On this week’s episode, The Shrinks are joined by fourteen-year NHL vet, Paul Martin, who was drafted 62nd overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2000 NHL Draft.
Before Paul joins the show, BY and Motts recap their weekend, share their thoughts on the Frozen Four, the contributions the newest NCAA free agents are making to their NHL teams, and answer the My Hockey Rankings question of the week!
When Paul Martin joins, he discusses how growing up in Minnesota with supportive parents was beneficial to his hockey development. He mentions the importance of his unstructured play on local ponds and how he developed skills that he couldn't be taught. “The more time you spend in unstructured environments the more you learn.” Participating in different sports impacted Paul’s overall skating ability, “Playing different sports, you maximize other muscles that you do not use in hockey which was beneficial to me with my skating.”
After learning that he played 870 NHL games in his career, it is hard to believe that Paul Martin took a year off to play basketball instead of hockey as a kid. “It takes time to know what you want to do. Nowadays you're seeing some burn out.”
Paul Martin shares what it was like winning two back-to-back NCAA National Titles at the University of Minnesota, describing it as “something you want to be a part of.” Continuing his time at the university, he describes his role as a Graduate Assistant Coach.
Moving into his professional career, Paul describes the experience he had playing for New Jersey and his respect for Lou Lamoriello as well as the organization before making his hard transition to Pittsburgh.
Closing out the interview, Paul shares his struggles with his mental health and how he took part in foundations and programs to better support hockey guys when their careers are over. Shine a Ligh7 is one organization for youth mental health that Paul Martin is proud to be a part of to provide a resource for youth to express their emotions. Make sure to check it out!
Please Subscribe, listen, and review!
https://www.therinkshrinks.com/podcast