Living the Dream: Working in Professional Sports

This new series "Living the Dream" is intended to showcase young men and women from Enfield and the surrounding area who are currently working in some aspect of professional sports.

In this initial installment, Patch talked with Billy McSheffrey, a 2005 Fermi High School graduate who played on some highly successful ice hockey teams with the Falcons. He went on to earn a B.S. in Kinesiology from the University of Rhode Island, and is currently finishing his Master's thesis in Strength and Conditioning at Springfield College.

McSheffrey is nearing the end of his first season as strength and conditioning coach of the Springfield Falcons, the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes.

Patch: Tell us a little about your time at Fermi and in Enfield in general.

McSheffrey: I played hockey and baseball growing up in town. I played for the Enfield Hockey Association until I was a Squirt. I moved on to the Connecticut Clippers, based out of Hartford, for a year, and then played two years with the MassConn Braves out of Springfield before playing for Fermi High School.

I played baseball in town starting with Tee Ball and Little League, before moving on to JFK and Fermi and a couple of summers playing Legion ball.

I always joked that I learned how to carry myself as a winner playing hockey, and I learned how to lose graciously playing baseball. It’s just the way it was growing up.

I’ve always looked back with a smile during those years of my life where I was involved in sports. It’s the people I miss the most. The teammates, coaches and parents. They’re the ones that make it special. They’re the ones that leave a lasting impact.

I have fond memories of my Fermi days. Those hockey teams were special. The pride you felt putting on the Fermi jersey. The cross town rivalry with Enfield. Walking out for the first time to see the rink jam packed at those games. I've never really felt anything quite like it before or since. I kid with other Fermi alumni that my senior year was the best Fermi hockey team of all time. Of course, it’s just one of those fun topics up for debate.

Patch: What inspired you to enter your field?

McSheffrey: It’s really two-fold: the coaches I had as an athlete, and the coaches I’ve worked for.

There’s a book I’ve really enjoyed called Inside Out Coaching. It was written by a former NFL lineman turned pastor, who discusses how coaching really can come down to two fundamental styles: Transactional vs. Transformational. Transactional coaches primarily concern themselves with wins and losses, the bottom line, and operating in a manner that sees their own personal gain more important than that of the athletes they work with. They’re more authoritative in nature and very impersonal. A transformational coach leaves a lasting impact on the athlete. They care more about the personal development of the athlete. Their mission is to teach kids values like liberty, respect, commitment and moral courage.

The truth is, coaching gives me a platform. It’s an opportunity to influence a kid’s life. Think about how powerful that is. With power comes great responsibility. Seriously, take a second and think about the coaches you’ve had in your own life. I’m sure you’ve had both types of coaching at some point. What kind of feelings do you have for those coaches? Do those feelings ever really go away? They linger don’t they? How powerful is that? Those transformational coaches for me were Jon Maylott, Andy Russo, and Mark Dube. They’re the ones that cared more about Billy the person than Billy the hockey or baseball player. They’re the type of coach I try to emulate. I take my job very seriously because of the way I feel about those guys.

Likewise, I’ve been so fortunate to have the opportunity to work for such quality people in this field. I’m incredibly grateful for the people I’ve met these last five years and what they’ve done for me.

I would be wrong if I didn’t mention my parents and sisters. To get anywhere in life, you’re going to have to lean on others at times. It’s hard for me to fathom the sacrifices my parents made so that I could play sports, go to college and chase this dream of mine. My sisters have been supportive for every part of the journey. Believe me, not a lot of people are in your corner when you’re starting out. You get laughed at when you say you want to work in the NHL, even by your closest friends. I don’t blame them. The National Hockey League seemed like a pipe dream for so long. Now it’s just within my reach.

Patch: What internships and jobs did you hold in your field prior to getting hired by Springfield?

McSheffrey: I've interned at URI, Springfield College, with the Buffalo Sabres and at Mike Boyle’s Strength & Conditioning in Woburn, Mass. I've coached at Attain Therapy + Fitness in East Longmeadow, Mass., as well as at Mike Boyle's.

The resume doesn’t tell the whole story, though.

Someone else sees the Arizona Coyotes, Springfield Falcons, Buffalo Sabres, and one of the top private training facilities in the country.

I see a concession stand at a sports complex in West Seneca, N.Y. handing out pizza logs and candy to soccer moms. I see a liquor store in Wakefield, R.I., stocking shelves and coolers full of beer and wine. I see an Irish pub in Dorchester, Mass., working the door every Saturday night just waiting for something bad to happen.

Patch: What does a typical day consist of, both game days and practice days?

McSheffrey: On a typical practice day, players get on the ice for 10:30 a.m. I’ll have three lifting groups throughout the day. Two groups come in before the skate, and one group gets their training in afterwards. The first training group consists of the youngest guys on the team. It gives me an opportunity to spend more time with a guy who needs more coaching. Generally speaking, their training age is much younger than the veterans. We cover all aspects of training and nutrition during our time together. We start with soft tissue work and mobility drills that prime the body for what’s to come, while carving out proper movement patterns that will keep them healthy. Because it’s in-season, I have to take into account the demands of the actual sport: schedule, long bus rides, social life, etc. Some days I push the guys through a tough workout, other days I pull back the reins a little bit and focus more on tissue recovery and regeneration. There are metrics we have in place that help me make those decisions.

No two days are alike in this life and I love it that way. Hockey is tough, physical and its all but certain that some of your players will get injured at some point throughout the season. Adjustments are made for those players and special considerations made for their specific injury. I put out material that I deem appropriate to educate them on how to take care of their bodies and what to put in it. Their bodies are their most valuable asset and have to treat it as such.

Game days are longer. There’s a morning skate around 10 a.m. I’ll work with injured guys and healthy scratches in the morning. We’ll prep as a training staff for the game and stick around the rink for a couple hours afterwards getting things ready for the next day.

Patch: What has been the top highlight of your professional career?

McSheffrey: It’s hard to pinpoint one thing. To be honest, my biggest highlight has always been the next achievement. Create a goal for yourself and work backwards to where you are currently. Once you have a clear understanding of what it will take, every step you make towards that goal becomes a highlight.

I’ll leave you with this:

When I was eight years old, my father took me to the Enfield Twin Rinks on a scorching hot summer day. It was 1995 and Billy Guerin had just won the Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils. He had been gracious enough to bring the Cup back to the rink where he played as a kid. Naturally, I dreamed of doing the same ever since. I’m just a big kid, with the same dream.

Maybe one day I can bring the Cup back to Enfield for all of my friends and family to enjoy. Sure the script has changed slightly, but the goal has remained the same. Who knows what the future holds. But this path I’ve traveled thus far sure beats any other I can think of.

Photos courtesy of Springfield Falcons Hockey Club