Former Ottawa Senator Mark Borowiecki Reflects on His First Full Year Without Hockey (Ever)

We're all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children's game, we just don't know when that's gonna be. Some of us are told at eighteen, some of us are told at forty, but we're all told.

- Moneyball, 2011

Between blocking shots, big hits, and fights, it's hard to imagine anyone's ever been more willing to sacrifice their body for his teammates and the game of hockey than Mark Borowiecki was.

But in May of last year, his body told him it was enough.

After another concussion that took away most of his final NHL season, Borowiecki was forced to end his NHL career at the age of 33. The Hockey News Ottawa caught up with Boro this week to talk about his first full season of his life on the sidelines and how it all sat with him, physically and mentally.

"I had this discussion with my wife actually a couple of nights ago," Borowiecki said. "I think no issues. From the get go, I was pretty fortunate I had a natural transition to (player development with the Nashville Predators) that quickly scratched the itch and kept me busy.

"And I think as I've kind of sat on it over the course of the season and a bit of off-time, it hit me a little harder in terms of how much my identity was linked, not necessarily to just the hockey, but more so being an athlete and a competitor. And not having that in my life anymore, I think it started to hit home a little bit."

Borowiecki says he's appreciative he can now be a more present dad and husband and he's glad to have work and family to focus on and help fill the void hockey has left.

Whether it's showing the ropes to his kids or NHL prospects, Borowiecki is the perfect kind of person to help lead the next generation. For some players, one of the pitfalls of playing in the big leagues is the development of arrogance and conceit. Boro's thoughtfulness and respect level for everyone he encounters is off the charts.

And that's serves him well in player development, where positive reinforcement is one of his best strategies.

"I think probably for me, it's like, how do we create lasting habits, lasting positive qualities in a person's game and their habits off the ice," Borowiecki said. "Squeezing everything we can out of these guys and kicking them to the curb isn't the right way to do that.

"These young athletes are more than just an asset, they're human beings. And I want to help these guys. And part of that is creating these sort of lasting qualities and traits and values in terms of how they approach their life as athletes. And I think there's a better way to do that than just trying to wring them out like a sponge."

Borowiecki loves the player development role because it's a lot of hockey jobs rolled up into one.

"The beauty of player development is you touch on all things," Borowiecki said. "There's a little bit of management involved, the hockey ops side, and the coaching side. And I have to say Andrew Burnett and his staff in Nashville have just been incredibly inclusive of me, spending a lot of time, boots on the ground in their offices, seeing the work they do, and the way they view the game."

Borowiecki is excited about Nashville's new additions this offseason, bringing in the likes of Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and others. And as a former Senator, he's been really interested to see the changes in the capital this summer.

"I think the big thing is you have a new management group and new leadership," Borowiecki said. "Call it a course correction, call it a shift in direction, but they're leaving their mark on the organization. I think they did it in a pretty calculated way. Didn't rush into anything, nothing knee jerk and made the moves that they wanted to make in the summer.

Borowiecki feels like a lot of the motivation in Ottawa was to establish a new culture, not just revamp the old one. And to do that, they needed to bring in older established players to help the young core players.

"Some great young pieces here, but haven't played a lot of winning hockey. Winning games early in the season, winning games when you're mathematically eliminated from playoffs is entirely different than being in the hunt, whether it's chasing or trying to hold on to a spot. I think that's overlooked a lot.

"You see a lot of young guys go on a heater at the end of the year when they're out of the playoffs. Take it from a guy who's played, that's pretty easy hockey to play. Not a lot of consequences. I think management did a good job of bringing in guys who are battle tested to try to help shepherd this group."

While his NHL job is in Nashville, Borowiecki lives in rural Ottawa with his wife, Tara, and their three young kids. He'll leave for Nashville in a couple of weeks to help out with Preds' rookie and training camp. That's how it is with the new role, flying in for a few days, maybe a couple of weeks, then heading back home to be with the family in Ottawa.

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On the day of his retirement last year, Borowiecki wondered about his legacy when he put out a heartfelt statement on his Instagram.

"A friend of mine who played a long, long time in the NHL asked me when I was a young player breaking into the league what I wanted my legacy to be. He told me that being remembered as a good person and good teammate would always be far more important than any on ice accomplishments. I really hope that I have achieved that."

"Achieved that?" Nah. Mark Borowiecki absolutely nailed that... like a right winger with his head down.

Watch our entire interview with Borowiecki on YouTube and be sure to bookmark The Hockey News Ottawa for more great Sens coverage all season.