USA Hockey Magazine

SEPTEMBER 2021 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 27 STAIN SAINT MIRACULOUS STAIN & STINK REMOVER HOCKEY STINKS. Get Stain Saint. ALL OF THE GEAR. IN ONE SOAK. NOTHING COMPARES. Stain Saint removes bacteria & odors from hockey gear like no other product. To purchase or learn more: thestainsaint.com As seen on Amazon New Service: Mobile Pickup/Drop-off ! Minneapolis-St. Paul and surrounding areas; Now off ering pick up/delivery for hockey gear cleaning. Fill your hockey bag with all your dirty gear, and we will return it to you clean, fresh, and deodorized like new! odors from hockey gear like no other product. As seen on Amazon Mobile Pickup/Drop-off ! the first cuts at camp. Then a guy gets hurt, I get called up and then get sent back down. There's so many rollercoasters that you don't really see when you're in it. You only see yourself in that moment. I remember my first year as a pro, just being like, I can't do anything about some of these things and just trying to take that outlook. "It goes back to hard work. As long as you feel good about your body of work, then you can kind of walk away from things with your head held high and say, 'Ya know what, I put my best foot forward and however it works and whatever happens, happens and I can't do anything after that.' "Hockey's so short. We have the rest of our lives to live. We can't take this job too seriously." 'DID YOU HAVE FUN?' Not taking it too seriously was another point of emphasis from Schmidt's dad. "There was no pouting after a bad game or about being cut. If you pout, it means you're not having fun; and if you're not having fun, then we're not taking you back," Schmidt recalls his dad saying. "So I knew as long as I was having fun, my parents would keep bringing me back to hockey. Luckily, having fun was the easy part. There were your friends and the competition. Hockey was always a ton of fun." Schmidt was reminded of the fun even in the face of adversity. When he was exposed by the Capitals in the 2017 expansion draft and ulti- mately selected by the Golden Knights, then-Washington coach, Barry Trotz had one thing to say: "I remember Barry saying, 'Schmitty, I know it sucks right now, but trust me, you're going to have so much fun no matter if you win, lose or whatever, it's going to be an awesome time,'" recalls Schmidt, who went on to score a career-high 36 points with the expansion club. "Sure enough, he was exactly right. I didn't realize we were going to see him later in the year [in a loss to Washington in the Stanley Cup Finals] but it was just something that was so fun. It was like Peewee hockey or the AHL all over again. We were a real team that never left each other's side." Schmidt and the labeled 'misfits' of the Golden Knights continued to enjoy success the next two seasons before he was traded to the Canucks ahead of the 2020-21 shortened season. He was traded again this past summer to Winnipeg. "Trades are part of the business, and some are tougher to swallow than others," he says. "But as long as you stay true to you, have fun and work hard, the rest will fall in line." P Jessi Pierce is a freelance writer and podcast host covering the NHL in St. Paul, Minn.

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