What I've Learned

I'm often asked: What's it like to be the girlfriend of a hockey player? What's your life like together? How hard can hockey really be? Well here are 3 things that dating a professional athlete has taught me over the past 3 years. 

Hard Work and Dedication 

The main thing dating my boyfriend has taught me over the years is how to be hard working and dedicated in whatever you do. From the Ottawa 67’s in the OHL to his 3 year NHL/AHL contract, I’ve seen him work his ass off for what he’s earned. You never truly understand the work these athletes put into what they do until you see it first hand. During the season, my boyfriend is on the ice almost 7 days a week practicing and plays on average 3 games a week. On top of those on-ice practices, he constantly watches what he eats and plans his meals accordingly; wether it be regular days or game days. It’s so humbling to watch him go and his dedication to his career will continue to blow my mind till the day I die. Their body is their temple; their entire career. They need to be the healthiest, fittest, fastest, strongest and most determined human beings they can possibly be.  Like anything else, there’s positives and there’s negatives to this field of work; Although personally, I would say there’s a lot more positives than negatives. The positives would have to be that he’s fortunate to be doing what he loves every single day and to be able to make a very good living off of it. It allows us to travel and see different cities all around the world. Another upside would be that hockey players have full summer’s off. Needless to say they still workout like absolute animals every single week day but it’s still nice to have that time together and not have to worry about being away from each other.  Now, a downfall (for my boyfriend) would definitely be all the travelling.  It can definitely be both a good and a bad thing. It’s good because you get to go to places you never thought you’d ever go to in your lifetime but its bad in the sense that these guys never get a break. People often mistakenly think that hockey players have a lot of time off and that is so far off from the truth. They maybe get 10 days off per SEASON. This includes 4 days off for Christmas, 2-3 days off for the All-Star break and maybe a day off here and there after big road trips. And that can be extremely exhausting both mentally and physically. I put a lot of emphasis on this one point because it’s what makes me admire and look up to my boyfriend so much. I don’t know how he does it. He loves what he does so much and he’s worked so hard over the years to get to where he is now that nothing will ever be able to come between him and his dream. He’s so dedicated, focused and driven that to him, it’s more a less his ‘’job’’ but its more of a lifestyle. It’s so inspiring. I’ve been applying a lot of his habits, routines and beliefs in my everyday life and I can honestly say that I’ve never felt like a more focused and well-rounded human being than I do today. Seeing him go through many ups and downs and coming out of them stronger and better than before has definitely influenced me into having the mindset that I can accomplish anything and everything I set my heart to. 

The value of good friendships/real friendships

You guys might be surprised to hear this one but another thing dating a professional athlete has taught me over the past 3 years is the value of good/real friendships.  Too much time of my life was wasted hanging around the wrong people who didn’t motivate me and who simply didn’t have my best interest at heart. I didn’t understand the true value of friendship until I started dating my boyfriend. First off, it makes me so happy to see the friendships HE has built over the years, wether it be in the Ontario Hockey League or in the American Hockey League. They are more like brothers than friends. They hustle together, they grind together and they work so hard to accomplish their dream TOGETHER. It’s so nice to see some of his best friends that have become my friends over the years succeed as well. It makes you feel good. Secondly, not only does he get to build amazing friendships through hockey but I do too! I’ve met some of the most amazing girls through hockey and I wouldn’t trade it for the world (Ladies, if you’re reading this you know who you are xoxo). The bond we share is like no other. It can be so hard to be understood by your friends that aren’t part of the hockey world since they can’t really relate or understand where you’re coming from. With other hockey girlfriends or hockey wives, it’s so easy. We’ve literally gone through ALL of the same things so we all have so much in common. 

Appreciating what you have 

Last but not least, dating a professional athlete has taught me to appreciate what you have. I’ve always been grateful and appreciative of the people I have in my life but I can say that these past 3 years have made me SO much more appreciative than I already was. The reason behind this is simply what comes with being a hockey girlfriend and the lifestyle of it all. The truth of the matter is that there’s a lot of distance involved with it all. My boyfriend lives in the United States for 9 months a year while I’m in Canada. As much as I used to hate this, I embrace it and I kind of love it now.  A lot of you may think that doing long distance may weaken your relationship but that is so far from the truth. It makes your relationship a lot stronger. You cherish every little moment you get to spend with your soul mate, the little things mean a lot more and you don’t take things for granted. Let me tell you that that makes for an absolutely amazing relationship that I wish for all of you to have and feel in your lifetime.  

Moral of the story: I'm so grateful to be where I’m at with who I’m with.