An early playoff exit was the last thing Brady Griffin-Hefford wanted in the final year of his Maritime Junior Hockey League career.
It hurt. It shook him.
But he’s fine now because he leaves with many fond memories and lifetime friendships, and with the experience of being away from the comforts of home helping him to learn how to be more independent in life.
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Corner Brook’s Brady Griffin-Hefford enjoying life with Ramblers in early going
The former captain of the Western Kings wrapped up his Maritime Junior A Hockey League career with the Amherst Ramblers after being knocked out in the first round after a seven-game series loss to the South Shore Lumberjacks.
“Definitely not the result we were looking for with the team we had this year,” Griffin-Hefford said Tuesday morning from Amherst.
He said he’s not sure what went wrong, but he gave credit to the opposition for a tough series. He said his team played good hockey throughout the series, but weren’t able to get any bounces to go their way, and a lot of that had to do with running up against a hot goaltender who was a difference-maker in the series.
Always one to look on the bright side of things, Griffin-Hefford had a blast toiling for two teams in the league. He got his start with the St. Stephen’s Aces and was traded to the Ramblers last season to join his good friend Jordan King for a run at a championship in their final year.
“It was obviously sad to have it all come to an end,” Griffin-Hefford said. “At the same time I had a pretty good career with two different teams and made a lot of friends.”
More importantly, being away from home and adjusting to a new home with a new school environment gave him a chance to grow up. He became more independent, sharing a place with King, knowing full well he had to do things for himself because nobody was going to do it for him.
“It was a big adjustment, but overall it was a great experience and I definitely matured a lot from it,” he said.
Griffin-Hefford is going to finish a bachelor of science degree at Mount Allison University later this month and then take some time to contemplate what the future holds.
He plans to attend university somewhere in the fall and won’t know if hockey remains part of his plan. Academics is his priority, but he’s eager to continue playing if he can find the right fit, he said.
