McFarlane will make his debut in the 53rd annual Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week on Saturday with the Northwest 237 Blizzard midget team. The annual tournament, which started Friday, features about 8,500 players from the ages of seven to 17 playing 771 games at 30 arenas in Edmonton and area through Jan. 17. While McFarlane’s skating, shooting and puck skills are a work in progress, he has put in an extraordinary effort to attend every game and practice. Because his family doesn’t own a car, he either rides his bike if the arena is close enough or takes the bus or LRT. The commutes sometimes take upwards of two hours.

“It’s become my pre-game ritual,” he said about his lengthy travel times. “Every game I get to on my own. That’s my time to focus and clear my mind.”

McFarlane’s incredible attitude and strong work ethic has rubbed off on his coaches and teammates in a big way.

“It shows his desire to go out and play the game for the right reasons because he loves to do it,” said Blizzard head coach John Saxton. “He wants this more than most (players) and it’s very endearing.

“From a skill standpoint, he was behind the curve from the beginning, but he’s made leaps and bounds since the beginning.”

McFarlane’s first goal won’t necessarily go down in the memory bank.

“I didn’t know I scored until the referees told me on my way to the locker room at intermission,” he said. “There was a lot of confusion on the play.

“I know I scored my second goal and I made sure to celebrate,” said McFarlane, who has three goals and two assists this season.

When the Northwest Zone heard about McFarlane’s situation, the directors and board members got him a hockey bag and better-fitting equipment while an anonymous parent wrote a cheque to reimburse his registration costs.

“Alex is a once-in-a-lifetime kid that you meet,” said Northwest Zone director Dave Dumas. “When I presented him with that cheque, he started to tear up. You could tell he was so thankful.”

McFarlane continues to work at McDonald’s twice a week, but is saving towards a new goal.

“Right now, I am saving my money to buy a ticket to go to the final Oilers game at Rexall Place,” he said.

Words like heart, determination and desire are often used to describe hockey players, but in Alex McFarlane’s case, that just gets him to the rink.

The 16-year-old Ross Sheppard High School honours student has gone way above and beyond the norm to play organized hockey for the first time in his life.

“This is the best winter I’ve ever had,” he said. “I’ve always loved hockey, but our family could never afford it before. I understood the financial situation our family was in, but I never gave up. I kept saying to myself, ‘Maybe next year?’ ”

McFarlane finally made “next year” happen last fall. He started working at McDonald’s and saved his money all summer to cover the $700 registration fee while his uncle gave him some old hockey equipment from the 1990s.

“In my mind, you’re never too old to start playing and I was growing tired of being alone on the outdoor rink or some nights getting to play with a few guys in the community,” he said. “I wanted that challenge of playing against people my own age and that feeling of playing in an actual game, hear the sounds of the crowd and feel that emotion.

“Putting that jersey on for the first time is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life.”

McFarlane will make his debut in the 53rd annual Quikcard Edmonton Minor Hockey Week on Saturday with the Northwest 237 Blizzard midget team. The annual tournament, which started Friday, features about 8,500 players from the ages of seven to 17 playing 771 games at 30 arenas in Edmonton and area through Jan. 17.

While McFarlane’s skating, shooting and puck skills are a work in progress, he has put in an extraordinary effort to attend every game and practice. Because his family doesn’t own a car, he either rides his bike if the arena is close enough or takes the bus or LRT. The commutes sometimes take upwards of two hours.

“It’s become my pre-game ritual,” he said about his lengthy travel times. “Every game I get to on my own. That’s my time to focus and clear my mind.”

McFarlane’s incredible attitude and strong work ethic has rubbed off on his coaches and teammates in a big way.

“It shows his desire to go out and play the game for the right reasons because he loves to do it,” said Blizzard head coach John Saxton. “He wants this more than most (players) and it’s very endearing.

“From a skill standpoint, he was behind the curve from the beginning, but he’s made leaps and bounds since the beginning.”

McFarlane’s first goal won’t necessarily go down in the memory bank.

“I didn’t know I scored until the referees told me on my way to the locker room at intermission,” he said. “There was a lot of confusion on the play.

“I know I scored my second goal and I made sure to celebrate,” said McFarlane, who has three goals and two assists this season.

When the Northwest Zone heard about McFarlane’s situation, the directors and board members got him a hockey bag and better-fitting equipment while an anonymous parent wrote a cheque to reimburse his registration costs.

“Alex is a once-in-a-lifetime kid that you meet,” said Northwest Zone director Dave Dumas. “When I presented him with that cheque, he started to tear up. You could tell he was so thankful.”

McFarlane continues to work at McDonald’s twice a week, but is saving towards a new goal.

“Right now, I am saving my money to buy a ticket to go to the final Oilers game at Rexall Place,” he said.