My Story: Willie Mitchell
The following article featuring former Clarkson standout Willie Mitchell appeared March 8 on the Los Angeles Kings Web site.
By Willie Mitchell
My story begins at age 3 in Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I would play on a small town rink in the middle of Vancouver Island and at that age I was just trying to stay on my feet and that was all. I never then imagined that I would be the first guy from my hometown to play in the NHL, which is quite an honor.
I did have an early love for the game of hockey. That was due in large part to my grandfather playing a bit back in the “Original Six” days. Hockey was in my family because of that and I lived in such a small town that in the middle of winter there wasn’t much to do so my parents would send me to the rink to spend all my energy there. It was then I fell in love with the game. Most kids would play soccer or baseball at lunch time but I would walk across the soccer field and go skate every day.
Probably like most of the guys who make it to the NHL, I was pretty good when I was younger. You have to evolve your game actually. When I was a kid I was a forward and I was kind of like a top scorer. When I was 15 they turned me into a defenseman when I went away to private school and from then on I have been a defenseman.
Complete article can be accessed via the Los Angeles Web site by clicking here.
