University of Minnesota Athletics
The Simple Life: Senior Forward Nick Anthony
11/4/2002 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Playing hockey at the University of Minnesota, senior forward Nick Anthony needs to live in the metro area. He has lived in Minneapolis for a while, playing for the Twin Cities Vulcans of the USHL before donning the Maroon and Gold. But give the Faribault native a choice of an urban apartment or a lake cabin, and he'll be jumping in his Jeep heading up I-35 before the last syllable of the question is even spoken. In all the chaos of the sports world, Nick Anthony is just looking for the simple life.
Waking up to the sunrise, looking out the window through the trees to a glassy lake. Calling up former teammates for fishing in the summer, duck hunting in the fall, playing a pick-up game of hockey in the winter. Listening to the peace and serenity that comes with the sounds of birds and breezes rather then the irritating noises of cars and airplanes. This is the life that Nick Anthony retreats to. The life he wants to live everyday. Some day.
But right now, Anthony is in the city, playing his final year for the Golden Gophers and looking to defend the National Championship banner that begins hanging from the rafters of Mariucci Arena this weekend. The country life up north will have to wait just a little bit longer. Nick knows he needs to be here. As only one of three seniors on the 2002-03 roster, the Gophers need all the leadership they can get. Out of 28 players, 18 are underclassmen. While the juniors help out with leadership, the seniors have been around the longest and were here when Minnesota was beginning to rebuild. The lack of seniors only makes Anthony feel his role as the eldest member of the team even stronger. "Definitely there is still a senior leadership role - just because of experiences," Nick remarked. "This year we have a lot of young guys again. I think the biggest thing for seniors is to show work ethic, both on and off the ice. Helping kids understand why or what everything's done for. Teammates come to us with questions, what about this or how is this done, and we have the experience to help them out."
Anthony is looked up to even more in the locker room because of his status as an assistant captain. While junior captain Grant Potulny is the most vocal, the impact Anthony makes as the only senior with a letter on his jersey cannot be overestimated. His three years of WCHA experience, as well as the injuries he has battled back from over his years as a Gopher, fit him perfectly for being a leader. And Anthony feels privileged to be chosen for such a role. "It's obviously an honor. It's kind of surprising because we had so many good players. To know that your teammates look up to you. It's a pretty cool thing. There are a lot of kids on our team that could have been captains. I'm just fortunate to be one," Anthony said.
Although he says he is fortunate to be a captain, Anthony also feels he is fortunate just to be playing hockey. After sitting out 19 games last season, including 14 consecutive with a sports hernia, Nick came back with a fire in his belly. In his first seven games back from injury, he scored five goals and tallied five assists. Combined with Troy Riddle and Johnny Pohl, the line had 30 regular-strength points in those games. "A lot of time off made me hungry, so when I came back I was excited," Anthony commented on those games. "Playing with Pohl and Riddle really helped. It went well. It was really fun and when you're into the game and everything's flowing your way, that's when you do your best."
When coming into this season, it is hard not to constantly look back to what was achieved last year. The way the team just clicked together, the dominating play of Johnny Pohl and Hobey Baker winner Jordan Leopold and, of course, the NCAA Championship. And while the Gophers will have the afterglow of a national title on their face for years to come, this is a season that looks to build upon that national title foundation that was laid last year. Head Coach Don Lucia has stressed that this is a new year, a new team, with the same goals to win. While trying not to focus on last year, Anthony knows that what he and his teammates learned from that championship run should make the team stronger this year. He wants to infect the freshman with the same drive to win that the Golden Gophers had throughout the 2001-02 season.
"This year it is different, but obviously last year taught us a lot," Anthony said. "So it's taking all the things we learned about last year, winning and all the ups and downs we experienced, and coming into this year and trying to help spread that and make it contagious as far as winning."
While Nick is looking forward to living a slightly slower-paced life after his playing days are through, he cannot help but reflect on what hockey has meant to his life thus far. It is a piece of him that started in childhood, but has led to much more than he could ever imagine: the friends that have been made, the lessons learned on and off the ice, the experiences he has shared with teammates that will bond them for a lifetime. What began as something to do as a kid has grown into a life passion, touching almost every area of Anthony's life. "It's taught me most of the things I know in life," Nick reflected. "I've been playing since I was four-years old. It's been a long time and you learn so much from teammates and different people who have coached you. Probably 90 percent of the people I know are through hockey. It's amazing how wide-spread that is."
Some players dream of life in the NHL - traveling around to different cities, playing against the best talent in the world, living a fast-paced "play hard, live hard" life. Nick Anthony's ideal life is slightly less hurried: raising a family in northern Minnesota. Cabin on a lake, hunting, fishing, teaching his kids how to play hockey - Nick couldn't ask for more. The simple life, or as he sees it, the dream life. "Have a good family and be happy. Up north for sure, on a lake. What else could beat that?"
Written by Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius There are definitely two types of people in this world. People who love the city and people who love the country. Both love where they live for reasons the other group can't stand. But both should also appreciate the quality of life for which each is striving.
Playing hockey at the University of Minnesota, senior forward Nick Anthony needs to live in the metro area. He has lived in Minneapolis for a while, playing for the Twin Cities Vulcans of the USHL before donning the Maroon and Gold. But give the Faribault native a choice of an urban apartment or a lake cabin, and he'll be jumping in his Jeep heading up I-35 before the last syllable of the question is even spoken. In all the chaos of the sports world, Nick Anthony is just looking for the simple life.
Waking up to the sunrise, looking out the window through the trees to a glassy lake. Calling up former teammates for fishing in the summer, duck hunting in the fall, playing a pick-up game of hockey in the winter. Listening to the peace and serenity that comes with the sounds of birds and breezes rather then the irritating noises of cars and airplanes. This is the life that Nick Anthony retreats to. The life he wants to live everyday. Some day.
But right now, Anthony is in the city, playing his final year for the Golden Gophers and looking to defend the National Championship banner that begins hanging from the rafters of Mariucci Arena this weekend. The country life up north will have to wait just a little bit longer. Nick knows he needs to be here. As only one of three seniors on the 2002-03 roster, the Gophers need all the leadership they can get. Out of 28 players, 18 are underclassmen. While the juniors help out with leadership, the seniors have been around the longest and were here when Minnesota was beginning to rebuild. The lack of seniors only makes Anthony feel his role as the eldest member of the team even stronger. "Definitely there is still a senior leadership role - just because of experiences," Nick remarked. "This year we have a lot of young guys again. I think the biggest thing for seniors is to show work ethic, both on and off the ice. Helping kids understand why or what everything's done for. Teammates come to us with questions, what about this or how is this done, and we have the experience to help them out."
Anthony is looked up to even more in the locker room because of his status as an assistant captain. While junior captain Grant Potulny is the most vocal, the impact Anthony makes as the only senior with a letter on his jersey cannot be overestimated. His three years of WCHA experience, as well as the injuries he has battled back from over his years as a Gopher, fit him perfectly for being a leader. And Anthony feels privileged to be chosen for such a role. "It's obviously an honor. It's kind of surprising because we had so many good players. To know that your teammates look up to you. It's a pretty cool thing. There are a lot of kids on our team that could have been captains. I'm just fortunate to be one," Anthony said.
Although he says he is fortunate to be a captain, Anthony also feels he is fortunate just to be playing hockey. After sitting out 19 games last season, including 14 consecutive with a sports hernia, Nick came back with a fire in his belly. In his first seven games back from injury, he scored five goals and tallied five assists. Combined with Troy Riddle and Johnny Pohl, the line had 30 regular-strength points in those games. "A lot of time off made me hungry, so when I came back I was excited," Anthony commented on those games. "Playing with Pohl and Riddle really helped. It went well. It was really fun and when you're into the game and everything's flowing your way, that's when you do your best."
When coming into this season, it is hard not to constantly look back to what was achieved last year. The way the team just clicked together, the dominating play of Johnny Pohl and Hobey Baker winner Jordan Leopold and, of course, the NCAA Championship. And while the Gophers will have the afterglow of a national title on their face for years to come, this is a season that looks to build upon that national title foundation that was laid last year. Head Coach Don Lucia has stressed that this is a new year, a new team, with the same goals to win. While trying not to focus on last year, Anthony knows that what he and his teammates learned from that championship run should make the team stronger this year. He wants to infect the freshman with the same drive to win that the Golden Gophers had throughout the 2001-02 season.
"This year it is different, but obviously last year taught us a lot," Anthony said. "So it's taking all the things we learned about last year, winning and all the ups and downs we experienced, and coming into this year and trying to help spread that and make it contagious as far as winning."
While Nick is looking forward to living a slightly slower-paced life after his playing days are through, he cannot help but reflect on what hockey has meant to his life thus far. It is a piece of him that started in childhood, but has led to much more than he could ever imagine: the friends that have been made, the lessons learned on and off the ice, the experiences he has shared with teammates that will bond them for a lifetime. What began as something to do as a kid has grown into a life passion, touching almost every area of Anthony's life. "It's taught me most of the things I know in life," Nick reflected. "I've been playing since I was four-years old. It's been a long time and you learn so much from teammates and different people who have coached you. Probably 90 percent of the people I know are through hockey. It's amazing how wide-spread that is."
Some players dream of life in the NHL - traveling around to different cities, playing against the best talent in the world, living a fast-paced "play hard, live hard" life. Nick Anthony's ideal life is slightly less hurried: raising a family in northern Minnesota. Cabin on a lake, hunting, fishing, teaching his kids how to play hockey - Nick couldn't ask for more. The simple life, or as he sees it, the dream life. "Have a good family and be happy. Up north for sure, on a lake. What else could beat that?"
Written by Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Courtney Walerius
