The 2017 Stanley Cup Finals matchup is set with the Nashville Predators facing off against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nashville will be making its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in franchise history and Pittsburgh will be looking for back-to-back championships after winning the Cup in 2016.
Nashville’s Mike Fisher and Pittsburgh’s Matt Cullen have each shared their faith in recently released FCA Resources. Read below to learn more.
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Predators’ captain Mike Fisher contributed a devotional to the recently re-released, best-selling resource from FCA titled, “Heart of a Competitor Playbook.” For his devotional, “Trust God,” Fisher opened with Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”
“As a young athlete, I did my best to balance my hockey career with my faith,” Fisher shared. “At the age of 19, my faith was tested when I suffered a serious knee injury. After the game, I knew I was done for the year. My mom called me and said, ‘Remember, God doesn’t make mistakes. Trust in him and it will be okay. He’ll use it for good.’ At the time, I didn’t want to hear it, but in the long run, she was right.
“Sometimes you can hope that everything is going to be perfect, but God doesn’t promise that life will be free of troubles. We won’t always understand why we’re struggling or why things aren’t going our way. But he does promise that if we put our trust completely in him, he will take care of our needs and give us the strength to make it through the trials of life.
“Trust takes time,” he concluded. “We all love to be in control. I can tell you from experience that it’s freeing when you begin to give that up. Ultimately, the most important decision you can make is to give your life over to Christ and trust him with it. When you can do that, your fears will begin to fade and your trust in him will begin to grow.”
To read the complete devotional penned by Fisher and to learn more about the “Heart of a Competitor Playbook”, click here.
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At 40, Pittsburgh Penguins’ center Matt Cullen is likely playing in his last NHL season before retirement. Having his name etched onto the Stanley Cup for a third time (2006 with Carolina and 2016 with Pittsburgh) would certainly be a good way to go out.
Cullen’s leadership skills and his ability to earn respect from younger players comes from within, but much of it undoubtedly comes from above, something he recently shared in a first-person article written for FCA Magazine.
He first picked up a hockey stick at the age of 2, was the son of a high school hockey coach in Minnesota and played hockey at St. Cloud State College. But he never envisioned a 20-year career in the NHL. By the end of high school, draft chatter around Cullen’s name was starting. During college in 1996, he was drafted 35th overall by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (now the Anaheim Ducks). Changes were in store for the young player, but he remained focused on the things that mattered.
But during his first few years in the pros, his faith took a backseat.
“Off the ice I was lost,” he wrote, “but on it things were going really well. I was seeing a lot of playing time when I reconnected with my now wife, Bridget, in Anaheim. We had dated in high school back in Minnesota but had since gone our separate ways. We got back together in California, started dating again, and soon got engaged. I thank God for orchestrating that because having her back in my life really helped me get my relationship with Him back on track. With Bridget’s help and encouragement, I rededicated myself to Christ.”
Since then, Cullen said his faith journey has been a continual growing process, especially as he’s played with eight different organizations over two decades.
“With each stop along the way,” he said, “we’ve grown deeper in God’s Word and truth, reincorporating it into our lives and relationships, and being encouraged through the churches we’ve attended. I’m proud of the fact that people know I am a Christ-follower playing in the NHL. Hockey is such an up-and-down sport. One day you’re on top of the world, and the next you’re down in the dumps. My faith helps put things in the right frame of mind where I keep my eye on what’s truly important: playing my hardest and putting everything I have into the game. I was given a gift, and it’s my responsibility to make the most of it for God’s glory. Having that perspective has really helped me handle the ups and downs that each season can bring.
“My faith is what comforts me when I think of my hockey career coming to a close,” he continued. “I hope I’ve made a positive impact on the people I’ve come in touch with and made a difference in their lives. And I hope people appreciate and respect what I’ve done in the game, the kind of person and man I am, and the legacy of faith in Christ I’ll leave behind.”
To read the complete article written by Cullen in FCA Magazine, click here.
Photos courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports and Courtesy of the Pittsburgh Penguins