Crystal clear
Dragon’s blood sage? Gaudette takes a different path to confidence
Adam Gaudette has a different way of dealing with the stresses of NHL life.
Crystals. Sage cleanses. Other symbols that carry meaning and healing.
For example, the Blackhawks forward talked reverently about a necklace that embodies the Norse gods Thor and Odin.
“(Thor’s) hammer is a symbol of power and generosity,” Gaudette said Wednesday. “Everybody sees Thor in the movies, but I don’t think what he was really known for was his generosity and protection of the people, and his ability to take pain without it really affecting him. Taking pain for other people.”
Gaudette has a few spiritual crystals at home, but the “tiger’s eye blue is my favorite one. I carry it around with me, I keep it in my stall in the locker room. I use dragon’s blood sage at home. It’s really cool.”
Gaudette knows how that sounds.
“People that don’t know much about it probably think it’s weird,” he laughed. “My wife (Micaela) likes to call it ‘witch stuff.’ I like to call it ‘the dark side of the force.’ All of it is something that just, personally, I think it helps me a lot. My wife as well, she feels much better after doing it and so do I. It’s something not a lot of people utilize that (they) can utilize.”
Gaudette has dealt with a lot this year. He tested positive for COVID19 in March as a member of the Canucks, who traded their former fifth-round pick to the Hawks in April.
Gaudette signed a one-year contract with the Hawks in July, so he’s essentially on an audition this season.
During all this, Gaudette has continued to revolutionize his diet since discovering digestive issues last summer.
He still is trying to find his place on the Hawks, and didn’t consistently make the lineup earlier this season.
“It definitely hurts the confidence a little bit,” Gaudette said. “I have definitely felt it dip a little. Had to fight my way to get that back up by any means necessary.”
He found alternative ways to cope.
“I carry crystals around and really get in touch with my spiritual side,” he said when asked how he stays confident despite setbacks. “My wife and I, we saged the house, saged myself. I talk with sports psychologists.
“I use all options I can to keep my head right. I do whatever I can to keep my confidence level up: the extra work on the ice, working with coaches, watching video, just trying to be a student, learn the game . ... It’s doing extra stuff on and off the ice and we keep plugging away.”
Gaudette explained where these beliefs originated.
“My wife’s side of the family, her and her mom, are very, very in touch with their spirituality and the palm readings and stuff like that. Her mom’s kind of got a sixth sense. I didn’t believe it at first — I thought it was a bunch of bull, to be honest — but I believe it’s real now.
“Carrying around certain crystals and saging with different types of herbs and stuff, it gives you that extra little confidence that there’s something else out there that gives you energy. There’s something else out there that’s a higher power that you can’t see but you can feel.
“It’s new to me and I’m trying to figure it out, but I like it. It gives me a sense of calming and puts my mind at ease.”
Gaudette is a makeover — mind, body and spirit — in progress.
Gaudette said he has been counseled by Northeastern University sports psychologist Dr. Adam Naylor since college, but this summer Naylor “described it as really my first pro summer: eating the right things, doing the right things off the ice, really focusing and dialing in on everything, not just in the gym or on the ice but at home, going to sleep at the right times and stuff like that.
“And fine-tuning everything that you can,” Gaudette said. “My dad likes to say your mind’s either the weakest or the strongest part of your body. And if you’ve got a weak mind going in, your confidence is going to be low.
“My mental game is something that I really try to focus on and stay sharp and stay confident mentally. Because if you’re going out there and you’re second-guessing yourself, you’re going to make mistakes and you’re not going to play the game that you want to play. Having the right mindset all comes back to doing the right things and making sure you’re prepared.”