The Dallas Stars are making their way through the NHL conference finals, setting their sights on the championship cup. Player Matt Duchene, however, remains level-headed on who the real champion is. Before making it to the Western Conference Finals, the Stars faced double overtime. Duchene scored the winning goal which sent his team to the next level. After the big win, it would be easy to feel pretty great. Yet Christlete shared a quote from Duchene, declaring, “There’s no one greater than Jesus, and there’s no one that has your life and plan in their hands other than Him.”
Duchene has been an outspoken Christian throughout his career. He shared about his path to faith with The Unshakeable Foundation. Having grown up in a Christian family, he already had a strong foundation in faith. “I was just brought up with it. My grandparents on both sides are Christians and my parents just brought me up with that way of life and belief. We went to church a lot when I was a kid,” he said. “I grew up going to an Anglican church. I really enjoyed that. I’m kind of a non-denominational type guy now. I think everyone can have their own relationship with God. It’s something that’s a huge thing in my life.” He also shared that he doesn’t worry about what others think when he shares his faith. “I definitely don’t preach to anybody about it who isn’t willing to talk about it, but it is fun to have open conversations with guys who are believers. I think everyone has got different levels of their faith, or none at all. For me, just being a Christian, it’s accepting that. I don’t really care if anyone judges me or not judges me on it. I do what I do and I believe what I believe. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t worry about judgment from other people if there is any, good or bad.”
Having played in the NHL since 2009, this season has been especially important for Duchene, having played his 1000th career game in December and averaging a career best +15 on the ice. Duchene took to Instagram to celebrate his 1000th game. “I just wanna thank the Good Lord above for the life and career You’ve given me… I’m grateful for it every single day. I feel truly blessed,” he said. Despite his long career, Duchene has yet to make it to a Stanley Cup Finals. As of this writing, the Stars lead the Edmonton Oilers 2-1 and are due to play game 4 tonight.