Game On Magazine - April 2017 Game on Preview Edition | Page 101

2012
Matt Bailey at
Alaska-Anchorage
2014
Matt Bailey with the
Norfolk Admirals
Matt Bailey
with Focus Fitness
trainer A.J. Zeglen
where I’m getting better with
every game. I have a contract
with Mora and we’re in the Elite
League next year so I’m excited
to return. I went over and the
team was in the Second Level
of the pro league in Sweden.
When I went over the team
had almost locked up first
place and it was pretty much
go over there, help the team as
much as possible. We had to
win our league. Then we had to
beat the last place team in the
Elite League in a best-of-seven
to move up and we ended up
playing Leksand, our big bad
brother, 45-minutes up the
road on the same lake as us. It’s
a huge rivalry. It was a really
fun series to be part of and
obviously much sweeter when
you win it.
How important to
your hockey career
were your parents?
MB: I did all my schooling in
Oakbank and played all my
minor hockey there. Both my
parents, Doug and Maria,
worked in the city. It was all the
benefits of living outside the
city, but also being close to the
city. My parents were instru-
mental in my hockey career.
And the more I reflect on it, my
mom not being a big sports per-
son, but the way she raised me,
she dreamed big and taught me
to do the same. Both my par-
ents were crazy hard-workers so
I had great role models and they
were just unbelievably support-
ive parents. They never really
pushed me to play hockey. It
was me wanting to play and
them getting me everything I
needed to go for it – financially
and with emotional support.
There have been a lot of tough
times and they were the first
two people to help me through
that. Both my parents are very
different, but they complement
each other and they are my two
biggest role models.
2015
Matt Bailey playing
a pre-season game
with the NHL’s
Anaheim Ducks
2015
Matt Bailey with the
AHL’s San Diego Gulls
2016
Matt Bailey
with Stockton
SEPTEMBER 2017 | GAME ON | 1 0 1