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Tayjay · 01-31-2020, 03:09 PM

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Growing up in a small Swedish town, I never would have imagined I would be a professional hockey player. Life in Abisko, Sweden was always pretty simple. Help out around the house, do some homework or lessons my mother laid out for me, or help my dad outside. There isn't much around except for the lake and the mountains, so not exactly exciting for a kid. I remember the first time I ever saw a hockey game. On special occasions my mom and dad would take me to one of the big cities so that we could see real hockey players play. For my birthday we went down to Stockholm to watch the national team play. I was enamored with how they glided across the ice with precision. Stopping and switching directions effortlessly. It was like a car crash watching them hit each other into the boards, all while trying to sling the puck at a man in full pads. I wanted to be one so bad. After that first game I would dream of playing hockey.

I still remember my first hockey stick and skates. I got it as a present back when I had my 10th birthday. Any chance I got I would practice skating and trying to shoot anything I could into the makeshift goal at my house. When the lake was frozen, which it was most of the year, i would see how far I could skate before I got tired, and then have to skate back home. There weren't many kids in town since it was so small but some of the locals would play pick up games with me when they could. It was always fun, and sometimes we would have the whole town out there watching or playing.

We didn't have enough money to send me to play in leagues because they were all so far away. My dad bought a video camera and he would make videos of drills that he saw or heard of and I would just practice doing that over and over. Once we got enough footage we sent it out to anyone that we could think of. Professional leagues, semi professional leagues. A long time went by but life in Northern Sweden didn't stop. I didn't get my hopes up. I just kept on practicing and helping out around the community. One day, I got a call from the SMJHL. America!! It seemed so far away. They said that they had seen my tape but would like to see me in person. They offered to send my parents and I to a regional tryout in Berlin. It was the European preview for their league and I had a shot.

I never really left my country, unless you count going farther North into Finland or Norway. Berlin was amazing. It was big and vibrant. The exact opposite of where I had been my entire life. I think my parents were more nervous for me then I was. I didn't really have any expectations since I had only ever played for fun. Thankfully, they had new gear we could have. This was way better than my stuff. The other participants weren't your high profile prospects you would normally see. I guess the SMJHL just had their draft and they were looking to fill out other parts of their rosters with some fliers. The game went pretty well. I wasn't big by any means and I wasn't overly physical. We don't really hit people back home so that was new to me. I tell you what, I was one of the best skaters out there. All of those puckhandling and passing drills back home on the lake really helped out. I was all over the place, determined to make a difference in my one and only tryout. After the practice and scrimmage they posted what teams were there and when they would be in contact with us if we had made it. My family decided to spend a little extra time in the city since we had never really taken a vacation. It didn't take long before I got a call from a few teams. I couldn't believe it! After all of this time, a kid from a podunk town now getting the chance to make a dream come true. After much talk between the teams and my parents we decided Anaheim was the right place to start my career, and boy it couldn't have been any more different than the town I was leaving.

Anaheim is a long distance from Abisko, Sweden. So instead of leaving my parents back in Sweden I brought them with me. I let the Outlaws' management know that I needed them with me. I wouldn't play for them if I couldn't work that into my contract. So here we are. I'm still learning and getting accustomed to life as a hockey player. Practices are a lot different than back home, but I like it. The climate is going to take some getting used to. Not sure I've ever felt the sun so hot in my life. Things are going well. I'm getting the opportunity to learn by starting on the 4th line and I'm trying to soak up as much knowledge from Ivan Maximus as I can. Now that's a hockey player. I've tried to emulate what I can but it's been hard. I still haven't scored a point to my name, but it's only a matter of time. I can feel myself improving even if it doesn't show up in the box scores. One day I'll score my first goal, and after that.......... who knows what in store!!

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*thiefofcheese* · 01-31-2020, 05:04 PM

The trick is routine. I make sure I get a good nap in each game day and follow it up with some Shchi and Vodka. That really gets my legs going. I hear the Swiss like to eat this "Jansson’s Temptation" so go try some of that. Or since you brought your parents you probably have an endless supply of great eats. I'm also good to share my Shchi, but keep your hands off my Vodka.

DeletedAtUserRequest · 02-01-2020, 06:22 PM

Very cool background story +1

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