Episode 80: “Winning the Stanley Cup Was the Emptiest Feeling” (w/ Brent Sopel)

The Stanley Cup champion who reached hockey's highest level while fighting a battle he didn't understand.

Scott and Jamie sit down with Stanley Cup champion Brent Sopel for a raw conversation about his NHL career, dyslexia, ADHD, mental health, self-esteem, and the way we teach kids in youth hockey.

Brent talks candidly about reading at a fourth-grade level in high school, being labeled “dumb, stupid and lazy,” and not discovering his learning differences until age 32. He explains why hockey became his source of self-esteem, why winning the Stanley Cup was also the “emptiest” feeling of his life, and how he learned to play hockey instead of think hockey.

The conversation also gets into why Brent believes “youth sport has become youth business,” what private training often gets wrong, the details today's players are missing, and why coaches need to become better teachers, especially for kids who learn differently.

In this episode:

• Why winning the Stanley Cup felt unexpectedly empty
• Growing up with undiagnosed dyslexia and ADHD
• Why self-esteem matters so much for young athletes
• Why coaches need to understand how different kids learn

This one gives hockey parents something they need to hear: sometimes the kid isn't struggling because they can't do it, they may just need to be taught differently.

Sopel Foundation: https://www.sopelfoundation.org/
Brent Sopel IG: https://www.instagram.com/brent_sopel/

Mo's Smile: https://mosmilefoundation.org/
CHD/MSK Donation Page: http://mskcc.convio.net/goto/chdmsc2026

Partners:

• https://www.pacificrink.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/bigjohndangles/
• https://hockeytraining.com/
• https://www.titanbattlegear.com/crazyhockeydads
• https://howieshockeytape.com/
• https://www.athleticperformanceinsight.com/

Socials:

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@crazyhockeydadspodcast
• X: https://x.com/Crazyhockeydads
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crazyhockeydadspodcast/
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