Beyond All Expectations: Tom Preissing
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Posted by meaks17
When meeting Los Angeles Kings defenseman Tom Preissing, one might not think he is an NHL player and he certainly won’t tell anyone that he is unless they ask. Preissing enjoys letting other guys get the limelight while he just stay back and does his job.
Preissing, from Rosemount, Minnesota, has always been a pretty humble guy. Preissing's father, Mark Preissing, said he was always at the rink shooting pucks and working on his game when he had free time growing up.
An above average player at Rosemount High School as a forward, he opted to play for the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL after he graduated. In his second year at Green Bay coach Mark Osiecki needed somebody to step up and fill in on defense and asked Preissing to do it. If he had not been switched to defense Preissing said he likely would have only been able to play at a lower level division one school or a division three school. Instead Preissing signed with the WCHA perennial powerhouse Colorado College Tigers.
At Colorado College, Preissing stood out his senior season as a runner up for the Hobey Baker Award while captaining the team to the NCAA tournament. He was then signed by the San Jose Sharks as a free agent, playing in the show all season as a rookie, he was elected as the Playstation Rookie of the Year for the club. After two seasons in San Jose and the NHL lockout, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators and helped them reach the Stanley Cup finals. As a free agent this past off season he signed a four year, $11 million deal with the Los Angeles Kings.
Preissing always dreamed of playing in the NHL, but was never one of the guys who was considered a superstar and didn't attract much attention from scouts. A solid player in the NHL, Preissing still isn’t considered a superstar, but he said he is content with his role. Preissing shrugged off the doubters and instead of gloating with his mouth he makes his impact on the ice, just happy he is playing hockey.