by KELLY FRIESEN
Journal editor
Hometown hockey legend Brendan Witt has traded in his hockey stick for a lasso. The former NHL shutdown defenceman is enjoying his retirement on a ranch in Montana.
"I live on a 100-acre ranch in Montana and have some horses out here," said Witt. "Our ranch is about 45 minutes from Missoula and it's near mountains. It's nice spot to live a quiet life. I like it and it's a good place to raise a family. I have my wife and two daughters and I really enjoy spending time with them."
Witt, 39, has thought about getting back into hockey in either coaching or scouting, but since the career move would take away from spending time with his family, he's going to hold off on leaving his life on the ranch for now.
"I've thought about it getting back into the game, but I'm happy with how life is right now," the former NHL rearguard said. "My wife was pretty much a single mother when I was playing in the NHL. Playing 82 games plus practices gives you little time for your family. I also only got a month off because you start training after resting for a month. So I'm happy just spending time with my family and enjoying Montana right now."
A side project Witt has on the go is his involvement with the SEAL Future Fund. The organization's focus is on helping active and veteran NAVY SEALS with educational scholarships, job placements and networking opportunities.
"I feel it's important to do what we can to help out NAVY SEALS because what they do is extremely important," said Witt. "I'm honoured to get the opportunity to be involved with it."
A look back
The Humboldt native took his first big step torwards the NHL when he moved to Seattle at 17-years-old to play for the WHL's Thunderbirds. Even though Witt was thousands of miles away from home, he didn't find the move that hard.
"The move wasn't too tough on me because I lived away from home the year before in Saskatoon when I played midget for the Blazers," said Witt. "Living in Saskatoon was a steppingstone with it being an hour away from home and living with a different family. It was also a pretty cool time to live in Seattle. It was when the grunge scene was going on, so that was pretty cool."
Following two full seasons with the Thunderbirds, Witt was selected 11th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 1993 NHL entry draft. He went on to split 890 games between the Capitals, Nashville Predators and New York Islanders in The Show, scoring 25 goals and 121 points while spending 1424 minutes in the sin bin.
With his career in the rearview mirror, Witt feels 'fortunate' to have played 15 seasons of professional hockey. What's even more impressive about his lengthy career in the NHL is how he spent it. The 6-foot-2, 223-pounder played a shutdown role against the top scorers in the league. It entailed a lot of blocked shots and heavy hits.
"I feel fortunate to have been able to play as long I did," said Witt. "I played 15 years in the league and the average is I believe only three years. It's a very tough league to get into and then stay in. I was fortunate to get the opportunity to play against probably the best talent at that time night after night like (Jaromir) Jagr and (Mario) Lemieux. It was a great experience and an honour to play against those guys."
One of Witt's crazier moments in the NHL happened in Philadelphia in December 2009. In the morning before a game against the Flyers, a car hit him when he was walking across the street on a crosswalk. But like a true hockey player, Witt picked himself off the street and suited up for the Islanders later that evening like nothing had happened.
"That was quite a day when that happened," he said. "I'm happy I didn't blow out my knee. I was just walking across the street and some guy did an illegal turn and hit me and I went up on his hood. I was sorer the next day than right after getting hit than anything. But yeah, I played against the Flyers that night and I remember talking to (Chris) Pronger and (Jeff) Carter and being like 'What did you guys do this morning, I got hit by a car. Only in Philly does this stuff happen.' It was quite the day."
