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Welcoming Tom Laidlaw

June 7, 2018, 12:27 PM ET [24 Comments]
Tom Laidlaw
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Ek's Note...

Today we proudly welcoming Tom Laidlaw to the team...

There is something about getting to know hockey players that has always amazed me. Everyone will tell you they are great guys...guys who will give you the time of day and not big-time you. And its so true. Of all pro athletes pro hockey players are cut out of a mold. Even after they retire they never lose these great qualities.

And of all the guys I have met, none epitomizes this more than former Ranger and King Tom Laidlaw. Tom was a solid defenseman who served as an assistant captain on both squads and even briefly captain of the Rangers...After Tom’s retirement from playing he went on to be a successful player's agent and has worked with helping NHL players transition to life after hockey. He has also worked with the Rangers Alumni..and given inspirational talks…

Like many NHL players, Tom was “just a farm kid from Ontario.” He was accustomed to rising early and learned about hard work and never taking a day off because as he says, “Cows have to be milked 365 days a year. No exceptions.” My favorite story he tells is about the day he was drafted into the NHL. “I was shoveling Sh-t in the barn and my dad called out, ‘you were drafted by the NY Rangers’,” Tom recalls.

“Wow. what should I do, should I do something?” Tom asked
“Yeh, keep shoveling sh-t” his dad responded.

“I believe in hard work and never letting down.” Tom told me recently. “And now I have brought that to the internet.”

Recently Tom discovered social media after being prodded a bit by his son. Soon he was posting quick little motivational videos to facebook and Instagram about rising early and getting going. He didn’t even know he was starting to inspire many out there and he was shocked by the response. Tom was amazed, as was I, by how many inspiring stories people were sharing.

I know this is different for hockeybuzz, but I believe many here will be inspired as I, and so many other hockey fans, have been. I hope you find his podcasts and videos as inspiring as I have. One thing that jumps out to me right away is how they are reminiscent of the great NHL captains I have met over the years...especially guys like Mark Messier or Chris Pronger. I got to see Pronger in action in the Philly room and even when Richards wore the “C” there was no doubt who the captain was. The hidden gem in Tom’s stuff from a hockey perspective is “How to lead the right way.”

Tom is now captaining a whole new set of players on social media. His weekly podcast “True Grit Life” will appear as a podcast every week as a part of his blog below and with his videos. You can also find Tom on instagram @realtomlaidlaw and facebook https://www.facebook.com/tom.laidlaw.58

Enjoy an episode here...
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