Uncharted: Philipp Grubauer

Welcome to UNCHARTED. Developed in partnership with Filson, this is a series of profiles showcasing the natural beauty and experiences found in the Pacific Northwest while getting to know more about our Kraken players away from the ice. You can find other installments with Jared McCann, Alex Wennberg and Adam Larsson HERE.

Philipp Grubauer has always been an animal person. He grew up on a dairy farm in a small village in Germany where he helped care for his family's cows. Even as a child, he rescued a dog, but it was when he came to meet and spend time with horses that the Kraken goaltender knew he'd found his passion.

"People say horses are a mirror image of your soul," Grubauer said. "And there's so many different characters and you have to be so calm, so I think in a lot of ways, it helps me with hockey as well because you control your emotions and your feelings. If you are too wound up inside, the horses absolutely feel it. If you're nervous, they feel it. So, you always have to be calm and controlled and lead the way for them."

Grubauer first fell in love with horses during his time in Colorado when he played for the Avalanche. He loved the Western lifestyle, and when a friend bought a ranch that came with over 100 horses, the goalie fell in love with horsemanship and being able to be with "just nature, you and the horse." It became a life goal to one day own a ranch of his own, but the goalie knew he'd have to learn a lot more about taking care of these animals before getting a few of his own.

So when he signed with the Kraken two years ago, one of the first things Grubauer did was start looking for a place where he could connect with new equine friends.

He didn't have to look long.

Located less than 20 miles away from Climate Pledge Arena, Grubauer connected with an organization focused on rescuing and rehabilitating horses. After a rigorous application and training process, Grubauer was accepted as a volunteer and now, whenever he has free time, he makes the trip out to Redmond to what he calls "my happy place."

"Even if it's just for half an hour or 45 minutes, I try to come by," Grubauer said. "Just being here and petting or grooming some horses. That means a lot to me."

On an overcast Spring day, we met Grubauer at SAFE.

From the moment we saw him you could feel the lift in his energy. There was a peaceful and intentional joy the 31-year-old emanated as he gave us a tour around the SAFE property.

As Grubauer explained checking in on the job assignment board in the barn and showed us where food and medicines were prepared (each tailored to each specific horse and their needs, allergies, health conditions), he stops to talk with staff, other volunteers, and especially the horses.

With reverence, Grubauer introduces us to SAFE executive director, Bonnie Hammond, and team member Bob May and stresses the importance of the work that happens on these grounds. Right before our visit, 14-15 rescued horses had been brought to SAFE. The staff was in the early stages of helping these animals - facilitating socialization with one another; bringing them proper nutrition; finding safety.

Grubauer doesn't hesitate to do whatever is asked. First, we clear some of the pastures of manure with rakes ("it's basically like using a hockey stick. If you want to pick up the puck from the ice, have a good curve to scoop and lift,") and then fill feeders with hay. There's saddles to unload, horses to brush, and sometimes, in warm weather, horses to clean from their time outside.

No task is below Grubauer - "it's part of taking care of the horses," he says and every step is intentional and thoughtful in order to respect the journey each animal is on to becoming physically and emotionally well. He says seeing an animal finally welcome human touch or allowing someone to ride them can be a transformative experience.

"I want to help them heal," Grubauer said. "I want to help them rehabilitate and just being a part of the progress from when they come in super, super skinny…literally like skin and bones… it's really sad. But then being part of that process or seeing everybody - it's a whole community here - help that animal… that's why people come here and that's why it's so much fun because everybody knows each other and everybody's happy to come here with the same goal in mind.

"It's the same at the rink. We all work together, and we all come with the same goal to the rink every day."

While there are some similarities between working with these horses and playing hockey in Grubauer's eyes, one of the biggest reasons he makes time to be part of SAFE is to maintain balance in his life outside of the game.

That's imperative for a goaltender who has played over 300 NHL games and, in 39 contests across the 2022-23 campaign, faced the second highest shot difficulty of his career while preventing the most goals above expectations of his last five seasons.

"Out here, I'm in a different mindset," Grubauer said. "You block everything out - what's going on in life or in hockey and I think it doesn't matter if it's good or bad. It's just different. It's important for me to find that happy balance and get out and get out in nature. It's always gives me energy for the next day.

"Being with the horses is a huge part of my life. Obviously, stuff gets sometimes tough at the rink. You're not going to win every game, you're not going to always play how you want to play. Just like looking forward to days like this keeps my mind really, really balanced in a nice neutral mindset and balanced."

After chores are done, Grubauer always sets aside time to be with his favorite horse, Tucker.

That razor sharp focus that we see from Grubauer in net is now solely on his animal. He brushes him remarking on the horse's thicker winter coat before respectfully and patiently putting on saddle pad, saddle, reins and buckling everything down. Once properly outfitted, Grubauer directs Tucker on a lead in the barn's "ring" to warm the animal up so he can be ridden later.

At every step, Grubauer turns for confirmation from his teachers at SAFE - making sure equipment is the proper tightness and alignment. Grubauer checks in with trainer and mentor Joel Connor who works with many of the SAFE animals through a methodology focused on "helping the horse be comfortable and free in all of its likes and in its ability to move."

So much of this work is reading and matching the animal's energy - something that the goaltender takes very seriously.

"You need to build up the energy in order for them to get going and move and they feed off your energy," Grubauer said. "I'm not there yet where I can fully understand what they're trying to tell me or what he's feeling in that moment and why is he doing certain stuff. That's the next step in order to learn that. That's my goal to make sure I read everything they present, too."

As the connection between volunteer and horse deepens, you no longer see a Stanley Cup winning goaltender. You see a man who is deeply invested in caring for these animals and passionate about being a part of the SAFE community. Here, he's not a pro athlete, he's just Philipp - someone who loves helping horses as much as anyone else.

Locations and opportunities like this are exactly why Grubauer has connected so meaningfully to the Pacific Northwest. Seattle reminds him of his childhood home near the Alps and he's a quick drive from being near mountains, water, or his beloved horses.

He smiles when asked if his teammates would enjoy coming to SAFE - Andre Burakovsky is someone he thinks would love spending time on the property -- but he'll welcome anyone who wants to come help - pro athlete or not.

"I'm learning every day and that's why I come here," Grubauer said. "To help (SAFE's mission and the horses) and to see the process that's happening. It's a community and you get to meet unbelievable people and get to make connections. It's just a different world you step into and have that kind of escape. It's been an incredible getaway for me to find that happy balance between hockey and other stuff in life."