Kraken Captain Relishes 'The Brotherhood'

Kraken’s Jordan Eberle Remembers Mentors

Kraken, Eberle — **Kraken captain Jordan Eberle, now in his 17th NHL season.**

“I love the brotherhood of hockey. I think you talk to anyone who’s not playing anymore, that’s what they miss, being around the locker room. I’m sure I’ll be the same way one day. Whether you’re competing and battling and going to war with guys, or you’re playing cards on the plane, whatever it may be, that’s what you’re going to miss. That’s what makes hockey special.

“I had a young guy (on the Kraken) ask me about routines the other day. My response was, you pick things up from guys at a young age and you try and find things that work and things that don’t work. My first couple years I had Shawn Horcoff, the GM in Detroit now, learned a lot from him.”

(Eberle and Horcoff were Edmonton Oilers teammates from 2010-13. By the time Eberle joined the Oilers as a rookie, Horcoff had already spent a decade in Edmonton.)

“He kind of took me and Taylor Hall under a wing, had us over for dinner a lot. He was kind of a blue collar guy that had to work for everything he got, getting into the league and having such a long career. Seeing his work ethic and the way that he was able to bring guys together, and have fun doing that.

“Then I go to Long Island. A guy who’s the same age as me, Anders Lee (now with the Utah Mammoth), had a little bit more goofy approach. I loved playing with him. A guy that everyone enjoyed and loved, stuck up for his teammates.

“You try to take different things from each guy. But at the end of the day, you have to be yourself. Once you become captain, or you’re trying to be a leader in a locker room, you can’t go outside of the box of what you are. I think that’s important.”

Quotes from the “100% Hockey” podcast.