Actor John Wick attending the premiere of 'John Wick : Chapter 4
Photo credit: Callie Carmichael, Wochit

Actor Keanu Reeves is finally signing a hockey contract decades after passing up a potential career in the sport to chase an opportunity in the acting world.

Reeves, 59, signed an honorary one-day deal in the Ontario Hockey League with the Windsor Spitfires. Although the league is for players between the ages of 16-21, Reeves was able to sign in the league for a day.

Born in Lebanon to a British mother and American father, the Reeves family immigrated to Canada in 1970, with Keanu an aspiring goaltender while playing in Toronto. Reeves was offered a tryout by the Spitfires as a teenager but passed up on the chance to play major junior hockey to pursue acting.

Reeves would later play the part of a goaltender years later in the 1986 film ‘Youngblood’, Keanu’s first feature film. Reeves fame would only skyrocket in 1994 with the release of the action film ‘Speed’, with the emerging Reeves winning an MTV Movie & TV Award for ‘Best on-screen duo’ opposite Sandra Bullock.

Keanu Reeves would shoot into international acclaim starring in the 1999 sci-fi blockbuster ‘The Matrix’. Reeves’ portrayal of the futuristic cyberhacker Neo made him a breakout star, with the film being one of the highest grossing movies of the decade. Reeves would continue to reprise the role in three additional sequels.

The ‘John Wick’ franchise once again catapulted Reeves into one of cinema’s most well-known action stars, while also starring in roles in other movie categories away from the action genre.

Keanu Reeves has also gained a cult-following on parts of social media for his viewed positive image. A reddit group, ‘KeanuBeingAwesome’ has 368k subscribers.

Items signed by Reeves for the Spitfires promotion will go up for auction with all proceeds going to the Canadian Mental Health Association’s Windsor branch.