BEST OF: Dave Scatchard: Journey from NHL Enforcer to Recovery from Near-Death (Part 1)

First Aired 1/27/22

Dave Scatchard is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey center. He played in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues. In 2011, Dave suffered a career-ending injury that would lead him through a period of physical, mental, and spiritual turmoil that would change the course of his life. After doctors at the Mayo Clinic released him when they determined the lasting effects of Dave’s injuries were irreversible, he turned to a variety of holistic medicines, coaches and other resources looking for a solution.

The result of his journey would not only lead Dave through a full recovery and spiritual awakening; it would also drive him to create All Start Coaching, where he helps athletes and other professionals face and overcome challenges similar to those that he went through firsthand.

Part One:

On this special two-part episode of The POZcast, I sit down with Dave as he takes us through his one-of-a-kind story from the NHL to rock bottom. Part one of our conversation is all about Dave’s tenacious rise through playing hockey as a kid, rising through the WHL and AHL, and finally actualizing his dream of making it through to the NHL in 1997. We talk about the early days where Dave and his father shared a sleeping bag as they slept overnight in the freezing cold, waiting to get Dave into an advanced camp of 16-20-year-old players when he was just 12 years old. Dave talks about his rise through the league, some of his best fight stories, and much, much more. Make sure to look out for part two when we discuss Dave’s horrendous career-ending injury, and how he recovered and was able to turn his life around to help others through his All Star Coaching movement.

For more on Dave and his program, check out https://allstarcoaching.com/