UDSON FASCHING knew he
was going to be a hockey player.
Well, maybe not instantly.
At the age of 4, his first time
on the ice, his mom, Shannon,
struggled as most first-time
hockey moms do with the equipment.
"The first time I went out [on the ice], my dad
was out of town for work and my mom is from
Kentucky, so she had no idea how to put on my hock-
ey equipment. I had all my stuff on backwards. It
was a mess. So, the first couple skates didn't go very
well for me. My mom called my dad on the road and
said, 'I don't think he's going to be a hockey player.'
"But by the time I was 5 or 6, I was pretty convinced that I was a hockey player."
Fast forward to today and Fasching, now 28, is coming off a breakout year in
the NHL. A season that earned him a two-year, one-way contract with the New
York Islanders. But it wasn't a linear path to the big stage. And despite setbacks
and moments where he questioned his career as a hockey player, with the help of
his family and self-determination, Fasching has carved himself out a big impact
role ahead of this 2023-24 season.
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T H E N H L
Fasching celebrates
after scoring the game-
winning goal against
Buffalo last March.
N O V. / D E C . 2 0 2 3 | M H J ON L I N E . C O M
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