Laval teen finds her calling under the Bell Centre's bright lights
As Makayla Wight walks into Section 105 of the Bell Centre beaming, she bubbles with excitement as fans reach out for fist-bumps and she extends a hand to each one.
“I love the idea of being able to have a positive effect on as many people as possible. … I just want to make people happy,” said Wight, 17, who has worked as a Canadiens in-game host for the past two seasons and is one of the youngest in the National Hockey League.
Working alongside iconic Canadiens
public address
announcer Michel Lacroix, Wight’s task is to help ensure that the energy remains high in the Bell Centre before the game, between periods and during commercial breaks. Through the
giant video screens above centre ice
, she interacts with fans and facilitates in-game contests with spirited enthusiasm.
Wight, who lives in Laval, played hockey for nearly a decade on both girls’ and boys’ teams. She said her passions for public speaking and the Habs mix well, and she feels like she’s walking on clouds during games at the Bell Centre.
“I’m also a people person and I get this really cool opportunity of connecting with a very large group of people.”
When Wight started the job, she was still in high school at West Island College, where she was a strong student. She credits her friends, teachers, bosses and family for their unwavering support.
Wight would sometimes need to leave school early to arrive at the Bell Centre for 3 p.m. rehearsals with co-workers before games. As a result, she missed some school time, but her teachers were nonetheless supportive.
“Take every opportunity that comes to you,” she recalled one of her French teachers saying. “I would be angry with you if you took my French test instead.”
Wight showed an unusual level of determination as a youngster. At age 9, after her father got a new motor for their boat, she asked him if she could drive it.
“I joked and said, ‘You have to get your boating licence first,’ ” her father, Glen Wight, said.
She then went online and learned how to get a licence.
“She never minded failing,” he said. “When things didn’t work out, she would say: ‘Ok, it doesn’t matter that I didn’t get it. At least I tried.’ She listens and then she applies what she’s been taught very quickly, which is one of her skills or gifts.”
After her second game, Canadiens game production director Paul Gallant asked her to work on lowering the pitch of her voice. Wight was worried it might be the end of her employment with the Habs.
“I thought I was going to lose my job,” she said. “In auditions, they mentioned that this could be a reason why someone wouldn’t get hired. So I thought I was in the danger zone.”
Wight took the advice to heart and started practising her pitch with a karaoke machine at home.
“The karaoke machine (idea) was just my mother being an absolute superwoman,” she said.
Gallant has taken notice of Wight’s progress.
“For a young person of her age, it’s impressive to see how she’s been able to grasp the role that, generally, you have to go to a formal training to understand how to handle live events,” he said. “She’ll be growing into the role. It will be interesting to see where she lands with this.”
While Wight is unsure of what direction she wants to take for a career path, she is in her first year of CEGEP studying science and is the vice-chair of congress for the John Abbott College student union. She also practises her craft as an in-game host for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
Since her first game as a host for the Canadiens, Wight has learned how to perform in front of thousands of fans, navigate downtown Montreal and occasionally deal with problematic fans.
“At work, I always felt very safe,” she said while praising the work of the Bell Centre security staff. “I think there were a few moments where (I had) interactions with certain fans (who) were not fully conscious of their state because there’s alcohol and all that stuff.”
Maëlle Aeschimann, 28, is also an in-game host for the Canadiens and treats her 17-year-old co-worker like a little sister.
“She’s the best,” Aeschimann said of Wight. “She always brings the sunshine. I really enjoy working with her.”
Despite their tight-knit relationship, Aeschimann does not hesitate to give Wight advice when necessary, noting there is room for improvement every game.
“If ever there’s constructive criticism, she takes it like a champ and she ingests it right away,” Aeschimann said. “She has a lot of energy. She speaks a little fast, but whenever I remind her (to slow down), her pace changes right away.”
Wight hopes that her working under the bright lights of the Bell Centre can help inspire more youth to carve their own unique paths.
“I think we’re more than our ages,” she said. “Age is not a sign of competence and it’s not a sign of capacity. I don’t think we can use age as an excuse for being incapable of doing something.”
