Suzanne Gammon
Tribune
Fresh off his Stanley Cup win just last month, Florida Panthers right wing Sam Reinhart took some well-earned downtime with family right here in West Nipissing. Reinhart’s in-laws live in Field, where he and wife Jessica Jewell visited for four days from July 10 to 13. During the trip, the NHL star did some water skiing, enjoyed bonfires and did some fishing on Clear Lake, proudly wearing a Field, Ontario hoodie bought at the Field market by mother-in-law Dawn Jewell-Machado. Machado posted a photo in the Field, Ontario Facebook group of Reinhart fishing with the hoodie on, quickly prompting hundreds of comments and likes.
Machado says she and her husband have been living on Clear Lake in Field for three years, and this was her daughter and husband’s first opportunity to come to the area. With her son, daughter-in-law and grandson also spending the weekend, she raves that it was “our best four days on the lake so far”, with everyone reunited and enjoying quality time together.
Machado says Reinhart, who comes from Vancouver but now lives in Florida, plays hard, trains hard and has a very busy schedule. It was quite a contrast spending four days savouring the slow, laid-back life in rural Northern Ontario, she notes. “They were so thrilled, just sitting on a quiet lake,” says Machado of her daughter and son-in-law. She adds that the weather was perfect and Reinhart spent most of his time playing with her grandson and “just enjoying life and detaching” from the hustle and bustle. “He said he will definitely be back again,” she beams. As for the Field hoodie, she adds that he wore it with pride. “He said he’s going to wear it all the time.”
Reinhart is new to fishing, she adds, but he did manage to catch a few fish and even bought a couple of fishing rods. It’s a good sign that he plans to return, with Machado saying he “loves the peace and serenity” of Field.
But before he can plan some more downtime, she says the hockey pro has lots on his plate. He will soon be off to Vancouver with the Stanley Cup, as each player gets two days with the cup to hold celebrations with their home community. Machado says she and her husband plan to make the trip to Vancouver to attend the party. While she could not reveal details or dates, she said celebrations will no doubt include children, since Reinhart “does a lot for kids and gives a lot back to his community, though in a quiet way.”
Reinhart is also keeping up with training, as he prepares to represent Canada at the Olympic Winter Games in Italy in February. After scoring four goals in the Cup-clinching game of the final, and contributing to Canada’s victory in the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off in February, he was an obvious top pick for Team Canada. Machado says even in Field, he didn’t miss his workout. “Some of them tried to do it with him, tried to keep up,” she laughs, not wanting to elaborate on how the other family members fared against the athlete.
