We all have something that makes us vulnerable. A 5HOLE represents any challenge we have, and NO5HOLE is a community where you can face and overcome these. Together we can.
So … what’s your 5HOLE?
This is Tommy's story
I got into hockey by first seeing it on TV, and I was immediately drawn to goalies because of the masks. Growing up, I wanted to play with my brother and his friends, but the only way they would let me is if I was the goalie since they didn't have one and the rest is history. In terms of sports influences, I think I have too many to count. I probably follow sports and athletes way too much, and in certain aspects of my life I try to emulate myself after athletes that I see doing something positive. I would say that I'm a hardcore hockey fan. I started playing in 7th grade (12 years old, I'm 30 now).
I played travel hockey in high school. Travel hockey was more competitive than high school club teams, so I went that route. I went on to play college club hockey, and then started playing in men's leagues following college which is where I am today. We've made it to the league championships the past 3 seasons and won twice, so I feel like we've got a good group of guys. In terms of my hockey dream, seeing that I'm 30 years old now, would be to suit up as a "emergency back-up goalie" to the Capitals for a game or practice. Seeing that I play at Kettler Iceplex, where the Capitals practice, sometimes I take a long lunch and play pick-up during lunch hours and I'm always hoping that they'll need a fill in goalie for practice or something like that (my gear makes me look Pro at least? lol). My favorite players include Paul Kariya, Patrick Roy, Olaf Kolzig, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Marc-Andre Fleury (yes, I know he plays on the Penguins but I try to emulate my game after him, I love his style of goaltending! He's my favorite goalie), Braden Holtby, Jonathan Quick (also really love his style), Semyon Varlamov (and his style, ex-Cap!) Henrik Lundqvist and Pekka Rinne.
What is your favourite N5H product?
My favorite N5H article of clothing is my hoodie that I ordered following the 2015 Winter Classic. It was a custom design based on the Capitals winter classic jersey colors and it's incredibly comfortable. N5H connects with me and my lifestyle because I feel like it allows me to continue playing hockey even though I'm past the "competitive" games like it was in high school and college. I get inspired by seeing the N5H Instagram pictures of athletes working hard towards a goal.
What's your 5Hole?
I would say in a hockey sense, my main weakness is skating and flexibility. I've been told that goalies should be the best skaters on the ice, but unfortunately with me that's not the case. I guess you could say that I've been getting by with more athleticism than skating and positioning, something that I need to improve. But at the same time, it's tougher to work on these skills when you're 30 and no longer playing competitive hockey. Flexibility is something that I try to work on, but I didn't develop it as I should have when I was younger. I stretch probably 4-5 times a week but I should be doing it every day. In my every day life, I think my 5Hole is eating and nutrition. To be blunt, I don't eat that healthy and I kind of just eat whatever I want (my company also buys us lunch 3 times a week and it's usually nothing that healthy lol). When I was in high school and college, I was in so much better shape as I was following plans set out by the coaching staffs and had much more time to go to the gym. Now that I'm 30 years old and working full-time, I work until around 8 PM every day so it's harder to stay motivated on that sense and go to the gym. I'm going to work much harder to get back into a healthier lifestyle.