by Ainsley Smith, Staff Writer  All Habs Hockey Magazine

TORONTO, ON. — It’s challenging enough for two working parents to be able to afford putting their children through extra-curricular sports and activities and providing them with all of their everyday necessities.  Let alone doing it on your own, and for multiple children.

Angie La Morty, is a mother from Montreal, and she was once one of the many single mothers who had to face the daily struggle of raising her children all on her own.

As mother to three children, Angie was always determined to give them the best upbringing she possibly could to ensure they never missed out on any opportunity.

When her eldest son Ellis was six, he laced up his hockey skates for the very first time.  Soon after, her middle son Mikael followed suit and took up hockey as well.

“I was always determined to give them the best and give them both the chance and opportunity to play the sport they love,” shares Angie.

Despite growing up without a male-figure around, her boys were still introduced to Canada’s favorite sport at a very young age, all because of Angie.

Originally from the Dominican Republic, Angie has been a hockey fan for as long as she can remember.

“I came from an immigrant family, from the Dominican, and our main sport is baseball…it’s not very common for us to be hockey fans.”

Angie’s family moved to Montreal when she was quite young and her passion for hockey and the Montreal Canadiens developed instantly.

“I remember watching and cheering for the Habs as a little girl.  I especially remember the ’93 Stanley Cup championship, and going downtown and celebrating the victory of our team.”

When she isn’t cheering on the Habs or taking her boys to their hockey games and practices, Angie can be found working at the Montreal airport, working for Air Transat and United Airlines. Throughout her time at the airport, she has been fortunate enough to meet a number of interesting people, but most importantly, Angie gets to see the Montreal players before they board their plane.

“Every time [I see them], it feels like the first time. I am always excited and very nervous. The most exciting encounter was on P.K.’s birthday because I got the chance to wish him a happy birthday and take a picture with him. He is my favorite player!”

However, one player that she has never had the opportunity to meet, whom she has loved since she was little is Patrick Roy, who just won this year’s Jack Adams award for the NHL’s best coach.

“He’s been my idol since for ever… I still remember like it was yesterday, seeing him in front of the net doing his magic. He is one of the greatest!”

As this year’s off-season eased in, the All Habs team, through their partnership with the NHL, gave fans an opportunity to experience an exciting event. As many of you may know, they were offering fans the chance to win tickets to attend the 2014 Entry Draft in Philadelphia.

Upon hearing this news, Angie was determined she was going to win the tickets and take her sons on the trip of a lifetime.

“When I saw [the post] on Twitter about winning the tickets to the draft, I was like, ‘those tickets are mine!’”

It was the same determination and persistence that she used to raise her children on her own and to find ways to afford putting them through hockey that enabled Angie to be one of the lucky fans to win the contest.

“I started tweeting, instagraming, facebooking nine times per day. Every tweet I wrote was really from the heart because I really wanted this opportunity for my boys.”

Angie and her two boys spent the weekend hanging out with the All Habs team and the other winners this weekend to take in the Draft action and excitement.  “It’s going to be the best experience ever for them. I am looking forward to seeing all the new players, the festivities and of course meeting the All Habs team!”

In the next part, we will be following up with Angie to relay to you her Draft weekend experience.

You can follow me on Twitter @ainsleysmithy . If you have a story idea or are a hockey fan who would like to be featured, send me a tweet or leave a comment in the section below.