No ‘Kydding’ around for two sport athlete

Golf and hockey have one common objective: you must propel an object toward a target.

While the puck moves, the golf ball is stationary.

The required hand-eye coordination in hockey and golf is also similar. Just as your eyes, brain, and muscles work together simultaneously to fire a puck, they function the same way to hit a golf ball.

It is no wonder that Kelowna Rockets forward Adam Kydd is so good at both.

“Golf has to be the hardest sport in the world, mentally”, Kydd told RocketFAN. “You are not going to hit 72 great shots. The adversity you face on the golf course can develop your mental strength”.

Kydd is no slouch at the game, shooting in the mid-70s.

“The same kind of adversity you face in golf can happen in a 60-minute hockey game. Games are not going to be smooth sailing. Golf rounds are not going to be smooth sailing, so you have to go in prepared for anything”.

Growing up in Regina, Kydd learned to play at a young age at Wascana Golf Course. His dad, older brother, and even his mom, most recently, has picked up the game.

“Hockey and golf are two sports that go together”, Kydd continued. “The seasons work perfectly together and hockey players are naturally good at golf.”

While Kydd is a terrific player, older brother Jacob, who is two years his senior, is no flash in the pan either.

“Like me, he played hockey and golf. He eventually got a golf scholarship to Indiana Wesleyan University,” Kydd said proudly. “He did his four years there. He toured around, playing in tournaments in Puerto Rico and now he has moved on to Indiana University where he is working on an optometry degree”.

Acquired in a one-for-one trade with the Calgary Hitmen for Steele Quiring, Kydd surprised many with his offense flare. In 39 games last season, he scored 14 goals and collected 33 points.

“I like to think of myself as an offensive player. I do take a lot of pride in playing a 200 foot game and being someone the coaches can rely on in any situation of the game”, Kydd said. “You have to be versatile and adapt and play on the penalty kill, power play and a regular shift. I take a lot of pride in that.”

Kydd is also durable. Last season, the now 20-year-old, dressed in 69 games, the most of any player on the Rockets roster.

“I think I’ve integrated into the locker room. I’ve gotten close with the guys and they understand I have been in the league for a while so they respect that. I just try to lead by example while still trying to have a voice in the room.”

Leading by example is exactly what he did this past weekend. Kydd scored once and set up four other goals for a career high five-point game in a 6-5 overtime loss to the visiting Portland Winterhawks.

“I am hoping I can score 25 or maybe 30 goals this season”, he admitted to RocketFAN. “I didn’t score as much as I would have liked to last year, and we are obviously losing some scoring this season, so we need players to make up for that.”

Being one of three overage players on the team this season, Kydd wants to make his final season of junior hockey a special one.

“I love our team. We have a good mix of older guys, some veterans up front that have been in the league for a while that know what it takes. We had a younger d-core, minus Tyson Feist and Jake Lee, but now they have all gained experience.”

Scoring two goals in a five game playoff series against the eventual Western Conference champion Seattle Thunderbirds last April, Kydd can be a difference maker when the pressure is on.

“I think we should be real good this season. I think our team is set up for a lot of success”.