Before I got my break in and was picked up by SMJHL scouts for my hockey ability, I had a job working as a cart pusher for my local grocery store. Every day, rain or shine, I'd be outside busting my ass retrieving carts from the parking lot for one of the busiest grocery stores in the city. This job required a high level of endurance and helped to develop my strength, as pushing 12+ carts at a time by hand (we only had 1 cart pushing machine) over and over again up the hill to the store entrance was actually a bit of a workout. Me and the boys out there in the parking lot built a strong bond together as teammates, often competing with each other to see who could deliver the most carts in the quickest amount of time. All in all, this gig put me in a strong position to succeed on the ice with the combination of endurance and strength training, and showing me how to work well with teammates.