Mark Messier credits magic mushrooms for boosting his leadership in the NHL

Mark Messier is one of the most influential players in NHL history. He ranks third overall in history with 1,887 points collected during his career, but it is above all his leadership skills that has made him one of the greatest in the league. No wonder a trophy bears his name, which is awarded each year to the best leader in the NHL.

But you’d be surprised on how Messier acquired this leadership skills.

In an autobiography to be published in the coming days, entitled No one wins alone, Mark Messier recounts having consumed magic mushrooms when he was 19 years old in 1980. This is how the legend, who played for the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks described his experience to a Maclean’s Magazine.

Q: You describe taking magic mushrooms at 19 as a transformative experience. Tell me more about how your perspective expanded.

"Well that’s what it did for me. I had no idea the mind was that powerful. And how could eating a natural mushroom that was organically grown create that kind of stimulus? Obviously it turned out to be an amazing experience, but more important was the question afterwards: wow, how can I use my mind to empower myself to be a better player, to be a better person, to have more energy, to create a better aura?

So then I became interested in Eastern philosophy, meditation, Buddhism, the spirituality of Indigenous peoples. The power of the mind."

Messier continued to explain how spirituality has cleared boosted his leadership during his career and how it continues to be part of his life.

“It’s always been a big part of my life. I grew up Catholic but was interested in a lot of Eastern philosophy. So I think spirituality became more important to me than the so-called religion I grew up with.”

We cannot wait to see what else Messier reveals in this tell all autobiography, though you have to admit the magic mushrooms are a surprising story out of the book!