Hockey players aren't tough

Here’s my 26-year-journey of overcoming adversity: I broke my leg once. It was last year, right before the playoffs.

Yeah, tough break … That’s all I got.

Hockey player Anders Lee and his friend, Fenov Pierre-Louis

At the time, it was mentally devastating to miss out on our run. But in the grand scheme of things? It was nothing. One broken leg. Maybe a few other dings and bruises over the years, a couple setbacks, but that’s really it. I had surgery, I rehabbed like crazy and my leg healed. Then I got to play in the NHL again.

Hockey players are known for being tough. We play with broken ribs, lose teeth and don’t miss a shift, get stitches mid game, and come back as soon as possible from anything that keeps us off the ice. But, at the end of the day, we play a game for a living. All our broken bones and bruises heal.

My friend Fenov Pierre-Louis doesn’t play hockey, but he’s the toughest guy I know. He’s on a whole different level.

Hockey player Anders Lee (MGTC '14) currently plays for the New York Islanders. Read Lee’s story about his friendship with Fenoy and how he became involved with Kancer Jam, a charity that supports children being treated for cancer, in The Players Tribune.