"Greater love hath no man than he lay down his life for his brother."
NHL players know sacrifice. They sacrifice their bodies to get to pucks; to create opportunities for teammates; and to stop opponents from scoring. They sacrifice summer vacation time to train for the upcoming season; they sacrifice favorite foods and entertainment opportunities to maintain condition; they sacrifice time with their families to pursue this sport that creates financial opportunities for those families.
Perhaps they're used to sacrifice because so many saw the effort their folks made to give them this opportunity. Legion are the parents who got up early for games and practices; devoted weekends and weeknights to practices and games and worked second and third jobs to pay for club fees and travel.
Jamal Mayers, the exciting young right wing of the St. Louis Blues, got the chance to pursue his dream of a National Hockey League career because of a sacrifice made by his brother.
To look at Mayers today, you would say there is a young man who has just about everything: Good looks, a robust physique, a college education, a nice car, financial security and a promising career with one of the League's best teams. But it wasn't always that way.
Jamal's parents broke up when he was very young and his single mother, Doreen, worked hard to give Jamal and his 6-year-older brother, Allan, the chance to play the game they loved so much.
Jamal began skating at age two and was four when he played on his first hockey club in Toronto. He loved to watch his older brother who was among the best of his age.
One winter, when Jamal was 10, his mom told the boys there was only enough money for one to play hockey and it would be Allan. Jamal went to every game and his eyes filled with admiration at the exploits of his brother. But at the end of the season, Allan told Jamal he knew how much his little brother missed playing hockey. Allan said he had other interests he would pursue.
Jamal returned to hockey (one of his teammates was Anson Carter of the Edmonton Oilers) and his dedication, ability and size were noticed. He was continuously placed in higher divisions, earned a chance to play college hockey at Western Michigan University and appeared in his first NHL game in the spring of 1997. Allan attended Western Ontario University where he starred on the track team and set five school records.
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Jamal Mayers played college hockey at Western Michigan.
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"It was a tough year not being able to play," Jamal recalled. "I owe a lot to my brother. He was definitely a good player, really fast. I went to every game he played that year. He saw how much I loved the game and decided not to play the next year so I could play. I'm indebted to him and that's one example of why we are so close."
There are always lots of opportunities for boys to find trouble, even in small, rural communities, but especially so in a metropolitan area. Jamal is grateful for the appearance of another special person in his life.
When he was 14, his mother re-married. Allan Crosswell proved to be the stable, firm hand the two teen boys needed. Education was stressed, even to choosing between playing juniors and going to college.
"He came along at a critical age to give guidance and direction," Mayers said. "Living in the city, I could have gone either way."
After playing on the Thornhill Tier II team with Steve Halko and Jeff O'Neill of the Carolina Hurricanes, Mayers was drafted by Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League. But he chose college where he played with Jeremy Brown, now with the Providence Bruins of the AHL, and Chris Brooks, now an assistant coach with Western Michigan. They made it to the Final 12 of the NCAA tournament twice but Mayers values the education and degree in marketing that he received as much as his hockey experience.
"No question, it was the right choice," Mayers said. "You can only play hockey for so long, hopefully another 10 years for me. When I'm 35, I will still be young for most of life's challenges but old for hockey. I want to do different things in my life and I'll have my degree to fall back on. There is nothing like the experience of going to college. I needed that time to grow up. I wouldn't have been ready playing two years of juniors. I needed four years. I think that made me more prepared for professional hockey."
It's been a fast rise to the big time for Mayers, slowed only by a broken wrist suffered near the end of the 1997-98 season with the Worcester Ice Cats. After a summer of rehabilitation, a decision was made to operate after the opening of the Blues' training camp. Mayers returned to the Ice Cats, racked up 16 points in 20 games to get promoted to the Blues for the rest of the 1998-99 regular season and 11 playoff games.
Mayers contributed 17 points in 79 games last year when the Blues were the NHL's best regular-season team. After the first-round playoff elimination, the Blues added some stronger players like winger Dallas Drake and youngsters Reid Simpson and Reed Low. Mayers, who had 90 penalty minutes last year, has been teamed with rugged left winger Tyson Nash and center Craig Conroy on a checking line so dogged that former Blues' strongman-turned-media analyst Kelly Chase dubbed it the "Hound Line."
"We've been a tough line to play against," Mayers said. "Everyone can skate, finish checks and get on the puck. That creates lots of chances to score."
Mayers learned the dogged determination it takes to stay in the NHL from his Ice Cats coach Greg Gilbert and former Blues coach Mike Keenan. Both let Mayers know their expectations, didn't mince words and found a receptive audience. Jamal will always have a fond place for Keenan for what the coach did in Mayers' first game in his hometown.
"He put me out on the power play when I got to play in Maple Leafs Gardens," Mayers said. "I got a pass in the slot, one-timed it and Stephane Matteau tipped it in. I celebrated like I scored. We won the game and my whole family was there. It was definitely a highlight of my career."
Mayers welcomes the role of being a role model and tries to be someone young people can look up to. Black hockey pioneers like Tony McKegney and Grant Fuhr were his childhood heroes and their success made him believe that he could play in the NHL if he combined talent and effort.
"I think it's great for kids today that they have so many guys to look up to," Mayers said of the more than a dozen blacks in the NHL. With the stability that comes from being a regular member of the Blues' lineup, Mayers is giving back to the sport. He's become involved with the Ice Hockey In Harlem project and is working with the NHL Diversity Task Force on several projects.
"Now that I've got my foot in the door, I'd like to do more to help," Mayers said. "I help with all the team's requests. I'd like to be able to do more back in Toronto. The National Hockey League Players' Association and the NHL Diversity Task Force are involved in a number of things and I've told them any time they need my help I want to be part of it. The thing that limits too many kids is the game is so expensive. That's where I'd like to help."
