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JANUARY 2020 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 43 T F I R S T G L A N C E , Z a c h Redmond seems like any typical player tearing it up in the AHL. The 31-year-old blueliner has quickly become one of the top players in the league, but look closer and there's more than meets the eye. Redmond is anything but ordinary. And he's been that way since birth. He was born a triplet, along with brother Alex and sister Meghan, in Houston. He was only 3 years old when his family moved to Michigan and Redmond began playing hockey soon after. The Traverse City, Mich., transplant con- tinued working his way through every level in an attempt to make it to the big show. But that journey was an uphill battle, one in which Redmond was twice told he'd never be able to play again. At the age of 15, Redmond suffered a tran- sient ischemic attack, or a mini-stroke that lasts only a few minutes. Still, it was enough to create quite a setback for the aspiring Junior hockey player. He had to relearn how to walk and talk, which also meant relearning how to play the game. Giving up hockey was never an option. "I didn't even know how bad it was until I picked up a hockey stick in the driveway and realized I couldn't really stickhandle," Redmond recalled. "I hadn't lost it mentally; it was just the physical movements that I had to get back." He m a n a g e d t o p u s h h i s way t h r o u g h recovery and made his way back onto the ice. He spent two years playing for the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL before a four- year career at Ferris State U n i v e r s i t y, d u r i n g w h i c h h e w a s drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in the sev- enth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. He played his first NHL game with the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 31, 2013, and his first goal came seven days later, a short-handed marker against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Redmond appeared to be flourishing. That was until he was dealt another blow. On Feb. 21, 2013, during morning skate, he was accidentally stepped on by a team- mate. His right femoral artery and vein were severed in the mid-thigh region. He lost half his body 's blood and the injury required 200 stitches. Redmond could have died on the ice, had it not been for team- mate Anthony Peluso pinching the wound shut and assistant coach Perry Pearn using his jacket as a tourniquet. Doctors once again told Redmond that his career was in jeopardy. Having faced a similar ultimatum before, he remained resolute that he would return to the ice. Less than two months later he resumed skating with his teammates and was playing again at the start of the next season. "There was just no way I could give up playing hockey," he said. "If I was cleared to play, I was going to play." After a few years of "a lot of up and down and back and forth," Redmond feels at home with the Rochester Americans. In the midst o f h i s t h i r d s e a s o n w i t h t h e t e a m — t w o life-threatening and possible career-ending injuries behind him—the veteran defense- man is playing the best hockey of his career. Last season, he set career highs in goals and points. His 21 goals broke a 46-year-old franchise record for a defenseman and led all league blueliners. The Americans' named Redmond—who's worn the "A" for the entire- ty of his tenure with Rochester —as the team's Most Valuable Player and Most Popular Player. He also earned the 2018-19 Eddie Shore Award, voted on by coaches, players and media members, and given to the AHL's top defenseman. That's a lot of accolades for any player, let alone one who's had to start from scratch not once but twice. That doesn't seem to faze Redmond. "I don't really pay attention to [the points]," he said. "I feel like if you get wrapped up in that stuff, you can mentally go up and down with the amount of points. Not getting points doesn't mean you're not playing well. Just concentrating on what I need to do to be suc- cessful for my team and not worrying about the statistical results is how I find myself playing consistently." Despite his humility, Redmond's impact has not gone unnoticed by his teammates and coaches. "He's as good as they come," said alternate captain Andrew MacWilliam. "It's easy to look at his numbers and be amazed by that, but it's more what he's done in the locker room to help build the character and the culture we have here." Assistant coach Gord Dineen describes Redmond as a "quiet leader" who does what needs to be done for his team to win. He is one of the best conditioned athletes on the team, Dineen added, which, along with his work ethic, makes him a valuable asset to the organization. "Zach's the type of person that you want in your franchise," Dineen said. "He's prob- ably as good a person as I've been involved with in all my years in hockey. Just quality through and through." P ODDS A There was just no way I could give up playing hockey, if I was cleared to play, I was going to play.