Halifax Mooseheads forward Alec Nasreddine learned at a young age that a career in professional hockey isn’t as glamorous as people might think.
“It’s hard work,” the 18-year-old forward said. “You’re away from home a lot. It’s your dream job, but at the same time it requires a lot of sacrifice.”
Nasreddine learned this from his father, Alain Nasreddine, who carved out a 15-season pro career. He played in the NHL for the Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins, and also made stops in the IHL, AHL and Germany.
When Alec Nasreddine was born in 2007 in Pittsburgh, his father was nearing the end of his playing days. Alain Nasreddine then moved into coaching, which meant Alec also lived in places like New Jersey and Texas.
Today, the elder Nasreddine is an assistant coach for the NHL’s Dallas Stars.
Alec Nasreddine grew up surrounded by professional hockey players. He saw how dedicated they had to be to be successful, both in terms of training and nutrition.
While his goal is to play in the NHL, his path there won’t be like his father’s, who literally had to fight to achieve it.
Alain Nasreddine played four seasons in the QMJHL in the early 1990s. He remembers a spectacular game in his rookie year with the Drummondville Voltigeurs where fighting was rampant.
At that time, players used to remove their helmets before fighting. Nasreddine, then 16, still remembers his 20-year-old opponent’s beard, recognizing how much older the other player was.
“I thought, ‘Oh my God! What did I just do?'” Nasreddine said.
The fight went well for the rookie. Soon he started fighting more frequently and it became part of his game.
“Back then, you just did whatever it took to stay in the lineup, stay in the league and win and get more ice time… it seems like that’s how things worked back then if you didn’t score 50 goals and put up 150 points,” Nasreddine said.
The tougher penalties have drastically reduced the number of fights in today’s QMJHL, so Alec Nasreddine won’t have to use his fists to pursue his hockey dream, although he says he loves watching videos of his father’s hockey fights on YouTube.
Looking back, Alain Nasreddine, a defenseman who scored 90 points over four seasons in the QMJHL, said it would have been nice to showcase his hockey talents more.
“I loved the game for the game itself,” he said. “I didn’t love dropping in and having to chase guys or try to make a name for myself that way.”
Nasreddine was selected in 1993 in the sixth round of the NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers.
Alec Nasreddine hasn’t played much for the Mooseheads this season. He’s been a healthy scratch in most games.
His limited opportunities to play have come on the team’s fourth line, the line of control where players try to wear down their opponents, provide a spark for the team and give their teammates a chance to catch their breath.
Alec Nasreddine said he respects the coach’s decision, but that it motivates him to improve.
“Obviously, it’s not the best feeling and it kind of lit a fire in me to prove everyone wrong, that I should be on the ice every day,” he said.
When asked what advice his father had given him, Nasreddine said his father told him to focus on getting better. For Nasreddine, it means he has to be the player who works the hardest in the gym and on the ice, and never takes a day off.
Alain Nasreddine understands the difficult situation his son finds himself in.
“Everyone wants more ice time,” he said. “Everyone wants to play and no one is going to feel sorry for you, so you have to put your head down…every day you have a chance to work on your game and every day you have a chance to improve it, that’s your focus.”
Mooseheads general manager Cam Russell played on the Blackhawks with Alain Nasreddine, where Nasreddine played in seven games during the 1998-99 season.
Character players
Russell said he has a soft spot for players like Alec Nasreddine, character players who don’t get many pats on the back and aren’t the center of attention scoring goals.
“t“They are very appreciated for everything they do, from the coaching staff and the front office,” Russell said.
He said players in Alec Nasreddine’s position need to come to the court, be positive and support their teammates.
“You don’t want them moping around the room feeling sorry for themselves, but you also don’t want them walking around the room with a big smile on their face, you know, because then you’ll look at them like, ‘What? Are you happy to be sitting?'” Russell said.
“I say this because I have lived this role myself.”
In his professional career, Russell said he was typically the sixth or seventh defenseman on the roster.
In his efforts to consistently succeed in the Mooseheads lineup, Alec Nasreddine can look to his father’s career for inspiration.
“I never stopped believing,” said Alain Nasreddine. “You know, I got into an NHL lineup at the age of 24. And that didn’t last long… and then I was in the minors for five years, but I always stayed. I had opportunities to go play in Europe, in Russia, make more money, but my dream was to play in the NHL.”
In total, Nasreddine played 74 NHL games, compared to 726 AHL games. His NHL stat line includes one goal and four assists, and his only goal was assisted by hockey legends Sidney Crosby and Mark Recchi.
Nasreddine said that while fighting helped him get to the NHL, over time, it wasn’t what kept him there.
“It was still part of who I was,” he said. “But as I got older, I relied on it less and less and became a more impactful player.”
‘Bumps and bruises’
Alain Nasreddine said that people who get to the NHL have different paths there. Most don’t go directly from youth hockey to the NHL. He has told his son that his path is going to be longer, but to give everything he has so as not to regret it if it doesn’t go well.
“As you are finding out now, there are bumps and bruises along the way,” Alain Nasreddine said. “And, you know, he’s facing adversity right now. And it won’t be the last time. But he’s persevering and I’m proud of him.”
It’s advice that Alec Nasreddine is following.
“He knows I have a long way to go and he doesn’t lie to me,” Alec Nasreddine said. “He tells me the truth, which is what I want from him. And yeah, he just tells me to get on with it because, you know, he believes in me. And if he believes in me, then obviously I should too.”
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