Always Level Up: A show about overcoming failure, perseverance, and sports. All successful people overcome failure. Athletes, celebrities, and the common person all deal with the rollercoaster of up and downs in their lives. Always level Up is an attempt to to highlight that element of life. To show that the successful, talented, and famous people, are simply human.
Kurtis Gabriel is all heart. As a young man he’s already experienced so much throughout his life and he seems poised to go willing to go through so much more. Kurtis, like most tough players in the league, is undervalued. As the game of hockey continues to evolve, there are always constant tropes that get thrown around when talking about tough guys in hockey. Mostly complaining that they are thing of the past. However, it’s a lack of understanding that has so many people devaluing what they perceive as minor role. At the highest level of any sport, competitiveness and intimidation is at an all time high. Aggressiveness and determination among most of your peers, dwarfs anything seen in common society. Being a professional athlete is a battle and an intimidating one at that. That’s where guys like Kurtis come in. They fight for space. They fight for every inch on the ice, not just for themselves, but for those who wear the same team jersey. For it’s not he punches that they throw that provide the space, but the unrelenting physicality and mental energy it takes to pave a path for those around them. Most would not consider it this way, but being a tough guy in hockey, is being a leader. It’s why so often we see heart and soul type players converting to coaching later in their career. It’s their attitude, their brain, and their heart that most GM’s want to spread to their locker room.
As Kurtis Gabriel enters the second half of his career in at the pro level, it’s easy to consider him “a late bloomer”. However, you will very rarely find any young man playing an intimidation role for his NHL squad. There is a reason for that. It takes time, it takes confidence, and a man’s body to back it up. After years of grinding his way through the development process, Kurtis is finally on his way to NHL readiness. With several games played with San Jose Sharks this year, it’s clear to see that he’s coming into his own. Kurtis’ timeline is not set by the fans or the media, but by his determination to living up to his role will get him to his dream.
Kurtis Gabriel’s battle into the NHL is not an uncommon one for hockey players as majority of athletes drafted to the NHL have a long road ahead of them to make it to the pro’s. However, with Kurtis, there is no quit. There are no excuses, only a goal and positive attitude. That’s the funny thing about majority of tough guys in the NHL. I find that they have best sense of humor and the largest hearts. Because they’re not fighting for themselves. They’re fighting for, their team, for the energy, for the space to make an impact. Being a tough guy in the NHL always seems to point to using your fists, when it’s really the heart of the man that makes his impact. Kurtis is all heart and shows in everything he does. You might not have noticed, but he is always leveling up.
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