AUDIO ⟩ Life’s great opportunity. A conversation with Māri Jānis Graudiņš, an intern of NHL club “Predators”.

KLIK: Mari, how did hockey enter your everyday life?

M. Graudiņš: I had to do sports. As we joke in the family: this is a prerequisite. It seems that everything started with the 2006 World Ice Hockey Championship in Riga. There was a hockey craze in Latvia, but as a little boy, I watched it all with big eyes. Around that time, I also started training in hockey. I did this until my first years of university when I was about 20 years old. My love for hockey did not diminish, but logically I realized that playing in the NHL “doesn’t shine” for me. That’s why I turned to studies.

When you were a teenager, did you dream of a professional career, playing in the NHL?

I had a dream inside, but I realized that I would have to accept participation in the lower European leagues in professional hockey. You can play professionally there, but I realized that I don’t want to. I had to leave Latvia. I went to America, but there I encountered huge competition, I had never experienced such before. Leaving Latvia also made me realize: good luck guys [profesionālajā hokejā]but I have to take a different path in life.

There are enough players who also realize this, but still maintain this illusion of playing big hockey. If only it were in some low level league with little pay. It didn’t connect you?

I’m not saying it’s a wrong choice. Everyone does what they want most in life. I like to live life to the fullest. Travel, study at universities in different countries. Such a lifestyle cannot be combined with professional sports. There is serious training work in the semi-professional leagues as well. It cannot be combined with travel and other experiences academically.

You said earlier that you missed sports, growing up in such a sporty family, you couldn’t do it. Isn’t it the same with the American way? Because both your father and sister Tina have gone through it.