TAMPA, Fla. — Pierre-Edouard Bellemare didn’t grow up with a lot of money, but he did have an older sister, Aurore-Annick, and older sisters have a way of making things happen, whatever the obstacles. On Bellemare’s 18th birthday, Aurore-Annick decided what needed to happen was a makeover.
“She said, ‘All right, enough of your style,’” remembers Bellemare, now a center for the Tampa Bay Lightning. “Bear in mind, I had long hair for 18 years of my life. There’s no pictures, and people have no clue … but I grew up with long hair. And my big sister is eight years older than me. She said, ‘All right, enough of it.’ She brought me to a place (to get my hair cut). She bought me a bunch of turtleneck sweaters and a little more fancy stuff.
“I remember coming back to school and everyone was like, ‘Oh, my God, you’re looking so good now!’”
Bellemare had had an “undercover” interest in fashion growing up, but he knew he was fortunate for whatever clothes his family could afford. He was born in Southern France, and his single mother raised four kids, which meant even his hockey gear was humble.
Bellemare’s budget expanded when he started playing professional hockey in Sweden, and his fashion sense bloomed.
“Over there, the fashion is pretty high,” he says. “There’s less judgment about what you wear — for men, especially.”
Bellemare took great pride in bringing back piles of clothes from Sweden as Christmas presents for his sisters. He developed an eye for size and fit — or so he thought. In his first year in the NHL, he got a wake-up call. He wore a suit with skinny pants and no socks.
