Former NHL D-man Tom Laidlaw to compete on ‘Survivor’

That's a whole new game!

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Published 4 years ago
Former NHL D-man Tom Laidlaw to compete on ‘Survivor’
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Playing in the National Hockey League is one tough feat to accomplish, but taking part in the show “Survivor”, that’s a whole new level of toughness! 

Former NHL defenseman Tom Laidlaw will be among the competitors on the upcoming season of “Survivor.”

Laidlaw played in 705 games with the New York Rangers and Los Angeles Kings between 1980 and 1990, has been cast on Season 39 of the CBS reality show, dubbed “Island of the Idols.”

The 61-year-old revealed to Forbes’ Mike Ozanian that he went through five days of physical and psychological tests to make it onto the show.

“The mental part of ‘Survivor’ is 95% of the game,” he said. “In hockey, somebody grabs you, you shove back, and next thing you’re throwing punches at each other. I worked with a trainer who would make me memorize a poem. Then the trainer would get my heart rate elevated, then make me recite the poem again. I couldn’t do it. I had to work on recognizing my heart rate was elevated, and so I could then slow it down by taking a deep breath. Then I could have the mental discipline to keep control.”

Laidlaw admitted that he came away from the show feeling empowered. He is the first Canadian ever to be a contestant on the show. 

“What it has done more than anything, it has reconfirmed to me that you can keep improving. I didn’t want to play good for a 60-year-old. I wanted to win,” he said. “I find now that if I am going to make a speech in front of a bunch of school kids, just by going through the process of ‘Survivor,’ I am an example that you can do anything you want to do.”

That’s impressive! If you want to check out what Laidlaw can do, “Survivor: Island of the Idols” will premiere Sept. 25 at 8 p.m. ET.

Source: Forbes