It’s hard to comprehend what a NHL player goes through when his career begins to tail off.
In an article he authored Friday for The Players’ Tribune, New Jersey Devils forward Scott Gomez provided some perspective and explained how he found inspiration from an unlikely source while his career was bottoming out as a member of the Florida Panthers in 2013-14.
From Gomez:
“The drive from my home in Boca Raton to the practice rink was about 35 minutes, which gave me a little too much time to think about how far I’d fallen professionally every day. Part of me wondered if I didn’t show up one day if they’d even notice I was gone. I was like George Costanza in Seinfeld.
“I needed inspiration and I found it, of all places, with Howard Stern. I’ve always been a huge fan of the show. I’d listen to him during my commute and when I was at one of my lowest moments, I remember him saying, “They wanted me to quit and get off the radio. Everyone thought I was done. I said ‘f— you, I’ll have the last laugh.
“And honestly I thought, Wow, he’s right. It gave me a little push at a time when I really needed it.
The Players’ Tribune on Twitter
Gomez, 35, provided a clear picture of the realities of starting in the NHL as a top young prospect on a championship roster and becoming an aging player in decline. The American forward touched on several intriguing topics, from why he decided to leave New Jersey for a big free agent contract with the New York Rangers, to the moment he realized he was in a spiralling decline when Montreal wanted to buy him out:
“The Canadiens wanted to sit me for the shortened 48-game season, and then buy me out the following summer. They didn’t want to risk me getting injured and complicating the buy-out process.
“I didn’t say anything in that meeting, because there was nothing to say. It was business. But at that moment, I kept thinking about all those times throughout my career when I’d seen a guy get cut or bought out. You never imagine being that guy, but there I was.”
After going to San Jose and Florida, Gomez re-joined the Devils this season and said it helped that he was returning somewhere familiar. Gomez has scored six goals and 21 assists in 44 games with New Jersey this season and credits long-time Devils fitness coach Vladimir Bure – who he calls a second father – for whipping him back into shape and reinvigorating his career.
Gomez also noted that Lamoriello has had a major influence on his career, even when he wasn’t playing with the Devils.
“I remember when I was with Canadiens and things weren’t going well, we had a game in Montreal against the Devils. We lost and I had a terrible game, but afterwards I asked a trainer if I could speak with Lou – we hadn’t talked since I left the Devils. In natural form, Lou had me meet him in some private room that he somehow knew about in the depths of the Bell Centre. When we were alone, I told him that I wasn’t sure what he might have heard about me or what had been said since I left, but that I wanted him to know that I still live by his standard every day I come to the rink.
“I always will.”
The whole piece is a great read and gives you a glimpse into the life of an aging NHL player.
