The Capitals center wasn't expecting to be dealt at the deadline.
Nic Dowd heard the words he needed to from a good friend as he took the time to reflect on the last 48 hours, where his life was uprooted following his trade from the Washington Capitals to the Vegas Golden Knights.
"One foot in front of the other," Dowd recited in his first media availability after arriving in Vegas. "I think that's what it's all about."
The trade was "definitely a shock" for Dowd, who had been the fourth-longest tenured member of the Capitals behind only Tom Wilson, John Carlson, who was also traded as part of the team's sell-off at the deadline and captain Alex Ovechkin.
Last April, Dowd had signed a two-year extension last that set him up to potentially retire a member of the Capitals team he'd come to identify with for so long.
But it's a business, and things change in a flash. That's why the news weighed heavier for the 35-year-old, who reiterated that he didn't see it coming.
"Going into this deadline, I was probably the least worried about getting moved in my entire career, which says a lot," Dowd said, adding, "When you're within a locker room for that long and within that group, you know what's important is what's right in front of you... I'm sure it sounds a bit naive going into the trade deadline but there's only so many things i can fit inside my brain, so at the time it was not something that I was incredibly concerned about. But, another life lesson."
In an instant, Dowd's life — the roots he laid down in Virginia, his identity role on the fourth-line and everything else in between — was uprooted.
The first matter of business was taking care of his family; on Thursday, he had to pick his six-year-old son, Louie, up from school, where he told him the news that he'd been traded and explained that the family was now moving to Las Vegas.
Then, he packed quickly, throwing together three bags and a backpack — filled with some beef jerky for the road — before heading out west and navigating a whole new organization and world.
"The things that are challenging are the logistics of it. I'm very fortunate that Las Vegas as well as Washington has an incredible group of individuals that try to make the logistics part of it easier for myself and my family, my wife, my kinds, our dog for me to play hockey and concentrate on what's right in front of me," Dowd said. "Being 35, you learn a lot more life lessons when you're 25. I learned one (Thursday) for sure, and like I said, one foot in front of the other."
As Dowd waits for his family to arrive, he's staying in a hotel and looking at houses — preferably, one with a pool for the kids.
That's because for him, the biggest concern when it comes to the transition is his family.
"Moving an entirely full house in a week is interesting... the wrinkle is children, but my kids are resilient... But I miss them and like I said, we're excited and Vegas is home now for the remainder of the season and playoffs," Dowd said.
"It's my responsibility to stay positive and make this a new adventure for him, for my family, and honestly, there's no other way to do it, right? You have to stay positive, you have to keep moving forward," he added. "And I say that, it sounds like I'm coming to a bad situation, this is an incredible situation."
Ultimately, Dowd is looking forward to the new opportunity, and said it's a "privilege" to get to join the Golden Knights and to call Vegas home going forward.
"Very happy to be here, very excited," Dowd said. "The organization — I've only them for about (48) hours, but they've been top-notch and very helpful, and we're excited to be here."