Derek Wolfe with Scott Parker
Scott Parker: Joining and Playing in the NHL
Scott, Lane, and Derek watch footage of one of Scott’s NHL fights. Growing up, he’d go out daily on the ice, skating on uneven roads to the spot where he’d play hockey into the evening hours. As an enforcer, his role was to bring intimidation and physical enforcement into the rink.
Derek connects this to the memorable defensive line of the 2010-2015 Broncos.
Persevering through the urgency and physical demands of professional sports is huge. The guys discuss the dangers of stopping or even taking a break, which gives your body (and mind) time to disconnect from the push of competition.
When you’re young, Scott says, you run through that wall without considering for a moment what the physical consequences might be. Derek and Scott talk about the difference between that mentality and that of a veteran player, disillusioned by mistrust and downright exhaustion. There’s also an opportunity for the veterans and older players to mentor and create brotherhood with younger players, even after retirement.
Retirement and the Transition out of the Professional Grind
Scott shares the evolution of spending six to eight hours actively training on the ice, and how jarring it is once that training comes to a halt. Finding that edge, working on the part of your game, “It’s a constant evolution…eventually, you get those 10 to 20 thousand repetitions, and it becomes second nature.” Both Derek and Scott discuss that they see the same tenacity—and then some—in combat veterans.
Scott’s nonprofit organization, Parker’s Platoon, is on a mission to help Combat Veterans and injured retired Pro Athletes with individualized care.
From the website:
Parker’s Platoon was founded in 2007 by Scott, Francesca & DJ Parker to honor Scott’s father, Roger Parker who was a Soldier of the 1st Cavalry Division in the U.S. Army who served in Vietnam from 1970-1971.
Scott has a passion for helping those with Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), which is something Scott was diagnosed with (and experiences symptoms from) as a result of his hard-hitting hockey days in the National Hockey League.
We rely on our vetted provider network by pairing Veterans in need with other non-profit organizations. By doing this, Parker’s Platoon has made great strides in assisting soldiers deal with their traumatic experiences and re-acclimate to society.
We are a 501(c) 3 Non-Profit Organization.
Scott and Derek share that absence of purpose when their professional athletic careers ended. With his brain injury, taking a puck in the eye socket in 2005, Scott experienced compounded injuries in his brain, which led to debilitating symptoms like black spots, reduced vision, seizures, pounding headaches, and more. Scott describes the difference between an injury that you can see and those hidden, invisible disabilities. His injury affected his sleep, too, waking up after episodes of sleep apnea feeling worse than when he went to bed.
The healing process seems quicker for athletes, but it’s not the case. That mental tenacity to get back on the field—or the ice—combined with doctors who would encourage getting back to work were the real factors at play. The result: bodies and brains that don’t have time to truly heal.
Hunting and Conservation of Hunters’ Rights
“As hunters, we have got to come together. At the end of the day, we all love to get out there,” says Derek. Scott agrees: we’ve also got to teach the next generation to be good stewards of the land and using science-based models to keep healthy animals for years to come.
What makes a good teammate?
“Doing your job,” says Scott. “Doing my role, however I could to make that room for the players.” When playing for the Avalache, Scott may only have seen a couple minutes each game, but he went after those minutes as hard as he possibly could every time. Leading by example, putting in the grind, and showing up to make yourself the best at your position.
Scott shares the team mentality applies to life after sports, too. “It’s all I really know. In the real world, you’re almost like a GM…who can I trust, who’s not going to screw me over.”
Scott and Derek both share that they are eternally grateful for their wives, who are the types of teammates they can count on every single day.
