Junior hockey: Bacon is a different kind of bear
Hockey has taken him everywhere in between.
Rochester is Bacon's current landing spot after another twist in his hockey career led him here.
"I know I'm not the best hockey player, I know I'm not going to the NHL, but I'm going to work as hard as anyone else," Bacon said. "My goal is to play college hockey, Division III or Division I, as long as I get an education, that's my goal.
"My grandfather always stressed, you have to balance everything, with school work and sports. He taught us that the little things are what make the big things possible. And if you don't stick to that, you won't be able to do what you love and pursue your passion."
Bacon's grandfather is to thank for starting the
Bacon, his brother Gavin and sister Hailee were raised by their grandparents, Michael and
"He goes to work at 7 in the morning, comes home at 8 at night," Bacon said. "He's done that for 40-some years. It's just what he does, runs his own business. He taught me and my brother and sister that you have to pay attention to the little things or the big things won't matter."
LOVE THE GAME
Bacon was a standout baseball player as a pre-teen in
But things changed about the time he was playing baseball at a very high level.
"My best friend's family moved (to Georgia) from
Bacon's change of athletic plans turned out to be a surprise to his grandmother.
"My grandfather signed me up without my grandmother knowing," Bacon said, recalling the story with a chuckle. "We would keep my gear in his car. My grandmother had her own car, never went in his. Maybe three months in, I was messing around in the house with a hockey stick, not even thinking about it. She saw me and said 'what is that?! Where did you get that?!'
"I was trying to cover for my grandfather and just said 'I don't know...' That wasn't a good night."
It didn't take long for
"But I still don't think she's happy about it," he said. "She's very, very proud of me, but every game day, before a game, I'll get a text from her, 'be safe, don't get in a fight, don't mess up your pretty face.' But that's already happened."
While in high school, Bacon played for the TPH Thunder program, a traveling team made up of the best players from
"Beside all the money involved, living in
ATHLETIC BLOODLINES
Bacon comes from an athletic family. His brother, 16-year-old Gavin, is a tremendous golfer. ("He's unbelievable," Seth said.). Their sister, Hailee, is a former high school tennis state champion in Georgia's biggest class.
And Seth is now one of the top defensemen for a Grizzlies franchise that, in many ways, is starting from scratch. New ownership (the team was purchased in April by
He spent last season with Austin, recording seven points in 37 games. The Bruins -- who play in the
But as the two teams work hand-in-hand to run the same on-ice systems and share information on players, Bacon was quickly offered a spot on the Grizzlies roster. He has stood out in a positive way through the first week of practices.
"It's nice to have him here and I think he's going to be a really key contributor for us this year, especially being ingrained in the system for a year already," Grizzlies head coach
"We're all getting on the same page, and having a veteran who's been in it on the ice ... at the end of the day, we're on the bench, but he'll be on the ice helping sort stuff out, so that will be huge for us."
The Bruins coaches have also left open the possibility that Bacon could be called up if he's playing very well, or if the Bruins are need players due to injuries or other issues. He said his goal for this season is simply to enjoy his final season of junior hockey and open the eyes of some college scouts.
"Hopefully I'll be a key role guy," he said. "I want to put up good numbers and make us the meanest, hardest and fastest team to play against. I feel like I have to lead by example to get everyone to compete like that and to make everyone else better around me."
___
(c)2018 the Post-Bulletin
Visit the Post-Bulletin at www.postbulletin.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Gov. Kim Reynolds talks business in Waterloo (PHOTOS)
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News