Performing on a big stage is something Colin Wilson has done with regularity going back to his sophom*ore year when he was cast as Danny Zuko in a high school production of “Grease.”
For this is one of the prisms through which the world views Wilson. The 29-year-old forward is more than aware of the “Playoff Colin Wilson” moniker that has stayed with him going back to when he scored five goals in six playoff games with the Nashville Predators during the 2014-15 season.
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Playoff Colin struck again Thursday, scoring the insurance goal in the Colorado Avalanche’s 3-0 series-tying win in Game 4 against the San Jose Sharks at the Pepsi Center in a Western Conference semifinal.
“Tying the series up or being down 3-1, it’s a huge difference,” Wilson said. “I think that’s why our team was desperate tonight and had a really good game.”
Know Playoff Colin is only one side of a man who features as one of the most interesting personas on the Avalanche’s roster, if not the entire NHL.
Being a hockey player is how the world identifies Colin Wilson. He is more than that. Those who know Wilson are aware of his life mission to find happiness and become the best version of himself. Reaching such a stage means being open about his journey and not showing fear in expressing his personality.
Wilson freely admits much of his identity and self-worth was predicated on his success as a hockey player. He eventually reached a breaking point others would label as “The Dark Night of the Soul” which led to Wilson realizing he was not at a good place in his life and in need of change.
“I think I definitely overvalued the hockey player in myself,” Wilson said. “I think that’s what brought up a lot of stress. I didn’t value myself as much as a person and this opened me up to that. There’s more aspects than just playing hockey.”
Part of what comes with knowing Wilson is picking up on his calm demeanor. He has always possessed that personality trait but a sense of spirituality has provided more structure.
There is not a single religious viewpoint Wilson subscribes from. He reads works from different religions and uses that to gain a stronger understanding of himself and the world around him.
But if had to pick a religion? He would choose Buddhism and/or Hinduism because he reads more books about those specific faiths compared to others.
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“Reason I read all those texts and reason I don’t subscribe to a particular religion is, the more you read all these different texts, the more the truths keep coming up and coming up and they’re saying the same thing,” Wilson said. “Judah, Buddah, Jesus or Krishna, they all point toward love and truth and not being separate from the source. The reason I draw a lot of inspiration from that is because they are all saying the same thing.”
Look no further than the tattoos on Wilson’s left arm. His first design draws from the “Ten Bulls” or “Ten Ox Herding Pictures.” It is a series of drawings and poems used within the Zen philosophy of Chinese Buddhism centered around the stages of achieving enlightenment.
Each story has a specific meaning and Wilson chose to go with “Taming the Bull” as an image inside a triangle frame to complete the tattoo. The tale of “Taming the Bull” focuses on how a whip and rope are necessary in controlling the animal as there is a chance he could stray from his path. But with training, the bull learns what it means to be gentle and obey his master.
His second tattoo is an elaborate image of a man on a bridge looking at himself in the reflection of the water.
Photos courtesy of Colin Wilson
“In looking at himself, he sees the whole universe,” Wilson said. “In Hinduism, it says, ‘I look for God and only found myself. I look for myself but only found God.’ It’s that aspect of it.”
Going through this level of self-discovery also prompted him to think about how he values and forms relationships due to hockey always being at the forefront of his life.
This is why Wilson heavily concentrates on creating, developing and enjoying the friendships he has attained.
Colorado’s dressing room is one of inclusion. There is a relaxed atmosphere that allows players to be themselves without any fear of being ostracized.
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“He was new to the team last year and I think he was in Nashville for eight or nine years and it’s tough coming to a new spot,” said Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie. “He just seemed like a good dude. I’d never really met him before and invited him over for dinner one night and we ended up having a great time. The rest is kind of history. We’ve become really good buddies.”
Wilson’s personality is such to where he gets along with everyone. He sits between Gabriel Bourque and Matt Calvert at the team’s practice facility. After practice, he’ll sit in his stall and is often included in whatever discussion Calvert is having with Matt Nieto and Carl Soderberg while reporters scurry around the dressing room.
Practically everyone on the team is friends with Wilson.
Barrie is Wilson’s closest friend on the team, as are superstar center Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Patrik Nemeth.
“I think we both love good music and I think we’re both just nice, good people,” Barrie said. “We just enjoy each other’s company and being around each other and being around the same types of people. We have a lot of the same beliefs and morals. It’s nice to hang out with someone who is also a chilled out individual. You can relax and don’t have to have your guard up.”
MacKinnon had a big smile on his face when he was approached by a reporter to talk about his teammate, especially when asked to detail Wilson’s deep, multifaceted personality.
“He’s pretty open with that and it’s not like you gotta dig deep to find that with Willie,” MacKinnon said. “That’s something that kinda goes over my head a little bit with Willie but that’s what’s cool about him. He does his own thing. He likes his unique things and he doesn’t care what people think of that and that’s definitely admirable with anything in life.
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“You like what you like and people can either accept it or not. Everybody on our team accepts it and he’s got some beliefs and some cool stuff going on.”
Like playing the lead role in a high school musical. Barrie said he did not know that about Wilson and joked, “Maybe I don’t know him as well as I thought.” MacKinnon said he was unaware of his teammate’s theatrical past but added that he wasn’t surprised given Wilson does like to sing whenever they are in a car together.
Nemeth, who also joined the team last season, said he and Wilson share many of the same philosophies when it comes to topics such as nutrition and wellness.
They also have in-depth discussions about a number of different topics such as behavioral norms and psychology.
“He’s pretty knowledgeable about certain areas and just to talk to him and pick his brain is just fun,” Nemeth said. “He has different opinions and he can explain why he feels that way. He might be right. That’s usually what we’re talking about.”
Why is Wilson doing this? What makes him want to be a better person? What drives him to seek a truer more pure form of happiness?
He is, after all, a handsome, rich athlete who is liked by all and in the best shape of his life.
“I think the greatest gift is to have reached all this and realize that’s not all there is to life,” he said. “It actually doesn’t just lead to happiness and having success. Outward success. Those are all great external things but to be internally content and at peace is by far going to be my greatest life work.”
(Top photo: Ron Chenoy / USA Today)
