PERSPECTIVES - ATHLETE FEATURE

Inside the Mind of Former NHL Goaltender, Adam Munro

Named one of the top 3 goalies in Erie Otters’ History by The Hockey Writers, Adam Munro is a former Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender, who played for the Toronto Marlies, as well as the Hamilton Steelhawks of the Allan Cup Hockey (ACH) league.

Munro signed a contract with HC Sibir Novosibirsk of the Kontinental Hockey League on January 15, 2010. In the 2013-2014 season, Munro was credited with a goal against the EHC Black Wings Linz.

In this feature, he takes us through his journey through adversity, and how it led him to discover his passion for coaching and motivating the next generation. He shares the struggles he went through during this time, where he dealt with not only a devastating injury, but also the passing of his sister. Learn what his day was like as a goaltender for the Marlies, how he prepared for the game mentally, what life was like post-injury, as well as some solid advice for athletes recovering from injury.

ON HIS JOURNEY THROUGH ADVERSITY

“My ACL journey was a long and winding road.  It all began in 2015 during the offseason while playing Ball Hockey of all things.  I liked to play Ball Hockey - as a forward - in the summers to keep my feet quick and help with my stamina in games. 

Nothing was out of the ordinary, I was going for morning jogs or bike rides and training at the gym daily. Then BAM…one quick pivot and I felt like I twisted my ankle but it was much higher on my leg.  I dropped in instant shock and was able to walk off the floor and get to the hospital. 

I don’t understand why I wasn’t given an MRI at the time but I was relieved as I felt like it must not be such a serious injury and was told to lay off the running for 4-6 weeks.  So, 4 weeks later I was back and running around. 

The initial injury happened right at the end of May (26th) and now it was the beginning of July so I needed to get ready for the upcoming season – training began August 1st on most teams in Europe.  I was close to signing in a few spots but was deciding to be picky this year as I wanted a Championship team after 3 straight losing seasons in Austria. 

As I kept searching for a good situation I started playing baseball to be safe with the knee.  Two days into July and I felt the knee “Go” again while jogging to 3rd base.  Again, the doctor told me to take 4-6 weeks off and completely stay off the leg without an MRI again.  Frustrated I rested and had to tell inquiring teams I was injured and would need time.  This time I gave it the full 6 weeks and now it was mid-August and I hadn’t really trained for the season at all.  Feeling good I decided one game of baseball wouldn’t hurt and the team was in playoffs and I wanted to help them.  2nd inning of the game and BAM…knee goes again. 

This time I skipped the doctor and contacted an old friend that helped me meet with the Maple Leafs doctor.  1 minute after seeing me he requested an MRI and I found out rather quickly that my ACL was almost completely torn in half.  A sense of relief and frustration quickly set in.  I instantly searched “how long does it take to heal an ACL injury?” and my jaw dropped when I found out it would take at least 9-12 months.  We set the surgery for early January 2016 but I knew after it was set that I would miss that season and possibly the next depending on my recovery.   

A month after the surgery I found out my sister had stage 4 cancer and hockey took a back seat for the next 5 months until her passing in July.  Again at that point I hadn’t trained (besides recovery for ACL) and I didn’t feel it was fair to the family to take off to Europe to play a game.  Two years off of hockey left me missing the game and only a few days after the passing of my sister, I got a call from an old teammate looking for a goalie coach.  I figured this way I could stay in the game while staying close to home. 

From that point on, I fell in love with coaching and motivating young goalies/players to perform at their top level.  Another year passed and I began to play some games for the NHL Alumni tour and didn’t realize how weak my knee was before the surgery as I had this new found strength and mobility at 37 years of age that I didn’t have in my late 20s.  Now I’m back playing three to four times a week and my knee has never been stronger or felt better.”

ON THE DAY IN A LIFE OF A MARLIES GOALTENDER

“While I was with the Marlies, I was in a unique situation.  I was coming off an injury riddled season in Syracuse where I only dressed in 30 of 80 games and played 25.  The Marlies were looking for a backup to help out young Justin Pogge.  I knew he would get the lion’s share of the games, so I just had to be ready at any point. 

Being a Marlies Goaltender is similar to any other position except as a backup, you need to be a cheerleader for both your team especially the other goalie, tell him what you see out there from the other teams offense, and also stay on the ice longer than anyone else, to help out your teammates in practice or even a pregame skate.   I have never been on the ice as much as I was with Toronto.”

ON MENTAL PREPARATION BEFORE A GAME

“The mental side of sports always intrigued me as a goalie.  Although you are part of a team, you are also left alone for almost 60-70% while the play is in the offensive or neutral zone.  Staying sharp and focused for that long is a developed skill that takes its toll on a lot of goalies.  Preparing for games was always the same for me; morning skate I used solely for tracking the puck and I didn’t even care if the puck went in.  I just got the eyes going.  After that I would head to lunch/pregame meal then back to lie down for a few hours.  During this time I would typically think about the team we were about to play,  their top players, what we learned in video sessions and I would even play out the game in my head (always positive results).”

ON POST-INJURY THOUGHTS

“My initial thought when the injury occurred was “Hmm…that didn’t feel right.  Let me walk this off.” 

After the battle just to get an MRI and the frustration from re-injury, I felt mentally beaten.  It wasn’t til about 5-6 months after the surgery that I started to feel almost 100%.  Flexibility in the knee was the biggest issue for me, as I could never crouch down the first 4-5 months after surgery.   There are a lot of hurdles in recovery and taking them one at a time is the best approach.”

ON LIFE DURING RECOVERY SEASON

“I was fortunate enough to land a job after the injury so that took up a lot of the time that I would have spent wallowing in sorrow.  I couldn’t watch hockey initially due to concussion issues I was also dealing with at the time and the hits and brightness of the TV would affect me.   I started playing guitar a lot more and really enjoyed it and have continued with it up to today.”

ON LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE ACL INJURY

“The key lesson I learned is to be persistent if you think something is wrong with you.  The doctor didn’t know how much pain I was in and I most likely downplayed the pain level. 

Hockey was my livelihood and if I was a bit more insistent on an MRI initially, I would most likely still be playing at a high level today.”

ON FINAL ADVICE FOR ATHLETES

“Don’t rush back to play.  I wish someone would have told me that when I was younger.  I rushed back to play – sometimes at the team’s request and sometimes due to me missing the game – numerous times and every single time it caused more harm then good. 

I either wasn’t able to perform at my top level and hurt the team or I was re-injured and had to start over from the beginning.”

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Thank you Adam for sharing your story and helping to inspire athletes across the globe!