ST PAUL, Minn. — SportsLife is a recurring blog examining issues that impact young athletes, their families, officials and the greater community. Topics come from YOU: email them to news@kare11.com with SportsLife - Dana Thiede in the topic line.
The American Psychological Association defines resilience as "the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands."
If you're looking for a living, breathing person to embody that definition, Minnesota Wild forward Mason Shaw might be the guy.
Shaw, a hard-nosed forward who grew up on a cattle farm in Wainwright, Ontario, will tell you he did almost everything the hard way on his journey to the National Hockey League. Describing himself as "a little bit undersized," the 24-year-old says he was never among the highest draft picks or biggest goal scorers. Instead, it was a relentless "no quit" attitude that kept him moving through hockey's lower tiers until he carved out a place on the Wild roster in 2022-23. Shaw notched 7 goals and 10 assists grinding on the fourth line and earning a reputation as one of the club's top penalty killers along with his friend Connor Dewar.
"I think definitely it comes from my upbringing of home, I think where I come from, it's a real blue-collar community. And, you know, everybody works their ass off for what they get back home," Shaw recalled fondly. "And my parents instilled that in me from a young age, and I'm very grateful for that. And I've definitely needed to lean on it, you know, to get to this point."
The season was unfolding like a storybook until the night of April 1 when Shaw skated into a corner in Las Vegas and crashed awkwardly into the boards, shredding the ACL in his right knee.
"I mean, I didn't even need a doctor to tell me the injury because I knew what the feeling was like, and I knew what the diagnosis was going to be," Shaw recalled.
He knew the feeling because it was the fourth time Shaw has blown out an ACL, twice in his left knee and twice (including the most recent episode) in his right. When SportsLife spoke with him via Zoom, Shaw was talkative and upbeat on a day that marked two months since his latest surgery to rebuild a blown-out knee. He is wise and mature beyond his years, likely due to the challenges he has faced - and overcome.
"It's kind of an exciting time, we got to get rid of the crutches and knee brace around six weeks. And you know that the trainers at the rink are doing a heck of a job with me, and we're doing a good job getting after it," Shaw shared. "We're in the pool, we're in the weight room. So you know, the day-to-day life is getting a lot easier. Now, when you can start walking and you know, every step you take, you don't have to worry about some kind of injury or something coming from it."
Shaw loved all sports when he was growing up in Wainwright, and although hockey was his favorite Mason also liked baseball (hardball, he calls it) and golf. In the summer he would play all day, and then his mom would pick him up at the golf course after she got done with work.
He was 15 or 16 when he tore his left ACL for the first time and remembers how emotional it was to hear he would miss an entire hockey season. The second time (his right knee) Shaw was 17 years old and skating in the WHL with the Medicine Hat Tigers. It was then that it dawned on him how important the mental side of recovery was, and the value of support from teammates and the hockey community.
"I was away from the team all winter. So that was kind of, you know, that was your group, that was your family or your purpose a little bit at that time in your life. And I remember being at home in winter doing the physio and rehab, but the hardest part was just being away from the group," Shaw said. "Obviously, the physical side, you're limited to what you can do. But the mental part of... not feeling like you're part of something was probably the hardest part. And still is to this day, going through this process is the mental side of it. (It) can sure swing you one way or the other in your recovery time, and how it all plays out."
Many people would have quit after one reconstruction, even more after two rebuilds and the grueling rehab process that recovery demands. When asked if he's getting good at it after four times through the grinder, Shaw laughed, but admitted to doubts following the injury he suffered in Vegas.
"When we flew back and I got the MRI and found out the news, like you're just devastated. You're devastated because one, your team is going into the NHL playoffs soon and you know you're not going to be a part of that deal. Two, you're not sure what the future will hold, and then just the time you're missing," he reasons. "So there's certainly a lot of self-doubt that can creep into your mind. But I think... leaning on the people around you, obviously my family has been through this, you know, through every step of the way I've had to do this, and some really close friends and teammates (are) what motivates me to get the operation and get going and coming back and just thinking of the day you get to put the skates on again."
Not being far removed from youth sports himself, Shaw advises young athletes to focus on today, work hard and enjoy the ride. It's a recipe that has been pretty sweet for him.
"Throughout my career, there's been times where certainly you get down on yourself, you don't like the spot you’re in, you try to blame someone else and you wonder why it is. What I've tried to do over the years is just be where your feet are, and be present," Shaw advises. "You know, don't look too far ahead at anything, don't compare yourself to guys who are two years older than you, two years behind you. If you can look at yourself in the mirror every day and say you're putting in an honest effort, you're gonna get rewarded for that eventually, it just might not be right now."
"So I mean, be where your feet are and being present is something that's very important," he continues. "In terms of like, the injuries or you know, getting cut or not selected, or whatever it may be for young athletes, adversity is the greatest teacher. I can attest to that. I've learned the most about myself in times of injury or failure, and I'll tell you what, you should lean on those hard days. You know, when things are going your way and you're thankful for them and grateful for what you had to go through. Nobody's journey is the same and unfortunately, mine's got a few injuries that have been pretty significant. But you know, once again I'm gonna get through this and look back on it and know that I'm better from it."
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