Things you don’t expect on a Monday night in January: Michigan Golf Journal’s Tom Lang engaging in a Q and A with Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill:
Q: In addition to the swinging motion, do you see similarities between golf and hockey?
A: “I was a goalie, so I don’t come by the swinging of it as naturally. But the players I’ve played golf with can all really, really hit the ball a long way. It probably has a lot to do with how you turn your body and their hip strength.
“But the other side of it to me relates to any sport and most parts of life, and that’s the mental challenge. I don’t know if there’s a better mental challenge in sports than golf. Even in team situations, you’re alone out there a lot of times and you have to grind through situations. You have to handle the successes when you’re playing well and handle the frustration that certainly happens to all of us.”
Q: When training camp takes place in Traverse City each summer, there’s intense competition for players getting their shot at the NHL. How much of that competitive spirit transfers over to the golf course on their downtime?
A: “We do have some downtime at training camp, and one of the reasons we go to Traverse City is to be able to do things away from the ice too. The players tend to play golf in their downtime. The competitive nature that transfers from one sport to the next is important.
“For a lot of us that don’t get to compete on a daily basis, golf becomes that competition, so when you get older and you’re out of organized sports, golf can fill that void… and even competing for fun you can be playing for some type of side bet, or for pride. I’ve certainly seen that at times, whether it’s in training camp or different matches with my friends or between players. But I think it’s all important.”
