EDMONTON – As Edmonton Oilers goaltender Ben Scrivens defended the net for Team Canada at the world hockey championship Thursday, his biggest fan, and wife, was cheering him on from back home.
Jenny Scrivens, who started a new job with the Ronald McDonald House last month, spent the day multi-tasking.
“I’m just trying to listen to the game, I’m getting updates on my phone from people watching at home, and trying to get out some emails too at the same time.”
The southern California native met her now husband while playing hockey at Cornell University in New York. The couple lived in Toronto and Los Angeles before moving to the City of Champions earlier this year when Ben, a Spruce Grove native, was traded to the Edmonton Oilers from the Kings.
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Jenny says the people of Edmonton have welcomed her with open arms, even after the couple brushed off some rather unwelcome attention when a Toronto-based blogger wrote an article about Jenny, claiming she was unhappy with the move to Edmonton.
“It’s been a lot of fun for me,” she says. “It’s so nice for me to see where he grew up and all the friends and family here that have supported him along the way.”
READ MORE: Oilers’ Scrivens blasts blogger for article about wife
And it hasn’t taken her long to become involved in the community. Jenny is now a communications manager with the Ronald McDonald House, which acts as a home away from home for families whose children are receiving treatment at a local medical facility.
Jenny’s boss says it was a no-brainer when it came to the decision to hire her.
“When we saw on her resume that she was an athlete, a student athlete, and went to Cornell – there’s discipline, there’s team work, there’s flexibility and personality. Those are great assets to have,” says Martin Dugas, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Northern Alberta.
“The way that I was brought up, my family really instilled these goals in me in my childhood,” Jenny says.
“I went to Cornell University to work. I didn’t really go to school and spend four years and that much money to sit back when I could. So every opportunity I’ve had, I’ve tried to work very hard.”
And to see a husband and wife team dedicated to making a difference is something Dugas is inspired by.
“To hear that Ben is interested in making sure that every kid that comes through here will have a little hockey stick when they want to play, that’s the insight that changes this place into a home for the different people.”
Jenny says she loves her new position, and is enjoying calling Edmonton home.
“Edmonton is just a great place to grow in this profession,” she says. “My husband could be traded at any time and I’d go with him, but we’re hoping to call this home for a while.”
Ben and the rest of Team Canada were eliminated from the world hockey championship Thursday after falling 3-2 to Finland.
With files from John Sexsmith, Global Sports.
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