2010 draft pick Gregg Sutch explains why he quit playing hockey

[SackTastic]

Gregg Sutch, drafted by the Sabres in 2010, 5th round, writes about why he quit the game.

http://cfsutchy.blog.com/2014/02/18/what-really-happened-with-hockey/

An interesting read I thought. Humanizes these people who frequently get crapped on for being a bust, bum, whatever.

Click to read more...

 

[dire wolf]

that is pretty interesting, and it does put things back into perspective. we are pretty cavalier when we talk about these players, but this stuff is intense for them, and they've pretty much put all their eggs in the hockey basket for all of their formative years, against great odds for most of them. I wish him luck.

 

[BuffaloGooner]

Excellent read. Fascinating really. Sometimes we as fans forget these guys are normal people just like we are.

 

[Blue Suede Shoes]

That's an extremely enlightening reflection. Thanks for sharing that!

 

[EichelsJockStrap]

That was sutch a bad pick

 

[DixonWard15]

thanks for posting this, it was very insightful

 

[Chainshot]

Injury really took a toll on him starting with his draft year. His candor in his blogging over the years has been refreshing. Good luck in life Sutchy!

 

[1972]

This is fairly common, the pressure on these kids at such a young age has to be tough on anyone, especially a 17 year old kid. I know another former player who has picked in the top 5 in the OHL and was drafted to the NHL in 08. He would tell you the same thing, he doesn't play anymore either.

These kids have high expectations from as young as 12 years old, AAA programs run there team like a professional sports organization. I think alot of kids these days are not even enjoying the game like they used to.

 

[Chainshot]

This is fairly common, the pressure on these kids at such a young age has to be tough on anyone, especially a 17 year old kid. I know another former player who has picked in the top 5 in the OHL and was drafted to the NHL in 08. He would tell you the same thing, he doesn't play anymore either.

These kids have high expectations from as young as 12 years old, AAA programs run there team like a professional sports organization. I think alot of kids these days are not even enjoying the game like they used to.

It goes even lower than that from my experiences in youth hockey -- parental pressure takes the game out of the game. It's supposed to be fun, first and foremost.

 

[Tapu Coco]

Great read.

Although I didn't play at as high a level of hockey as Sutchy did (AA was my highest, even then I only played 2 years of it), I recently went through a similar situation; not politics or anything like that in the blog, but I wasn't having as much fun as I used to. I loved being around my teammates, but with competition being more and more intense with kids chirping you from everywhere for anything, not to mention always losing (I played for teams that weren't the best), I lost interest. For me, hockey was the most fun when it's casual, like pickup, pond hockey, with no pressure. So after last season I stepped away from competitive ice hockey and now I play roller hockey on a team with friends, it's so much fun.

I love hockey at it's most pure form, as recreational, and it's important to always keep that in mind when you're involved in the game