POLSHUK, Jameson C.

[jameson polshuk]

JAMESON POLSHUK Jameson Carter Polshuk (born 7/27/1989) is an American professional ice hockey left wing currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is the son of retired Kings center Jeremy Polshuk, who holds several franchise records. He was drafted 32nd overall by the Kings in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, going on to win his first Stanley Cup with the club on June 11, 2012. He is noted for his playmaking abilities and physicality on the ice, as well as marrying American fashion model Athena Oliveras.

"Jameson Polshuk sporting the 'A' in Matt Greene's uncertain absence" (RANT SPORTS)

‏@lalalalynds
hahaha NHLN just did a bromance poll, I'm betting on @jpolshuk and @dewyy8 to take it

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your signature: Going gloveside I guess?
your coffee order: Grande Americano. Or just pour some Bailey's in it
your go-to magazine: Sports Illustrated...... Swimsuit Edition
your favorite brand: Easton
your ultimate goal: Make it into the Triple Gold Club

I absolutely don't understand: Pierre McGuire at all
I've always looked up to: My dad, Wayne, and Luc
I'm most likely to feud with: The entire Phoenix Coyotes roster
I'm starting to pay attention to: Athena's insane Twitter fans
I've always wanted to hook up with: Genevieve Morton Marriage rule #57: I don't think I'm allowed to answer this
I wonder what it's like to be: A goalie

" What inspired me? My dad, as early as I can remember. Some of my first pictures were of me dressed in purple and gold, playing fetch with the dog and a puck, getting into my dad's equipment bag. There's a picture of us showing off our smiles when I lost my first tooth and he lost one of his in a fight with Joey Kocur. I told everyone in the first grade that I got into a fight, too. There are old home movies of me holding my parents' hands while I learned to skate for the first time, or cheering from behind the glass with my mom and siblings. It was tough for all of us when he was away for a week or more, but every game day I'd go through my lucky rituals, park myself in front of the TV and feel like the loudest fan in the world. I'd chirp the other team, and if the Kings lost I'd get mad and swear (and get in trouble). Then my dad would call home and I'd wrestle Chloe for the phone to talk about his big goal or bloody fight, falling asleep in a #11 jersey later on. Besides a possible family gene drawing me into it, it was the passion and the intensity, the energy and the amazing skill. Playing the game you love on that big of a stage with guys who become like brothers to you. All loyalty, no fear. I remember going to the Forum when I was really young too, dad and I would get there early for practice and I'd walk around the sections looking for pucks under the seats. I still have about 20+ of them in a box sitting in my closet. In school most of my friends wanted to play basketball or football, but I'd spend as much time at the rink as I could, or practicing my slapshot down in the basement hoping I could not only play hockey on the highest level...but in a Kings uniform. "

what, if anything, keeps you grounded?

Family and fans. My family's known me for the start, they always remind me of what I strive for and where I came from. Especially Athena, someone I've been through my best and worst with. Seeing loved ones behind the glass or getting a congratulatory phone call after a game reminds me of when I was a kid and my dad was playing, so it's a trip to really grasp where I am today in similar skates. Then of course my fans because they pay attention, they make us playing like this possible, and their word always means a lot. My teammates help too, they deserve some credit. When you strip away the gear we're all a normal bunch of guys who aren't into the egos and flash; we just want to play.

would you rather relive your best moment or redo your worst mistake?

The only big mistake that could have impacted my life was letting Athena go. A couple years ago at the end of high school we decided to split. Not because of any problems or anything, but because we wanted to be with different people,experience different things, see life outside of our own relationship before it became our only one to speak of. We did it, and turns out it wasn't for us. We were meant for us. Now I'm married to the girl of my dreams, who I've been in love with for the better part of the past decade. It wasn't a mistake if this is where we ended up today. Marrying Athena and winning the Stanley Cup are the greatest moments of my life, I'd do them over and over and over again in a heartbeat. What more could a guy ask for?

where's your escape from the city?

The beach. That's easy to say when Santa Monica Beach is in our backyard. Athena's always had this thing for driving up the PCH too, we'd just drive for hours, talking and listening to music and stopping at the nameless shores on the way to nowhere in particular. We'd get souvenirs and drift through little towns, shack up in hotels for the night and order in from the most interesting sounding restaurants. It's one of my favorite things to do, still. If not that, probably head to my dad's bar or a teammate's place, even hang out with my sister and her fiance.

what are you like when you're out of the spotlight?

I'm usually thinking about hockey, maybe re watching a play or studying a goalie's habits. But other than that I'm a pretty ok guy. I'm active, I like to have fun, I might think I'm funnier than I am sometimes so I have my goofy moments. There's no such thing as a dull moment with my wife or family. Generally I like to do the things I can't when I'm not home, spending time with friends and enjoying LA by going out for food and drinks or a concert or game. Hit the beach, run the dogs, sleep in and watch movies. I'm close with some of my teammates too, especially Drew Doughty since we roomed together our rookie year. I don't consider myself famous, so the Jameson that's in the dressing room playing iPod DJ or chirping the other guys is the same Jameson you'll get outside of Staples Center.

how do you think your team would describe working with you?

They'd probably tell you I don't change my socks enough. Or that I'm a conservative poker player, Canadian at heart, Penner's glutton rival, and a prank puller. If you ask them seriously, they'd (hopefully) say I'm a hard worker and true team player. I bust my ass 110% trying to improve myself, my fitness and my mindset. I'll gladly take a punch, a puck to the face or a full body check for the sake of my team, no question about it. I take Sutter's advice too, even in his weird Muppet language none of us fully understand.

were there any deciding moments in your career?

The draft comes to mind. I had no say in it, no power over it; I was simply lucky to be drafted by any team, even just to fill in their AHL lineup if that's where they wanted me. It was up to me all those early years to play my best and keep the interest of scouts. Whether or not the Kings took a chance on me because of my dad is something I'll never know, but later on I did find out that the Leafs and Flames had me in their notes. I can't fathom what it would be like playing anywhere but LA or being traded. Sitting with my parents, waiting for my name to be called, if ever, were some of the most nerve-wracking, exhilarating, terrifyingly hopeful moments of my life. I can't even remember if I actually breathed that entire day.

any inside details on your latest project?

Now that the lockout has been lifted I'm back in playing mode for a while, but I still try to help out charities both off and on the ice any chance I get. The Kings help make that possible. Athena also runs into a lot of fundraising events that I go to with her. During the lockout I'd been working on getting together a bunch of players, helping out programs for kids to offer hockey and just generally more athletic departments in schools that have had to cut back on extracurriculars. The Stanley Cup's made a tour around schools too, the kids love it. I love it too, helping to get them more active and into something that teaches discipline and teamwork. Their energy and curiosity are fun to work with, I never mind being a mentor or coach now or sometime in the future after my career.

father: Jeremy Polshuk, 46
mother: Ella Polshuk (nee Wells), 46
siblings: Chloe, 26; Jordan, 20; Emma, Elise, 15.
other: Athena Oliveras Polshuk, wife

Beau Oliveras, father-in-law
Elsie French Oliveras, mother-in-law
Sebastian Oliveras, brother-in-law
Jesse Mccraith, future brother-in-law

Piper, Siberian Husky
Rogie, Golden Retriever/Labrador
Howie, American Bulldog

Around here I guess you could say my last name―or my whole family lineage, really―is pretty well known. It's not my story, but I walk in the footsteps of businessmen, athletes, politicians, writers, doctors before me, and so many more. Those are big shoes to fill, no matter what I choose to do in life. Luckily I think I've done alright so far.

My parents are both originally from Southern California, they grew up together as close friends linked through my grandparents. They describe themselves more as enemies until their college years at USC, when they finally started dating. They married then had Chloe soon after, all while starting their careers - my dad playing professionally for the LA Kings, and my mom as head chef in a rising restaurant. Chloe wasn't even two years old when they had me, then four years later came Jordan, and five more after that came the twins. We grew up in LA where my parents worked and a majority of our family was based. We grew up around the beach, just as they had. We also happened to grow up with a spotlight that my parents always tried to keep us in the shadows of. They didn't like tabloids and press, they wanted that out of their private lives and away from us - especially when it got damaging. I thought my parents were the coolest in the world, when most of the kids we knew had ones that traveled too much or cared too little. My parents were very busy and involved, but never so much that they passed on time with us, or giving us everything we needed from material items to memories. We enjoyed festive holidays, nights at dad's games and mom's big dinners, weekends on the beach, trips to Disneyland every summer; their priority being our family of seven above all, even if we weren't average. I didn't know any other kids who had a dad come home with stitches and missing teeth, or a mom able to cook seven course meals for four hundred people and still smile about it. I loved it,  I loved their love for us and for each other.

All five of us went to small private schools in the area, encouraged to explore whichever interests and activities we encountered. Chloe got into ice skating and I gravitated toward hockey, it was so natural that it was expected. I did decently in school for the most part, Chloe and I were more drawn into athletics side-by-side. We were close but not without  rivalry. We liked to rule over Jordan and the twins too, the food chain was always made clear as the family grew larger. We were a handful as we aged, but looked after each other nonetheless. My parents kept us balanced, my dad was more of the disciplinarian while my mom acted as the nurturer. She went on business trips sometimes, while during the season my dad was gone for away games. He made sure to never miss anything important, usually, but there were times we wished he could have been there. It was the worst when he was gone for a week or two straight, but when he was home he was always with us making up time, teaching us some of our first experiences and keeping us steady. My mom went on to star at a few more restaurants before opening up her own bakery, eventually named the Five Freckles, representing each of us kids with menu items named after us and based off of some of our favorite things. Meanwhile my dad gained fame with the Kings, playing alongside Gretzky, Robitaille, Dionne and some of the legends of the era, bringing attention to Western hockey.

As I got older, I phased in and out of any sport I could handle. At one point I think I was in wrestling, football and hockey simultaneously. I picked up kick boxing and dirt biking in my spare time, if only to try everything once that my friends exposed me to. My siblings covered just about everything else, from Chloe with volleyball to Jordan with baseball and the twins with softball and musical instruments. I settled into hockey a while before high school, around the time my dad hung up the skates after playing for 16 seasons. He was getting older, hockey was changing and getting younger, and he wanted to spend these years with his family so he officially stepped away from the game. He remained in touch with the Kings, appearing at training camps and charity games, named an honorary Kings ambassador. In fact, I played with his number on every team I made. In high school I chose to live with my great uncle Sebastian in Ontario, Canada to play junior hockey with the Kitchener Rangers. It took a while of convincing on my mom's part, but my dad trusted that it was a good test to how serious I was about where my heart was. I phoned everyday and visited when I could, coming back for the summers and earning my way through the OHL. It was my best shot.

When I was sixteen, my life changed. That's when I met Athena Oliveras.

She was.... beautiful, in the simplest word, the most basic description. She was blond and awkward and unsure, compensating for her teenage insecurities with a big attitude. She was a cross between a model mom and a surfer dad, born on the beach then raised in one too many cities. Turns out our families had history we didn't know about. I was technically fifteen, visiting Chloe's campus on the last day of school as a surprise, when I saw this girl. It sounds cheesy, but everything around us stopped. She walked straight past me toward the roundabout. I noticed her out of the middle of a group of girls, the popular crowd, holding on to a book balancing a purse, playing with her hair as she waited for a ride. Her friends were picked up one by one until she was left and I finally talked myself into approaching her. I figured in this universe I had a sliver of a chance, ready to get shut down within a second of making eye contact... I walked over to ask if she had a ride, mentioning that I was waiting for someone too, that I was visiting and everyone else had gone home besides us. Hoping for a laugh, not her thinking I was some stalker. She did laugh, we got to talking - the best half hour of my life up until a driver finally came for her. I told her there was a bonfire at the beach the following weekend, asking if she was interested in going with me as she propped into the backseat. She said yes and gave me her phone number.

Turns out Chloe had some practice run late. I ended up walking home, thinking about Athena.

That summer turned into the most amazing I'd ever had. Athena and I went to that bonfire, we stayed up all night talking, walking across the beach and trying to keep warm the further it went past midnight until we were the only ones left on the sand. I snuck her home and kissed her goodnight even though it was actually morning, tripping on a patch in the front lawn and watching her laugh from her bedroom window when I waved goodbye and the curtains closed. I didn't stop smiling, it just went on until I saw her again, and again, and again. I almost lost track. We spent every day of the summer together, past our sixteenth birthdays. She's a day older than me and won't let me forget it. We went out for food and with friends, to parties and to family dinners, to concerts and to sleepovers. When the summer sun finally died down and we were both due back to school, her in LA and me to Ontario, I asked her to be my girlfriend. We didn't have to end just because the season did, maybe something she wasn't used to when it came to her mom's fashion shows and her dad's heats. Everything was seasonal, changing, shifting, never permanent. It was a lot to ask for long distance, but she agreed.... I first told her I loved her on the rooftop of the school, dancing under the stars, the day before I had to leave. I didn't say it because I had to, or because I was scared of what would happen while we were apart. I meant it. She said it back and that was all I needed.

For the next year we kept in touch every way we could. Texting, calling, sending letters, packages in the mail, surprising her when I could since she didn't want to visit Canada yet. I never understood why, but then again I didn't care - I just wanted to see her, even if that meant long cross-country flights and barely making it back in time for a tourney. I came back for Christmas, where I formally met her family and she met mine. We also slept together for the first time. It confirmed everything, in a way. It was real, we had real faith and wanted us to work out. People laughed, dismissing it as young love and claiming we wouldn't make it past high school, but instead I made it back for holidays and anniversaries and birthdays, the meaningful events, thriving in every minute I could spend with her, robbed of the constant relationship we were gifted during those summers. My life was hockey and Athena, one taking me from the other. It was a sordid affair, and a shame they could never get along.

The summer we turned 18, we decided to end our relationship. I say that because it wasn't breaking up... We never promised to cut communication, never hoped to move on. We just wanted some space, some time off, to see what was out there besides each other. Not to discredit our love, but never have to wonder later on if we had missed out, missed the outside. There was also the issue of our futures, we agreed to go our separate ways the night before my draft day... Just in case I ended up in another timezone, I guess. Save us the pain. We couldn't be long distance forever, it wasn't fair. 3/30 NHL teams in California, and 0 in the AHL, weren't friendly chances to us. I think that was the reason I was nervous most of all the next day. I didn't want to end up further from Athena more than I already had.

I got drafted by the Kings. Second round, 32nd overall. 31 achingly nervous selections doubting I had made it onto anyone's short list. Although I swept through tryouts with flying colors I was supposed to play for the Manchester Monarchs in New Hampshire until I was ready, but got called up to LA in the first week after an injury, scoring my first NHL goal on October 14, 2008 against Anaheim Ducks' Jonas Hiller in my first game (a 6-3 win). They kept me after a few more to see if I had anything left to give them. I notched 53 points (20G 33A) in the next 79 games, earning myself a nomination for the Calder Memorial Trophy and a lot of media attention. I inked a three-year entry-level contract and tallied an average of 50 points in each of those seasons. I was extended four more, until 2015. Anyway, the first person I called when I was drafted was Athena. She said she knew, that she had watched for me. We hovered between boundaries and labels for about two years. We dated around but always ended up in each other's arms, missing what we used to have, wondering what could be if we got over the bullshit. I never got serious with anyone, I never fell in love....that was a rule we established, eventually. We couldn't let each other go for long, nor did we want to. No one had the time or room to be in our hearts. Around the holidays in 2010 we realized we could make it work, that there was no excuses nor any distance to hide behind. I asked her out again in time for the holidays and we got through them, granted a little turbulence not worth mentioning. She also had gone to college for two years after graduation, juggling ideas of what she wanted to do. I supported her, believing in every idea she had even if she didn't follow through with them all, I only wanted to see her happy. The fame caught up with her as she grew into the images she thought they wanted, dropping a semester or two to test out modeling. She was damn successful, as I knew she'd be. I didn't want to share her with the world, but it was fun for her and made her happy, so I couldn't tell her what to do.

While I moved up within the lines of the Kings, she took over the modeling world. I don't know all that much about fashion, but when my girl is landing covers and booking campaigns left and right, I figure that's like being hockey elite. All the awards, the attention, the rewards. She was between jobs and I was between road trips, finding our balance through months of unpredictability. On April 25, 2011 when we were eliminated by the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the playoffs, I proposed to Athena. Whether or not we won that game, that series, I wanted it to be memorable. And it was- She Said Yes. A season later, making personnel and player changes which cost not only our coach but my close friend Jack Johnson, we bounced around the season. Strong defense with spotty offense, they criticized, until the end of the season when we landed in the eight seed in the West. We went on to win the Stanley Cup on June 11, 2012. We ran through Vancouver, St. Louis, Phoenix and New Jersey in that order, in a 16-4 record unexpected by most, unparalleled by many. We won game six in LA of the Cup Finals by a score of 6-1. Guess 6 was our lucky number. There's no words, no feeling, to begin describing― no, ATTEMPTING to begin even replicating any second of ― that game from beginning to end. The nerves, anticipation, pressure, hope, faith, fear, longing, craving... The entire time my dad's words echoed in my head, when they lost to the Habs in 1993. I'll never forget the disappointment he came home with, a feeling he couldn't shake for weeks. Which is why he was the first person on the ice for me to hug, who said "My boy won the Stanley Cup!" when he threw his arms around me. My turn with the Cup, he was the first to touch it. It was just right.

Before that, on May eighth, Athena and I got married in Antibes, France at the Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc. It was a big but private wedding of about 700 guests, people close to us and our careers. My best man was Drew Doughty. Our honeymoon was spent in about a dozen cities from Paris, FR to Mercury Island, NZ later that summer for a month. After the stress of planning and keeping it all together, it finally paid off. Those are some of the best days of my life that I won't forget, even as our anniversaries go on. What we hadn't anticipated that summer though, was a lockout. It lasted for a few months, driving me to follow Athena around, travel, play hockey whenever I could at charity functions or peewee games, and all around spend time at home. It was nice but bittersweet at the same time, because I missed playing and so did my team, my friends, the hockey world.



***** NOT FINISHED *****

alias: Susan
age: 20
play-by: Trevor Lewis
spotlight group: Top of the Game
city: LA
currently playing: Trojans - Atlas Genius