KENT, Wash. — Kevin Korchinski has had no issue making hockey the biggest part of his life over the last few years.
Whether it was last season in his draft year or this season as a Blackhawks defenseman prospect drafted with the No. 7 pick, he’s enjoyed immersing himself into all facets of becoming a pro on and off the ice. For example, last week, when he had three games with his WHL team (the Seattle Thunderbirds) and had a visit from Blackhawks hockey operations advisor Brian Campbell and development strength and conditioning coach Christian Burrus, Korchinski never once felt overwhelmed. He viewed all of it as an opportunity to learn and enhance his game.
But there are times when Korchinski feels like he needs to step away from hockey, and he has a specific outlet for that — the piano. He’s played it since he was a child and has continued as he’s gotten older. He’s realized it’s an important part of his life. Last season, when he chose not to bring a keyboard from home during his WHL season, he felt like something was missing. He decided differently this season, and he’ll make time for playing piano.
“You have so much in life after hockey,” the 18-year-old Korchinski explained after the Thunderbirds game on Friday. “If you have a 20-year career, you still have so much life. And even after practice and you do all your stuff, you might be at the rink from 8 (am) to 4 (pm), you might have a long day, but you still have time, you can see people and do stuff, you want to keep your mind going. My mom wanted me to be a big piano person when I was a kid, so I kept going with it. She always thought it makes you smarter, so that’s how I started.”
Korchinski wasn’t sure if there was any correlation between playing the piano and playing hockey.
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