The life of a professional athlete can be hard. The life of a minor league athlete, one who moves up and down and around consistently, can be even harder. Our guest today, Mike McKenna played 550 games between the ECHL, AHL, and NHL with multiple teams. However, his demeanor and approach to life lead him to not only a full career, but one where he found massive enjoyment, camaraderie and knowledge – all which he shares with us on WIN.
He played four seasons for St. Lawrence University before being drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2002 NHL Draft.
Today, Mike is the volunteer goalie coach for St. Lawrence University, his alma mater where he played four years for their division 1 team. He is also a coach with 44VisionHockey in addition to being the host of two podcasts, “The Suitcase and the Scribe with Scott Burnside and the 6 Degrees with Mike McKenna podcast, where he has interviewed some very high-profile NHL goaltenders and executives.
Mike shares how he got into goaltending: 2:08
Mike talks about his mental fitness routine: 5:11
Mike discusses the traits that made the best and worst teams he played with: 13:11
Mike talks about the leadership traits he learned during his career and wants young athletes to pay attention to: 23:39
Mike discusses team roles and being led: 32:30
Mike talks to being a superstar in the role asked of you: 41:17
Mike shares about the mental resilience he had during his journey between the AHL and NHL: 50:30
