Deep Ink: Jamie Oleksiak

If you're talking to Jamie Oleksiak about body art, he laughs when asked if his siblings have tattoos. His sister Hayley has steered clear of them. But younger sister Penny, she's gotten a few - much like she collects Olympic medals in swimming.
"My parents love it," Jamie deadpans.

Laughs aside, Oleksiak says his mom and dad are fine with the body marks. He describes how his family loves that Penny is impulsive and creative. In contrast, his parents know their NHL defenseman son to be someone who thinks things through and then firmly set on what he wants.
It's that passion for, and understanding of, your family that all makes sense when Oleksiak explains his tattoos are inspired by his heritage.

The Eagle

Oleksiak sought his first ink after he started playing professional hockey at age 19 in Austin, TX. A lot of teammates were getting tattoos. The big defenseman knew he always wanted one. He visited a local shop, "kicked around some ideas" and formed an outline of what would begin the sleeve of art on his right arm.

The centerpiece of Oleksiak's sleeve represents one of his family's homelands: Poland. It's a Polish eagle crest running the length of his upper arm. His father's ancestry is Polish.

"I just wanted to get something that was meaningful to me and (represented) family," Oleksiak says. "My thing is my heritage, so I got the Polish eagle, which is on the flag."

For a first tattoo, it wasn't too painful. Although the work around his elbow "was a little sensitive."

Thistles

Oleksiak's sleeve initially came together across three visits to his tattoo artist in Austin. Each session was six to seven hours. After the eagle was done, the next bit of work came immediately below it.

Wrapped around Oleksiak's lower arm is a band of thistles. They represent another home country of the defender: Scotland, where his mother's hails from.

"They are Scottish thistles," Oleksiak says. "I actually just got them colored in this summer."

The thistle is the national flower of Scotland, and for Scots, it's arguably second only to the tartan in identifying their homeland.

Maple Leaves

There was one more country to honor for Oleksiak. That was where he was born: Canada.

Sprinkled across the top of his sleeve is a collection of maple leaves. The number has been growing slowly, with Oleksiak adding a couple more just this past summer in Toronto.

The cluster of maple leaves started with the original sleeve outline and has been enhanced over time. They are another nod to a national symbol and emblem on a country's flag.

"I like how it's all come together," Oleksiak says. "The outline came first. And I let that set and then you can do some shading after that. And then comes the color. You don't want that over the scarring, and color bleeds and all that, so you want to make sure you kind of take your time with it."

The Crescent Moon

The blue liner's most recent ink is a moon on the inside of his bicep. In a sleeve full of family references, this is a mark that directly represents Oleksiak himself.

"I'm born on Dec. 21, which is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year," Oleksiak said. "I kind of thought that was a cool little touch. I've just gotten started on it.

"I definitely want to get more winter solstice-inspired tattoos. I'm always on the lookout for things like that."

The Side Piece

Hidden from view, the left side of Oleksiak's trunk is marked by a side-piece tattoo completed by an artist in Oleksiak's hometown, Toronto. The Kraken defender stopped by a neighborhood tattoo shop one day, found himself drawn to the man's work, and decided to get something done. Once again family was in full focus.

"It's like this geometrical tribal hybrid style," Oleksiak says. "I knew I wanted to get something done by him. My [Scottish] background is Robertson Clan. My mom said their name is Deacon. Their sigil [symbol of magical power] is a lion and I figured I'd integrate that into my side piece. I was really happy with the work he did."

The side piece took 16 hours and is highly detailed. While getting work done on his ribs was tricky in terms of making sure the placement and lines were correct, the final product was worth it to Oleksiak.

What's Next

As much as Oleksiak demurs his tattoos are simple, true to his personality, he's already thinking about what he wants to do next. The sleeve will be finished and there's work he wants on his right arm (though not a full sleeve). It's likely a little bit more about him will come to bear through living ink.

Oleksiak "feels fortunate" to have been working recently with Chris Price out of Toronto after it got difficult to schedule time with his original artist in Texas. Kraken player is looking for a Seattle-based artist to keep adding to his body art.

"I like looking at different artists and their styles, trying to integrate that and what I have already," Oleksiak said. "I've got a few more ideas."

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Photography by Chris Mast