Hockey’s roots on the farm

Apr 15, 2015

How the discipline of farm chores helped to shape young NHL players before they hit the ice

As 16 National Hockey League (NHL) teams prepare to start their playoff runs in the hopes of winning the Stanley Cup, we can’t help but make connections between hockey players and farmers.

Youth hockey requires parents and players to be at the arenas for 6am practices. Farmers are up even before that starting their day.

At the beginning of every season hockey players have to try and adapt to new rules and regulations the same way farmers do.

Hockey players, like farmers need some of the newer equipment as it’s made available so they can stay ahead of their competition.

Here’s a list of some NHL players who before made their millions in hockey, were disciplined in completing their farm chores.

Wade Redden
Before becoming a staple on defence for the Ottawa Senators, the now retired Redden grew up on a farm in Hillmond, Saskatchewan where the only seasons he knew were seeding and harvesting. Every summer, Redden would return to the canola and cattle farm to continue doing his usual chores.

Boone Jenner
His family owns a cattle farm in Dorechester, Ontario, near London. The Columbus Blue Jackets forward said all his time and chores on the farm made him a better person.

Wendel Clark
The beloved Maple Leaf grew up on a farm in Kelvington, Saskatchewan and said the NHL was so far away it wasn’t even a dream. Instead, he was focused on becoming a farmer like his father and only playing hockey at a senior level.

Jaromir Jagr
As the 43-year-old elder statesmen of the NHL, Jagr has a wealth of knowledge to pass on. Including the time he spent on a farm in his native Czechoslovakia (before they separated). Jagr said the hard work he did on a farm makes hockey seem like a vacation.

For a more satirical look at the interactions between hockey players and farmers, see what happens in this video when two farmers from Letterkenny, Ontario, which is about 125km west of Ottawa and is considered a ghost town, encounter some local hockey players. Please note, this video contains strong language and is not suitable for family viewing.

Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick hoisting the Stanley Cup last year.
Joseph Sohm
Shutterstock.com

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