{ "blocks": [ { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "With a shaved head and a gap-toothed grin, Mark Borowiecki cuts an imposing presence. And yet, the 6-foot-2 and 204-pound former player doesn't consider himself as tough as his image might suggest." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"I'll preface it all by saying I never really thought of myself as a true sort of 'enforcer' heavyweight,\" said the Nashville Predators defenseman in our Saturday afternoon phone conversation. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "It is a surprising statement coming from someone with a reputation for being one of the toughest players in the league — a reputation he spent his early NHL years intentionally cultivating. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"Breaking into pro, I considered myself kind of a 'middle weight gamer' we called them,\" Borowiecki said. \"Willing to fight absolutely anyone I had to just to make a name for myself and create a bit of a rap sheet and a reputation.\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Admittedly, things were a bit different when Borowiecki was drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 NHL Draft. Fighting was a more widely accepted part of the sport and being willing to drop the gloves could be a player's ticket to a roster spot somewhere in the lineup. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"I was a later round draft pick,\" the Ottawa native said. \"I was kind of a go to offensive guy in college, but we were all go to offensive guys before we got to pros. At the pro level, the skill is so much higher. You can't always be that go to guy, so you've got to find another way to contribute. For me, it was the physical side of the game.\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Hockey is a game of hard hits, and many of the times he dropped the gloves in his early career were a result of an opponent taking exception to his physical play. Coaches taught the young defenseman that if he was going to threw big hits, he needed to be ready to protect and defend himself afterwards. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Borowiecki clearly got the message. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Over his 12-year NHL career, Borowiecki recorded 51 fights in his nine seasons with the Ottawa Senators and another 17 brawls from 2020-23 playing for the Nashville Predators. The bulk of his 848 penalty minutes were fighting majors." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "While he was always a player willing to fight, his success in those battles took a turn when he discovered MMA. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"I'd had enough of getting beaten up,\" Borowiecki said, \"so I said, you know what? I'm actually going to train for this.\" " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "During his time with the Senators, Borowiecki began training in Muay Thai. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"I originally got into Thai boxing just for striking purposes and next thing you know, I fought 15 times that year in Nashville and won at least 11 or 12 of them,\" he said. \"I kind of carved out a nice little system for myself — a method that seemed to bring me a lot of success later in my career. Instead of going out there filled with white hot rage and anxiety saying 'I gotta do this', I became a little more of a tactician.\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Whether it was his team being down a few goals on home ice or an opponent taking exception to a clean, hard hit, Borowiecki knew he had to be ready. In fact, dropping the gloves was often a conscious decision made in hopes of changing momentum in a game — rather than an emotional response. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"Hearing you say those things, I can pick out games where all of those things were factors in me fighting,\" he said. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "[gallery ids=\"2178,2171,2170,2179\"]" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"I'd be lying if I said it doesn't feed into your ego a little bit,\" Borowiecki said of having a reputation as an enforcer. \"Being one of the toughest guys on the team, you kind of relish that. The charge you get after you do that, the way your teammates look at you, the way guys kind of shake their heads like 'Man, this guy's crazy!' There's something to be said for that feeding into your ego, which all hockey players have. To be a professional athlete you have to have a bit of an ego.\" " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "The flip side is the pressure that comes with being the guy teams know will fight." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"It's tough. It can be pretty thankless at times,\" Borowiecki said. \"A lot of sleepless nights, a lot of anxiety filled days after you've seen a lineup sheet at morning skate with guys you know you're going to have to fight that night. It's a hard job.\" " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "How much of the role fed his ego versus caused that anxiety?" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"I'd call it about a 50-50 split, to be honest.\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "It's also a role that can end up pigeonholing a player. If someone is willing to fight and play that extra physical game, it can limit their opportunity to contribute in other ways. Coaches may rely on an enforcer for that one aspect of their game. That was something Borowiecki had to battle at times in his career and a word of wisdom he hopes to pass along to a new generation of gritty players who embrace a fighting role. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"You're a skilled hockey player first and foremost. Your focus should always be on playing the game of ice hockey. To me, fighting comes secondary.\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"You see guys become that [enforcer] role player in this league who don't give themselves enough credit or don't give themselves the opportunity to contribute in a way that isn't physical,\" Borowiecki said. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "That's just one lesson the 33-year-old hopes to impress on players in the Predators' development system in his new role as a Pro Development Coach. The opportunity to transition from enforcer to coach was a silver lining after a terrible injury." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "In a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 22, 2022, Borowiecki fell awkwardly against the boards behind the net. He appeared briefly unconscious and was stretchered off the ice, taken to Vanderbilt Medical Center, and released later that night. The concussion he suffered ended his season with the Predators, and on May 3, 2023 Borowiecki announced his retirement from the NHL." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Contrary to what many assume, the injury wasn't the main reason for retirement. It was a decision that Borowiecki and his wife Tara had discussed earlier. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"We had our third child, and I decided that there was a pretty strong likelihood that was going to be my last year regardless of my injury status,\" Borowiecki said. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "As difficult as the injury and rehab process was last season, it provided the veteran with a new opportunity. General Manager David Poile saw the value of having Borowiecki around a team comprised of more and more young players as veterans like Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, and Matt Duchene were out with injuries of their own. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"They gave me the opportunity to be around the team more,\" Borowiecki explained. \"Just to be a shoulder to lean on for some younger guys, a listening ear, someone to talk to and speak to, and I really started to value and enjoy that.\" " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "On July 2, new General Manager Barry Trotz announced the Predators had hired Borowiecki as a Pro Development Coach working mostly on the development side both on and off the ice. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "It's an opportunity that Borowiecki is very excited about. He is at peace with his decision to step away from his playing career and transition to a coaching and mentoring role with the Predators. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Borowiecki acknowledges leaving the game isn't easy for every retiring hockey player. So much of a professional athlete's identity is wrapped up in the job. Borowiecki is mindful of the issues many retiring athletes face as they step away from a sport that has been so much of their identity. " } }, { "type": "image", "data": { "file": { "url": "https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk5OTI0MjcyMjkyOTYzNDMx/usatsi_16986649.jpg" }, "caption": "Oct 19, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators defenseman Mark Borowiecki (90) with his son Miles and wife Tara before the game against the Los Angeles Kings at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sport" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "His role as a husband and father of three little ones is his top priority. He is still involved in martial arts, practicing grappling and jiu-jitsu as a part of his new life outside the rink as well. Borowiecki believes focusing on more than just hockey is critical for players of all ages." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"That is something I try to impress upon guys,\" Borowiecki said. \"Being a hockey player shouldn't be your entire identity. It's a part of your identity — a very big part of your identity — but at the same time, if you want to make that transition out of hockey that we all have to do, you have to have some other things that make up your identity, too.\" " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Developing an identity outside of being a professional hockey player is just one lesson Borowiecki hopes to impart to the new crop of talent in Nashville's development system. He is clearly excited about this new role but admits that the challenges these young players face are a bit different from when he first started in the league. Social media and its impact on players is a big one." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"When I came into the league, social media was just becoming a thing,\" Borowiecki said. \"Now these players have eyeballs on them at all times. Every mistake you make is rammed down your throat and repeated over and over and over. You are just exposed to it nonstop.\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "It's a challenge that can have an effect on a player's mental health, and those conversations are especially important to Borowiecki. The tough hockey enforcer has broken down stereotypes and barriers by being open about his personal mental health journey. In a lengthy Instagram post in June 2021, Borowiecki publicly shared his struggle with obsessive compulsive disorder and encouraged athletes to reach out and seek help for mental health issues. In doing so, he helped move the conversation about mental health to the forefront in hockey." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Since then, he's been encouraged by the changes he sees with regards to player development and treating the athlete holistically, especially within the Predators organization. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"One of the reasons I wanted to work with the Preds is that I find they are pretty cutting edge when it comes to doing that,\" Borowiecki said in regards to the organization's approach to mental health. \"They're very progressive in terms of making sure guys have access to those resources. We spent a lot of time in development camp just talking about the mental side of the game. I think it's really important. I think there's a big emphasis on making sure we do things right here in bringing these players along the correct way.\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "It's something Borowiecki would like to see become the norm across the league. He acknowledges that there are some teams that may be a bit resistant to greater mental health investment, but he believes there could be a practical way to approach the conversation, such as linking it to more on-ice success." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"[You could say] If we get a full time psychologist on our team and it makes our players better on the ice, we get five more wins\", Borowiecki said. \"Do I think that's the right way to approach it? No. But if that moves the needle in the right direction a little bit throughout the league, then so be it, right?\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Another change Borowiecki is looking forward to in the near future? Seeing more personality and individuality from young players. He admits the NHL may lag behind a bit in that regard. " } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"We want to grow our game, make our game a little more marketable and really see who these kids are,\" Borowiecki said. \"You've got to encourage guys to be themselves." } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "\"They don't all have to be a farm boy from Saskatchewan who throws hay bales around all summer and plays hockey.\"" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Which of These Young Predators Players Will Have a Breakout Season in 2023-24?" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Top Five Enforcers in Nashville Predators History" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Two Former Predators Involved in Erik Karlsson Three Way Trade" } }, { "type": "paragraph", "data": { "text": "Former Predator Ryan Ellis May Have Played His Final Game" } } ] }

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