Nicholas Mariani - Junior Review

[Mistxh J 186]

"Who are you?", "What makes this kid tick", "Where did he come from?", these are just some of the question I have received since entering the VHLM. Today I will finally give the answers that the people want to know, finally get to know who is Nicholas Mariani. I grew up in Montréal, Québec and was raised as any other typical Canadian, with a hockey stick in my hand and skates on my feet. From the moment I was able to walk I was pretty much playing hockey every chance I had. My dad was a big influence on my hockey path/career growing up, as well, after all  i guess having an Olympic Gold Medalist and all star pro player dad would have that effect. 

 

My dad (Left) celebrating a big win that led to a Gold medal

 

Growing up my dad was always there for me as well as my two brothers, Stefano & Daniele, we grew up as a hockey family and had dad coaching us every day and every step of the way. Although having three boys who all play hockey competitively can get really expensive for a family (even if your dad was an ex-pro hockey player) my dad never cared about the price-tag when it came to us, even when we would go through sticks and skates like they were nothing he never flinched. All he wanted was for us to be successful, I mean my brothers and I wanted nothing more than to go pro and continue the amazing hockey legacy our dad has started and he knew that, which is why he sacrificed so much for my brothers and myself to get to where we are today. My dad is my hero, without him teaching me everything I know and always pushing me to be better than I was the day before.. I wouldn't have the opportunity I do today. That all came with a price though, my father was a very serious, intense and stern coach. He made sure that if hockey is what we want to pursue that we would have to work our butts 24/7! But he also had his soft side at times, like how he would reward my brothers and myself with building a homemade rink in our backyard during winter just to hold tournaments with the other families in the neighborhood. To be fair it was still practice for us, but those memories were some of the best I ever had. 

 

My brothers and myself practicing before our legendary, annual neighborhood tournament

 

After having my dad help propel me to success in every hockey league I played in as a kid it was finally time for me to take the next biggest step for my career. Before joining the VHLM draft I played in the QMJHL for the Rimouski Océanic. My time there was amazing, but it started off very rocky. For the first time in my life hockey and my dad were separated, for the first time in my life I didn't have him there to coach me in practice or to cheer me on during my games. It created a huge learning curve for me, it was almost like I had to learn how to play hockey again. It is also the reason why I haven't developed as much as I should have. My first year and half with Rimouski was mostly just learning how to adapt and become independent as a player and man did I suck, I didn't live up to any of the hype that was surrounded with my name. But they never gave up on me, as much as I struggled every player and every coach helped me become the player we all knew was inside of me. Let me tell you, it paid off, we ended up going back to back, winning 2 President Cups in my last 2 years with RImouski.

 

Me (Right) celebrating my first goal with the Rimouski Océanic

 

My time in the 'Q' and all the hard work I put in during my time there to reinvent myself was the biggest reason why the GM @thadthrasher of the San Diego Marlins took a chance on a kid like me. Now with the VHLM season starting in a couple days I have the chance to show the world who I am on ice and maybe... just maybe I will be able to make my dad proud and carry on the legacy he left behind. Although that will only be told with time, I plan on making the most of it every step of the way. 

 

I can only hope that I answered the questions you all wanted to know, but this was my life until now.. in a nutshell. I appreciate all who have supported me on my journey and I cannot wait to take you along for the ride!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Eldredman 81]

Awesome dude! Great detail into your backstory; very realistic. I would work on your 'run on' sentences in your future articles. 7/10 but a 10/10 in soul lol

[Mistxh J 186]

7 minutes ago, Eldredman said:

Awesome dude! Great detail into your backstory; very realistic. I would work on your 'run on' sentences in your future articles. 7/10 but a 10/10 in soul lol

Haha thanks man! And ya when i get excited with a theme or topic sometimes i don't realize how much info i cram in a sentence, will definitely work on it in the future!

[mattyIceman 1,213]

Keep up the development rookie!