GET TO KNOW THE TEAM: JUSTIN DOWLING
Oct 3, 2024There is a famous saying that youth is wasted on the young. The newly 34-year-old, Justin Dowling has been a professional hockey player for 14 seasons. He’s a different man now than he was when he started his pro journey at 20 years old. I asked him what the 34-year-old Justin would tell his 24-year-old self if he could. He was unsure at first and then said with a laugh, “Maybe, don’t take it so seriously at times. There are times you’re up until four in the morning thinking about mistake or whatever but in the end, we are doing what we love to do… if I could go back, I would tell the younger Justin to relax a little bit.”
Easier said than done for most professional athletes of the caliber of Justin Dowling. The former Swift Current Broncos forward wasn’t drafted into the NHL. He had to earn his way up the hockey world to eventually play 100 games with Dallas, Vancouver and New Jersey. For Justin to do all that, the ruminations at 4:00 AM about the slightest mistakes is what made him determined to get better. That’s the thing that separates the elite from the regular joes—the self-motivation and discipline required to achieve a higher level of success. With that mindset, it’s often hard to simply relax.
It’s a long way away from the Prudential Center playing for the Devils from where he started in places like Utah in the ECHL. Justin eventually caught the eye of the Dallas Stars when he played in the AHL with Texas. A guy who consistently was amongst the leading scorer on excellent AHL teams does that because he focuses on being great every single day. Justin won a Calder Cup in 2014 with Texas, and he was a point-per-game player along the way. Using his phenomenal skating, and offensive vision, he was a crucial part of a dominant team that defeated St. John’s in five games. I am fairly certain during that championship run, a guy like Justin didn’t think taking it easy was a recipe for success. However, when the trophy is in the middle of the team photo can you finally take a breath, smile and relax.
Perspective only comes with time and age. He’s a husband and a father now and that brings way more perspective than the sole pursuit of hockey greatness. He’s able to see the world through the vision of his children. When he comes home, he knows his kids don’t truly care if dad won or lost, they just care that dad is home. For Justin, when hockey and family come together, it’s where his two worlds meet and it only elevates his game, “I was just saying what a joy it is to go in the corner during warmups and seeing the kids at the glass. It makes the whole thing worth it.”
He's had an incredible career that continues to move forward. Working at the rink trying to get a little better each day and then taking the rest of the time to be a dad. With Justin Dowling, the Comets are a better team considering all he brings with him. Not only the hockey prowess that comes with his sheer ability it’s also his ability to bring perspective to the team that bolsters the Comets chances of doing what his Texas team did-- being able to relax on the ice with in a championship photo.