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Ex-NHL Defenseman Tom Laidlaw Takes His True Grit Life To ‘Survivor: Island Of The Idols’

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Tom Laidlaw played 11 seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings. I watched Laidlaw many a night from the old, blue seats at Madison Square Garden in the 1980s. He rarely scored or wowed you with his stick handling, but his workmanlike effort, dependability and fearlessness earned him the respect of the Garden faithful.

He never stopped grinding.

In the book 100 Ranger Greats: Superstars, Unsung Heroes and Colorful Characters by Russ Cohen, John Halligan and Adam Raider, the authors ranked Laidlaw No. 87.

Since retiring from the NHL, Laidlaw, 61, has kept grinding. He’s been an NHL agent—first with his own company, Laidlaw Sports Management, and then with IMG—and started the advisory firm Post Game Stretegies, and most recently, he launched True Grit Life, a motivational website and podcast.

Laidlaw’s next endeavor: being a contestant on Season 39 of Survivor, which begins September 25.

The NHL came looking for some guys to go on Amazing Race. Being familiar with his True Grit Life and exercise videos, the NHL knew Laidlaw was physically fit, so the league reached out to Laidlaw, who figured he’d give it a go. But Amazing Race requires a partner, and Laidlaw couldn’t find one. So CBS asked him if he wanted to cast for Survivor.

Why do it? “I was familiar with the show and wanted the challenge,” says Laidlaw.

To make the cast, Laidlaw went through five days of physical and psychological tests in Los Angeles. He then trained himself for the show. “The mental part of Survivor is 95% of the game. In hockey, somebody grabs you, you shove back, and next thing you’re throwing punches at each other,” says Laidlaw. “I worked with a trainer who would make me memorize a poem. Then the trainer would get my heart rate elevated, then make me recite the poem again. I couldn’t do it. I had to work on recognizing my heart rate was elevated, and so I could then slow it down by taking a deep breath. Then I could have the mental discipline to keep control.”

Another thing that ran counter to his early days in the NHL: “I really let my personality come out,” says Laidlaw. “When I first turned pro, I felt intimidated with a Phil Esposito in the locker room. I respected people too much. With Survivor, I wanted to make sure that I respected the show but that I was there to win. I didn’t want to give the other contestants too much respect.”

Having played for Herb Brooks with the Rangers also helped. “The older I get, the more I bring him into my life. Herbie was huge on getting the most out of yourself, and if you are going to do something, put your heart into it. Always try to get better.”

What did being on Survivor mean for Laidlaw? “What it has done more than anything, it has reconfirmed to me that you can keep improving. I didn’t want to play good for a 60-year-old. I wanted to win. I find now that if I am going to make a speech in front of a bunch of school kids, just by going through the process of Survivor, I am an example that you can do anything you want to do.”

Would he like to go on the show again? “Definitely,” he says.

He’s still grinding.

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