Mark Messier calls No One Wins Alone his memoir. But it surely’s actually the hockey icon’s recipe for achievement, on and off the ice.
And given Messier’s resume, it’s no shock he wrote the ebook on successful.
READ MORE: Mark Messier book on leadership, teamwork coming in fall
Referred to as the Moose, Messier received six Stanley Cups in addition to the Hart Memorial Trophy (twice), Ted Lindsay Award (twice), Lester Patrick Trophy and the Conn Smythe Trophy in a glittering professional profession that stretched from 1978 to 2004.
Edmonton Oilers’ captain Mark Messier, middle, alongside together with his teammates holds the Stanley Cup above his head in voctory after the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins, 4-1, to win the Stanley Cup sequence in Boston Might 1990.
CP PICTURE ARCHIVE
He captained the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks, ending his NHL profession with 694 targets, 1,193 assists and 1,887 factors in 1,756 video games to rank third on the all-time scoring record behind former teammate Wayne Gretzky (2,857) and Jaromir Jagr (1,921).
“Like Gordie Howe, Messier is credited with being essentially the most full participant of his era,” reads his Hockey Corridor of Fame biography.
The Mark Messier NHL Management Award, handed out since 2006-07, is given “to the participant who exemplifies nice management qualities to his workforce, on and off the ice in the course of the common season.”
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The ebook focuses on Messier’s hockey profession and never far more. That was a acutely aware effort with Messier acknowledging he noticed books like Pat Riley’s The Winner Inside: A Life Plan for Workforce Gamers and Phil Jackson’s Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success as fashions that “many alternative individuals may learn it and take one thing out of it.”
Mark Messier skates throughout pre-game heat up at GM Place previous to his first sport again in Vancouver as a New York Ranger Friday Nov. 17, 2000.
CP PHOTO/Chuck Stoody
“I used to be lucky sufficient to play on some nice groups with some nice individuals,” he mentioned.
“One of many final issues we that got here up with was the identify (of the ebook),” he added. “And I didn’t need to accept any identify. I needed the identify to actually symbolize what the ebook was about. I believe No One Wins Alone actually sort of says all of it. it’s all in regards to the individuals.
“I believed I performed hockey for 26 years and what I spotted once I retired is I wasn’t within the hockey enterprise, I used to be within the individuals enterprise.”
Whereas Messier opens up on his curiosity in Indigenous cultures, spirituality, journey and even an unintentional experiment with magic mushrooms, he provides little on his personal life — though there’s a temporary reference to his much-ballyhooed time with Madonna. “Fascinating girl, however we went out solely as soon as,” he writes
“I don’t know if my private life was that attention-grabbing,” he mentioned with a chuckle in an interview.
However he’s much more forthcoming on his hockey relationships, from teammates to coaches — on what labored and why.
“I didn’t need to be vital of anybody or something,” he defined. “I needed it to be a optimistic examine teamwork and management. And so attempting to string that needle and hopefully write it so it’s entertaining and a large group of individuals may take pleasure in it, was what I used to be involved about.”
Vancouver Canucks Mark Messier left, provides Calgary Flames Bobby Dollas (4) his patented stare after they collided in the course of the first interval of NHL motion in Vancouver Wednesday Feb. 9, 2000.
CP PHOTO/Chuck Stoody
For essentially the most half, he delivers. It’s a simple learn that can be of curiosity to each the hockey and company world.
“I believe the gorgeous factor about sport basically is it does offer you life classes you can take with the remainder of your life — it doesn’t matter what degree, any sort of workforce sport — the dedication, the
accountability, the work ethic, the self-discipline, put-your-head-down-and-get-it-done grind mentality can serve anyone nicely post-retirement or in enterprise or no matter,” he mentioned.
Messier attributes his work ethic to his household, noting his father Doug mixed hockey, college and a instructing job after a stint enjoying for the Nottingham Panthers in England. That sort of drive didn’t go unnoticed.
“It was onerous to make excuses about not having sufficient time to get issues carried out to a person whose days gave the impression to be 25 hours lengthy.” Messier writes.
He additionally factors to childhood household journeys from Edmonton to a vacation dwelling in Oregon, with seven relations and 80-pound sheepdog Tootie packed into an Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser station wagon. Classes discovered on such journey stayed with Messier.
“As a pacesetter, you study to just accept and admire that every of your teammates may react in a different way to the identical scenario,” he writes. “With that data, you possibly can resolve any conflicts that come up from a spot of understanding.”
He additionally differentiates between inspiration and motivation, saying “If you happen to create a fantastic place to work the place individuals are impressed by a shared function and aim, they may encourage themselves.”
He preaches respect, for teammates, coaches, medical doctors and trainers and others within the group.
“What you do off the ice is all about respect, and it helps construct a workforce,” he writes. “You’ve tor acknowledge that you just’re all one entity, pulling on the identical oar to get to the aim of successful.”
Messier says he was all the time interested by methods to enhance thoughts and physique and keen to ask questions when he failed, seeing it as an “alternative to get to know your self.”
“And naturally I used to be enjoying with nice gamers,” he mentioned. “I performed with the best participant of all time for 12 years. Watching him put together and the period of time that he spent within the sport, away from the sport concentrating on the sport, getting ready for the sport, specializing in the sport, was enlightening to me. After which I simply needed to discover my very own path and what labored for me the perfect.”
Now 60, Messier is a studio analyst for ESPN’s hockey protection. He has additionally campaigned lengthy and onerous for the Kingsbridge Nationwide Ice Heart, to occupy the Kingsbridge Armory house within the Bronx, in a bid to supply New Yorkers extra ice surfaces.
“The identical issues apply,” he mentioned. “You’ve bought to discover a solution to work with individuals and maximize the potential.”
No One Wins Alone comes out Tuesday.
Messier will seem on 630 CHED’s CHED Mornings with Daryl McIntyre on Thursday Oct. 28 at 7:05 a.m.
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