After coming off a quick stint at the end of the season with the Cincinnati Cyclones, Remy Parker was announced to be re-signed for his first full professional season. Parker sat down with Inside The Rink this off-season to talk college, his path to pro hockey, and more.
Lesson Learned
Parker has had to take on different roles throughout his hockey career. He has shown leadership and is a consistent force on the ice when given the opportunity.
I’ve played different roles in positions at each level or each team. It’s just doing whatever it takes for the team—being a team player and working as hard as possible every day for your opportunity. Perseverance, adversity, and pushing through. Those are some big lessons that I’ve learned. I’m involved in my game because hockey is all about adversity. It’s more mental than it is physical.
Playing With The Boys
Parker has played with different professional players throughout his hockey career. He talks about the few that he has played with and what they provided to him through their time together.
So Justin Allen and Ozzy [Brandon Osmundson] are really good guys. I didn’t play with Viver (Justin Vaive) because he was injured but he was around the rink and you felt his presence. He is a very good captain and a good guy. Every player I’ve played with has something special and if you take something away from them, it kind of rubs off on you, especially throughout the season.
Influence
We all have people that have influenced our lives in one way or another. Those people have gotten us where we are in all of our lives today, and people we can learn from. Parker speaks on who his biggest influence is.
Probably my brother. I have an older brother and he is four years older than me. He is the reason I got into hockey. He started playing, so then I started playing. I loved watching him play when I was younger and wanted to be like him. Although he is a little bit more of an enforcer and I’m not an enforcer.
Best Piece Of Advice
Learning lessons while climbing the ranks makes professional athletes look back to where they came from. Parker has had a unique path into professional hockey and has had a few highs and lows along the way.
You’re not promised anything. The saying “Get comfortable being uncomfortable”, because it’s just my story. When I was in juniors, I had Northeastern looking at me and two weeks later I got an AC joint sprain and everybody backed out. So I was at a low, and then I went to Maine, which was a high, then I barely played, which was a low. So get comfortable being uncomfortable. Work every day and everything will happen as it happens, you can’t force anything. A big thing is don’t cheat the game, whether it be off-ice or on-ice stuff, you can’t cheat the game.
First Pro Contract
Signing that first professional contract is a feeling of accomplishment for any player. Whether the player is drafted, goes from college into professional, or is unsigned and then signs that contract.
That was a great experience. We were in Arizona, playing ASU. I had talked to my agent, coach, and a couple of different teams. Cincinnati came up in the conversation two weeks before ASU and we didn’t have playoffs. So it was really like, once you’re done with ASU, you’re signing and going somewhere. I got to ASU and it was back and forth on which team. The morning of the last ASU game on Saturday, they were like “You’re going to Cincinnati”. So after the game, two days later, I signed and it was a great feeling.
Summertime
Every player has a summer training regimen that keeps them in shape and on top of skills for the next season. Some players have intricate routines, and some keep it simple. Parker speaks on what his routine is for the off-season.
I work out four times a week at the gym. I skate two to three times a week and then I have Jersey Pro League.
Idol Time
Every player has those players that they tend to model their game after or idolize because of the type of player that they are. For Parker, there are three players specifically that have helped mold him into the player he is today.
For me, I liked Ovechkin, especially when you’re younger, just because he’s a goal scorer. When you’re a kid that’s all you think about. As I got older, when Matthews first came to the league, I was about high school and that’s when I started to take hockey seriously because I developed really late. I fell back a couple of years, so for [Auston] Matthews, he was the next generation, he was incredible. Also, McDavid. So those three guys, I idolize them a lot and think big of them.
Pre-Game Routine
Game Day. Means different things for everybody from players to fans, to the staff of the team. Players have a routine from the morning of to the beginning of the game. Some are very superstitious, and some just go with the flow.
I used to be really superstitious about my games but now I let it flow. In Cincinnati we have to pregame skate, everybody does. So wake up, go to the rink for pregame skate, go home, hang out for a bit, and I like playing on my PlayStation on game days, then get something to eat. Sometimes I take a pregame nap and then I always have to have an energy drink before a game. We do three drills which are five minutes each, then we do a forward/defenseman split. The forwards just do some shooting stuff. So nothing crazy.
Biggest Accomplishment
All players have accomplishments that they are proud of whether it be inside of hockey or outside of hockey. Parker speaks on what his accomplishment was and what it meant for him.
I think signing pro was a pretty big accomplishment, considering the path that I went through. Overall, my biggest accomplishment was winning a gold in the Macabbi Games for Team USA. We were also the first US open team in that division to win gold in Ice Hockey. So that was pretty big for us and made a great group and it was very memorable.
