Overcoming the stress both on and off the ice, elite athletes share their story

With the grind of the season, North Stars forward Jake Southgate said it can be challenging to be ready for every game. No one is going to drive them, he said, they have to have that drive both physically and emotionally.

“You can go on three-game road trips where you win the first game in overtime or something, and you got to try and forget about it, go in the next night and do the exact same thing. And you may be hung up on the night before, but you just got to try and forget about it and move on, which can be tough at times.”

Talking to teammates helps with this process, said Southgate, but after they focus on the next team they are facing.

North Stars staff know the importance of keeping their players in shape, said Southgate, so warm up, cool downs, massages and physiotherapy is offered and encouraged.

“Obviously, lots of ice baths and lots of stuff that try and help minimize the effects that will have in a few years but I don’t think it’ll be too bad.”

While hockey can be a major focus of their lives, sometimes players can forget there are other things going on, said Southgate. Getting away and doing something outside the realm of hockey can be helpful but is hard at times, he said.

Living on a farm outside of the Battlefords, there is plenty that Southgate can do with brothers and friends still around his hometown, but he knows some of his teammates don’t have that luxury.

“I know some guys on the team, they pretty much just come to the rink and do the team events…nothing else besides hockey.”

Playing for the same team he watched as a kid, Southgate knows how supportive fans can be, whether at home at the Access Communications Arena or trying to win games on the road when the fans are against you.

Taking words from one of his coaches, that pressure is an honour, said Southgate.

“You gotta be doing something right if there’s a bit of pressure on you, so you just got to live into the pressure and kind of use it if you can.”

Nipawin Hawks defenceman, Cole Beamin. (Becky Zimmer/paNOW Staff)

Cole Beamin – Nipawin Hawks

It was a disappointing ending to Cole Beamin’s last season with the Nipawin Hawks.

Even with coaching changes and other challenges in the Nipawin office adding some extra stress on players and not making the 2022 playoffs, Beamin said it has been the best four years of his life.

As a student athlete, Beamin said it did take some organizing to keep that balance between school and hockey, and he knows that can be a challenge for some players.

Setting a schedule and keeping on track definitely took some of that stress away, he said.

On the social side of things, dating was difficult but spending time in his bubble of players made having some semblance of a social life outside the arena a little easier.

Being on the road, he saw a lot of passionate fans cheering for their hometown teams but it was easy to feed off that energy.

“It’s weird how that works. They’re not cheering for you but you feel like they are in a way, it just gives you that extra push.”

This past season was a tough one for Beamin’s and the rest of the Hawks, especially since it was a long stretch of the team continually making the top eight.

While they had the group to do it, said Beamin, they couldn’t figure out how to put everything together in time for a comeback.

“We’d have spurts of good stuff but definitely kind of a tough loss right now.”

Being a graduating player, he’ll be watching as the team picks up the pieces next season to change that script. For right now, it is too bad, he said.

Through it all, the Nipawin fans have still been very supportive of the team.

“When you’re winning though you do get more fans but the fans that we have are very loyal. Definitely was a pleasure to play for them for the past four years.”

Beamin is excited to start the next chapter of his hockey journey but it was a tough closure with the Hawks.

Speaking with Beamin the night following his last regular season game, it was an emotional night, he said, with plenty of hugs and a few tears.

With that emotional end, Beamin said he realized he is not ready to be done hockey and he is still talking with colleges about his future.

Humboldt Broncos foward, Kade Olsen. (Becky Zimmer/paNOW Staff)

Kade Olsen – Humboldt Broncos

This is the last season for captain Kade Olsen after five years and four seasons donning the green and gold jersey. Starting as an junior hockey player at 16 years old, Olsen was in Grade 12 and balancing hockey and school work, something that many of the over 480 SJHL players do throughout their careers.

It was stressful sometimes, said Olsen but he also had teachers who supported his hockey journey.

“They (teachers) knew you were on the road or something but it was nice in Humboldt, they knew who you were and they didn’t pressure you too much if you were behind and they did help you if you were behind to catch up.”

For Olsen, the rink was a safe place to be with friends and focus on hockey and forget school stress. Being out of school, there are times to relax after practices and have a social life.

When it comes to the toll hockey plays on young bodies, Olsen said he does feel older than 21 after years of defending the Bronco zone.

“Your legs get a bit more tired faster, a bit sore the next day after a game. You just got to take care of your body more than you’re used to at 16 when you can just do whatever you want and you felt fine.”

The NHL dreams were not something that Olsen said he focused on, even starting when he was playing his last bantam and early midget seasons. Anything could happen and everyone needs something to fall back on, he said.

With this being his last season, Olsen will miss playing hockey with the Broncos but turning that focus to post-secondary school, possibly for engineering, was always the goal.

Hockey has provided him with life long friends across the country who are like brothers to him now, he said. It is these friendships that have been the best take away from his time with the Broncos.

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim

by Becky Zimmer

Overcoming the stress both on and off the ice, elite athletes share their story

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