Mike Hartman- Motivational Story

Mike Hartman, Performance Mindset Strategist this is Develop the Mindset of a Champion with former Stanley cup champion Mike Hartman. Welcome to another episode. Today I'm going to share my story, which is interesting to some. And it just starts with, you know, why is this such a big deal to me? And let me tell you why this is huge. My life was pretty much built around hockey. Hockey was my life. I loved it. It was my dream. My dream was to play one game in the National Hockey League. That was the dream. I finally was able to live that dream at 19 years old when I was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres. I'll never forget that day. I called, called my mother, all excited and I remember walking with my father through his complex where he lived, and I felt like, boy, I finally made it. I finally did everything I wanted to do and it was not getting there. As I mentioned, every story has a struggle. So I started off, played my first game in the National Hockey league that year, 1986-87 season. Then I get sent back to the rural junior team, which I was able to play for my country. And then from there I went back to junior and called up for a few games during the year. When the new coach came in, that was Ted Sater. By the second year, it didn't start off so well. I was sent to Rochester of the American Hockey League. It was a bummer that year, but I went down with the attitude and the mindset that I'm going to give everything I can to get back. So I went down with that mindset and I got called up for the last 18 games of the season. And the way that happened was I was in the hotel in Baltimore, not expecting to get called up all year. You always expect with a good attitude, but realistically, it was really late in the year. Buffalo was stacked on the left side, which is the left wingers, and stacked on the right side with the right winger. So I didn't know if there was any place for me to play. But they had an injury and my coach, John Van Boxmere pulled me aside and said, you're taking the first flight out and you will be playing against the Boston Bruins. And boy, was I excited. Wow, that was during the league. Well, it was such an. It was really like an incredible year. It was one of the best years I ever, I ever had getting called up, playing well. And I actually played really well in the playoffs. They kept me through the playoffs. The rumor was they were going to send me back, but I played well enough that they kept me through Played a regular shift, got knocked out by Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. So played some of the best hockey during that time. The following year I started off in Buffalo. I was a regular 21 years old. Finally made it to the big leagues as a full timer. They told me that I'm in the plans for the year. The only way that I work myself out of a job is to not do the things that I'm supposed to do. So I did everything I could to stay with that team. So while I was playing, I was in my contract year because the first year, the way it works is they give you two years plus an option. So the first year was that year I played, I think I played 17 games at 19. The second year at 20, now I'm 21. I'm playing a really good year. I'm playing the best hockey I could play by any standards. For me, just being on the Buffalo Sabres was more than a dream come true. So, so this is the true story. I'm going to get into the story here. The story to me is, is exciting. I hope it's is as exciting to you. But I shared the story with, with, with many people and some of them can't believe it. So this is a true story. So I needed 70 games for a one way contract. So that's how it works. So that year for a four player, I mean I didn't light up any big numbers but I had eight goals, nine assists, 17 points, 361 penalty minutes, which I don't brag about too much. It's, I don't know if you're supposed to be proud of that or not proud of it, but that wasn't a bad year, to be honest. And I was told during the coaching staff throughout the whole year that I'm going to be a big part of the team and I'm going to be playing in the playoffs. So to me I was really excited. Wow, I'm going to have a full time role. I've been up here all year. To, to me that was exciting. That just like, wow, man, I'm going to play in the Stanley cup playoffs. Now I have a little bit of experience under my belt, except there was one problem. That problem was it was a 69th game and I was told that I'm not going to dress the last game of the year. It was the last game of the year for me to play. And as far as the playoffs went, we already had a playoff position. We already knew we were going to play the Boston Bruins in the first round of the playoffs. And, and the coach, Ted Sater, I really liked Ted, but he pulled me in his office and he says, mike, I can't play you tonight. And boy, that was, that was frustrating. So that morning, you know, he brings me in, tells me I'm going to be a healthy scratch, but I'm going to be going for warmups. So you go for warmups, you still have to be ready. Sure. Was I upset? Boy, man, was I angry. Was I frustrated. Boy, was I mad. I can't even want to tell you the words that went through my head, but I was mad. But, but what could I do? I have to be positive. Well, that year in my contract, it stated If I played 70 games in that season, my contract would turn into a one way contract into the National Hockey League. It was the 70th game and I was told, you're out, buddy. You're not playing. So what does that really mean? Well, in retrospect, the Sabres could send me back to the minors and there's no, it's not a big deal. I have a two way contract. But when you have a one way contract, the one way contract by the National Hockey League Players association guidelines then was if they tried to send you down, you're an automatic free agent back then. So if they sent me through the minors, I would have to clear waivers. But even if I didn't clear waivers, I'm not making minor league money. And this really, this story is not about money or how much money I was going to make. It was more of the principle of things. So I was in really good shape. So during that season, never was a healthy scratch. I missed 10 games to a back injury, had a fight with Bob Probert, trying to be Mr. Tough Guy going after a heavyweight. And he one punched me, picked me up and slammed me on my back. And I was out for 10 games. So that's the only time I was out the whole year. So I was told that night, I'm not going to play my 70th game. You know, I said, fine, you know, I'm going to go for warmups, I'm going to be positive. I'm going to do whatever I can just to look like I have a good attitude, even though I was fuming inside. So I go back to my seat to sit down in the dressing room, and the players came up to me, the older guys, and they said, don't worry, you're going to play tonight and you still have to prepare for the game. This was in the Morning skate. So I have the older guys saying, you're going to play, we're going to do whatever we can to make sure that you get the lineup. So again, you still have to prepare and just in case there's an injury or somebody gets hurt in warm ups that doesn't usually happen or something happens and you're there and possibly you'll get in, but you still have to play a game on the ice. So if you dress in the National Hockey League for a game and you don't get on the ice for one shift, it is not credited a game credit to your pension, but it's not credited to your game. So when the older players caught wind of this, they all went to bat for me. There was five of them. They went into the office in the morning, day of a game and they said, Hartman better play. And it was Mike Foligno who was our captain. Lindy Ruff was the assistant captain. Dave Andrew, who's a Hall of Famer. Larry Playfair who was one of the nicest guys. I called him a sleeping giant. Six foot five, real tough guy. And Mark Napier, Mark Napier went in there and said, this guy has to play. He fought for us all year. He played physical, he's a young guy. It's not right if he doesn't play to get his one way contract. Management strictly told them, no matter what they do or say, I'm not going to play. So under any circumstances. So I accepted that. What could I do? What more could the players do? I mean, they fought for me. I just had to adapt to the mindset of having just a great playoffs. Be thankful that I'm up there because there was probably guys in the minors better than me. If you look over it, you know, from an outside perspective, there was players that probably had more talent than me and I'm not playing in the National Hockey League. So I just had had the attitude and the mindset, okay, move forward. So I go home, have my pregame meal, I have my sleep, sleep from 1:45 to 3:30pm the typical NHL day. Some guys sleep two to four, get yourself up, you have a snack, then you head down around 4:30pm to the stadium and I'm heading down, listening to my music. You could always say, well, I'm not going to be negative, but I was a little negative. I was a little hurt and frustrated, but at the same point again, I don't want to sound redundant here and repeat myself, but I want to play. So after I get on the ice for warmups, Couple guys kept winking at me like, okay, and now I'm paranoid. I'm a nervous guy anyways, now I'm paranoid. I have players telling me, don't worry, you're going to play tonight. We're going to. I know something was up. Couple of the guys hinted to me, says, be ready. I said, okay. So whatever that meant. My first stop was, boy, I caused noise. Now, you don't really want to stir the pot. When you're a young 21 year old player in the National Hockey League, the last thing you want to do is to get the management mad at you. Especially in any situation. Again, 21 years old, just happy to be there. So right off the start, just before the night goes on, I'm skating around warm ups and Mark Napier grabs his leg and hits the ice like a sniper shot him from above and he's rolling around the ice like he's hurt. So I knew, obviously the management knew he was faking. The players knew what was going on. And I think the Sabers finally came in and said, okay, he's going to play tonight. He is going to play and there's nothing we're going to do about it. I get off the ice for warm ups. Ted Sater, who, who I really liked as a person, I really liked him as a coach. I thought he, he was great, but he was doing his job and it came from up top. And he says, he grabbed me and says, we need a big game from you tonight. Boy, was I excited. I know my family was home watching the game on TV that night. I think it was an ESPN game. And I told my father there was no way I was going to play. I told my mother same thing, I'm not going to dress. So that was like, to me, I couldn't believe it. So now I'm walking into the dressing room and Jim Pizzatelli, who was our trainer, had a tradition. And the tradition was every year they give out robes, like a boxing robe with your name on the back. So I'm sitting down and they gave out a robe to I think Kevin McGuire, who was a big Irish, tough guy, hard working player. In fact, we played on the same line pretty much our whole career in Buffalo. Fourth line, mucker type guy, grinder came to play every night, physical, tough guy. And then Jim Pizzatelli turns to me and said, mike Hartman, stand up. And I thought it was like a joke, like really, come on, I'm gonna get a robe. And I got a rope. And I just started having tears, like come down my Face. Not trying to be dramatic. Not trying to be dramatic here at all. But I really had tears in front of all of these guys that I looked up to in the National Hockey League. So as time went on, we played the game. I ended up actually scoring my eighth goal that night. So I scored a goal. I end up having a fight. And selfishly, I played my 70th game, which could have saved me later, later in my career, I could have had a team mad at me and they could have set me down. But this is what somebody did for me. And, yeah, the one dumb, dumb thing I did, the dumb thing I did, looking back, is Mark Napier. So he collected wine. I mean, he was a wine collector. And I heard he had a wine cellar in his home in Toronto. I went out and bought Mark a bottle of wine at the store. Now 21 years old, I didn't know any better. I bought him a $30 bottle of wine, and I remember bringing it to practice the next day. And Mark looked at me and gave me a hug and said, thank you. I said, thank you. This meant so much to me. And one of the guys said, harding, you bought a $30 bottle of wine. You know, we're gonna call you Alligator Arms. You should have bought him a $3,000 bottle of wine. So I didn't know. I mean, I sent him a nice letter in the summer. I thank all the guys for what they did in their part fighting for me. But the message here is Mark Napier. He was a Stanley cup champion, but he's a champion in life. What he did for me, and he knew, he knew it was his last game because they told him, they said, listen, this is your last game. You are not going to play in the playoffs. I don't believe he played. I'm not sure if they got him in for a game. And he knew he was done and he went out of his way for me. And the reason I'm telling this story, as I talk about relationships and I say life is built on relationship and impacting lives. Think about it. Without the relationship, there would be no story to tell here. It's something about being. Being there. And somebody, like, is rooting for me. I don't think there's any. There's not a better feeling. I've learned I have to pass this down. In life. The story has so many aspects of what it takes to make it wrapped up into one. It's about bringing the people around you, the people that, like, sacrifice for you, the people that are there for you to really show your appreciation. It's really to show, like, wow, like, there are good people in the world. So I wanted to tell you this story. The story I could probably tell you a Petra of NHL, different stories, but this story is something that meant a lot for me. A lot of our listeners said, mike, are we going to hear your story? And one of my friends joked and says, well, if you write a book, it's probably going to be one page. You know how the players joke with you. But I did write a book. So if anybody wants to get the book for free, you go to imotivatorsacademy.com.