Dave Scatchard
Former NHL Center & Life Coach
Dave Scatchard is a former NHL center, peak performance coach, international speaker, and the author of The Comeback: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell.
He was born February 20, 1976, in Hinton, Alberta, a coal-mining town of about 6,000, and grew up in Salmon Arm, British Columbia. His father was a coal miner. A 6-foot-3, 220-pound right-shot center, he was drafted 42nd overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 1994 after junior hockey with the Portland Winterhawks.
Scatchard played 14 NHL seasons and 659 games for Vancouver (1997–2000), the New York Islanders (2000–2004), the Boston Bruins, the Phoenix Coyotes (under Wayne Gretzky), the Nashville Predators, and the St. Louis Blues. He scored 128 goals and 269 points with 1,040 penalty minutes, posted two 45-point seasons with the Islanders, and received Frank J. Selke Trophy votes in 2001 and 2003.
His fifth significant concussion ended the career. Unconscious on the ice for nine minutes, he has described a near-death experience and a choice to come back, followed by severe brain damage. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic later determined the injuries were irreversible. He retired August 22, 2011.
A physical and mental collapse followed. Recovery came through holistic medicine, coaching with Tony Robbins, and spiritual practice. He now runs All Star Coaching and hosts the All-Star Success Codes Podcast.
Dave Scatchard Died on the Ice, Met God, and Had to Choose to Come Back
We're in the studio this week and will be back next week with all new episodes! In the meantime, enjoy this newly remastered version of our very first episode, and catch our live streams this Thursday on TikTok and YouTube.
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Dave Scatchard shares his raw and inspiring journey from a small-town Canadian kid obsessed with the NHL to a devastating fifth concussion that left him unconscious for nine minutes, experiencing a near-death vision of God, and being t…
NHL Star Dave Scatchard on Concussions, Rock Bottom, and True Authenticity
Former NHL enforcer Dave "Skatch" Scatchard shares his raw, unfiltered journey from hockey stardom → near-death concussion → addiction, darkness, and miraculous comeback.
After a catastrophic fifth concussion left him unconscious for 9 minutes, with micro-hemorrhages across his brain and doctors telling him he was "permanently disabled" at 37, Dave hit rock bottom—hopeless, suicidal thoughts, identity gone.
What followed was a life-altering Tony Robbins ex…