Brandon Carlo, a defender for the NHL’s Boston Bruins, need only look at his right forearm to remember that God holds his future. There, he will see a tattoo with the phrase “live by faith, not by sight,” which he learned from his mother, Angie, back home in Colorado.
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The phrase comes from 2 Corinthians 5:7, and is something Carlo has clung to during this time when the NHL season is suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, and fear and uncertainty abound worldwide.
“It’s been interesting to have the time to take a step back and recognize things with faith,” he said in a video conference call with the media Monday. “To a point, I think God may be telling us to slow down a little bit in life. My tattoo has come into real life at this time. … I’ve got it tattooed on my body for a reason. It’s something I truly believe, something that I’ve been trying to focus on living by each and every day.”
Carlo said current and former Bruins have continued a weekly chapel session with team chaplain Dave Ripper, although no games or practices are being held. Together, the group has supported each other through the long suspension of play.
Only 23, Carlo is one of Boston’s NHLPA representatives, along with teammate Torey Krug. The two have been in talks with the league to determine when and how the NHL could safely reopen.
“From the calls that we’ve had with the league it’s been great to hear that we’re gonna work as hard as we can to establish more games this season and make that ultimate goal of awarding a Stanley Cup happen,” Carlo said. “I would definitely say, for myself, with the training aspect and everything, I’m trying to do my best to stay in shape because I am optimistic about the season resuming.”
The extended break has given Carlo a chance to fully recover from a concussion he sustained March 13. Now fully healthy, he has frequented his home gym often in the hopes of soon returning to a Bruins team that was perhaps the best in the league. Boston had won a league-high 44 games before play came to a halt.
Yet even as Carlo imagines what could be if his fourth NHL season is able to continue, he can pause, glance at his arm and count the many gifts God has given him.
“I think it’s a good reset for all of us to realize how blessed and lucky we are to be in [the NHL],” he said. “For me, specifically, being a part of this team is the light of my life each and every day, going to the locker room and being able to laugh and smile with the guys is something special.
“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt. It’s like having 30 brothers with you every single day. I definitely miss those moments.”
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