injuries are pretty common,” Chua said. “The pain from an injury really isn’t the worst part. If you get injured during a game, you push the pain aside, because you want to persevere, you want to keep playing. The worst part is when you’re in recovery, and you sit on the sidelines and have to just watch the team play. Playing that mental game is challenging, but I also see recovery as a way to come back better. Taking a break for an injury means that you can come back better than ever, and really rebound back into the game.”

Despite the challenges of bringing a team together, Chua has never stopped loving the game and wanting to improve. 

He hopes to play in college, but this year he just wants to support his teammates and do the best he can in the team’s bid for CIFs.

“I see being a captain as leading a team by  bringing a team together and helping them work together,” Chua said. “With roller hockey, there’s so many different ways people play, but my job is to bring them all together and help them work as one. I try to improve on myself every time I get out there, but I also  think about what my coach from last year, Ron Smith, told me. We win as a team, and we lose as a team.”