Beyond the ice: Dallas Stars putting the “why” in hockey

If this were a grad school paper, the thesis would be something along the lines of The beauty of hockey is its inherent ability to bring communities together, create connection, and act as a catalyst for personal development.

We could also just call this an homage to my college professor back in New York who always said, “The best part of winter is eating more food and watching hockey.”

Whether you’re a fan in the crowd, a professional player, or a little rookie putting on your first pair of skates, the world of sports can inspire a deep sense of gratitude within us if we allow it.

“Especially in today’s day and age, we’re lucky we get to be part of a community every day,” said Dallas Stars forward Colin Blackwell. “When you can build that close of a tight-knit community and tight-knit group, it just makes the days that much better.”

Just like on a hockey team, a shared mission is arguably one of the strongest motivators to getting us up and out of bed each morning. That pull to work together and allow our differences to inspire us is deeply embedded in our culture.

“I think that’s what makes humans so great,” said Wyatt Johnston on how his hockey community has helped him learn about other cultures. “It’s the way we are able to communicate with each other and share different values and interests . . . to experience different communities and cultures. It’s cool how diverse the world is.”

And what a blessing it is to be integrated into an international sport at a time like this, especially as a Stars fan. We’ve witnessed the beauty of this entire concept just this year alone, from drafting all international players in Emil Hemming, Niilopekka Muhonen, and William Samuelsson, a team trip to Finland for the NHL Global Series, the 4 Nations Face-Off and, most recently, growing our Finnish Mafia with the acquisition of Mikko Rantanen.

Hockey helps us come together every year and find some common ground to walk on, side by side. We see this during a sold-out crowd at American Airlines Center or by stepping into the Stars dressing room and having a chance to hear not just one or two, but six different languages. It’s simply incredible.

When asked what the hockey community has done for Finnish defenseman Esa Lindell, he said, “The opportunity to play hockey, make friends, support [each other], something to cheer for, joy.”

It’s as simple as joy and as profound as the purpose of our existence.

Johnston understood the assignment.

When referring to the importance of community and cultures coming together, the 21-year-old said, “It’s so important. It’s vital to the survival of the human race.”

And as messy as it can be sometimes, thank goodness for sports, for hockey, and for the family it gives us.

“My closest friends in life have been made through hockey,” said Blackwell. “It’s been a blessing and curse to have been on a handful of different teams in the last five years, but you get to build that community . . . where everyone is always willing to lend a helping hand.”

In all sports, we can’t avoid bearing witness to the challenge some players face of adapting to one community and the next, over and over again. Some over the summer like Blackwell, who signed a one-year contract with Dallas on July 2, or others in the middle of a season…shoutout to Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci.

The two were acquired on February 1 in a trade with the San Jose Sharks. They flew into Dallas that evening, made their Stars debuts the following afternoon and then hopped back on a plane for a three-game road trip that led into an extended break. Even with the ups and downs and back and forth, these players know how to adapt, lean on their community, and make the most of it.

“The hockey community is a small world,” said Ceci. “They’ve been there for me throughout my career. Playing all over the place you get traded or picked up by the next group right away and everyone is still so good to you. Hockey is a great sport that way.”

And this skill of adaptability is only the start of the character development catalyzed by hockey.

“Moving away from home at 16 years old, moving to Dallas at 19, it’s made me grow up pretty fast, in a good way,” said Johnston. “There are the values my parents have instilled in me, a lot of it comes from them. Seeing their hard work, they’re still super athletic, my dad does cross-country ski races at 66, so I think [hockey] has really helped develop the relationships part of it all, the perseverance, and facing different types of adversity.”

Up to this point, we have only touched on the first few layers of the spheres of influence. But what about the lessons that come from visiting an entirely new continent or learning a new language? Hockey does this for us, too.

Look no further than nine different countries traveling to DFW for the IIHF U-18 Men’s World Championships, Johnston traveling to Italy at age 12 for a hockey tournament, or Lindell simply moving to Texas.

Although required to simultaneously learn Finnish and English at a young age, the native of Vantaa, Finland said the language barrier was still a learning curve.

“My English at the beginning wasn’t really good,” Lindell said. “Back home in school, I studied writing and if it was happening now or in the past, but we didn’t talk much, so even if I knew the word, I didn’t know how to pronounce it. So, the first couple of months were tough, but I liked it because we had a couple of Swedes and a Czech guy, it was a similar situation for all of us, and through the years I’ve gotten more comfortable speaking.”

Can you imagine? English is my first language, and I still question my spelling all the time. I remember my father learning English by watching Sesame Street with me, reading books, and always using subtitles. Learning a new language, let alone speaking it publicly, is a different kind of grit.

But of course, there is room to have fun with it, too. Johnston joked that he and his mother speak French to one another to jest with his father. Lindell said one of his favorite phrases is “How are you?” just because you use it so much every day. While Blackwell has learned how to say ‘moi moi’ to the Finns and ‘jak se máš’ to the Czechs.

“And you also learn life skills faster,” Blackwell said of the hockey journey. “When I look at my own personal career, not many people expected me to make it, never mind last this long. I had some injuries in college, and I took two years off and I was not planning on playing again. Next thing you know, I’m back playing and slowly climbing the ladder. So it’s just perseverance. I think our generation has been exposed to having everything we want at the snap of a finger. So not giving up and persevering, I can take that everyday into the job I have now and outside of hockey and then whatever I do afterwards. Good overall life experiences from being on your own at an earlier age and learning how to overcome adversity in many different facets of life.”

Back when I was a health and wellness teacher, we often started the growth mindset section of our stress management presentations by showing a video explaining how lobsters grow. Lobsters, Elena? Yes, lobsters.

Lobsters are mushy animals that live inside a carapace, which is a hard, armor-like shell. We know lobsters don’t start out as full-grown adults, so how do they grow? How do they know when it’s time to grow? They feel uncomfortable and under pressure. The shell they currently have doesn’t fit them anymore as they approach a new stage of life. Upon recognizing this discomfort, they swim to a safe place, typically under a rock formation to protect itself from predators, and grow a new shell. This cycle of growth and expansion continues throughout the lobster’s entire life, just like ours.

Sometimes the beauty of differences is the beauty of discomfort because in the face of the unfamiliar we have the chance to recognize our unlimited potential.

“It’s been my whole life, really, just in terms of the hockey community,” Johnston said. “I’ve gotten to meet so many amazing people, make so many friends. All my closest friends are friends I grew up playing with, and so you create those connections, and it seems like in the hockey community everyone kind of has each other’s backs. Obviously, there’s definitely some rivalries in terms of different teams, but I mean together as a whole, we’re all doing what we love and putting work and effort into something that we love, which is the game of hockey.”

A hockey life, no matter where you are in it, is a place of imperfect perfection, where our uniqueness is meant to be celebrated. It’s also a place we get to cheer - and sometimes cry - together, but nonetheless be together.

So, from this hockey community to yours, let’s keep exploring. Let’s learn new languages, meet new people, make new connections, and cheer on the Dallas Stars while we’re at it.

And just in case no one’s told you lately, Victory Green looks good on you.

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.