One of the highlights of the Tennessean’s Middle Tennessee High School Sports Awards, Presented by Ponce Law, was a message delivered to the athletes by Nashville Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly.
“Focus on what you struggle with,” O’Reilly said on June 4 at Music City Center in Nashville, “I think that’s something that is so important as athletes. Whatever gives you the most troubles should get the most attention.”
During a celebration of all the best Middle Tennessee high school athletes, O’Reilly’s message focused on self-evaluation and humility. It was rooted in O’Reilly’s own growth as an NHL player, where he dedicates himself every day to improve.
“I still feel like a kid when I go to practice,” O’Reilly said. “I love what I do, but I also know that I have to keep getting better. For all the athletes here, you have to evolve in every way you can. I always try to reset and get back to a beginner’s mindset, being a kid, how can I get better at this? Keep evolving. At times it’s not easy. But if you can fall in love with getting better and keep that beginner’s mindset, I think you’ll like the results.”
O’Reilly, 34, just completed his second year with the Predators after signing a four-year deal in 2023. He has 47 goals and 75 assists in 161 games with Nashville as the team’s top center.
A second-round draft pick in 2009 by the Colorado Avalanche, O’Reilly spoke about how his growth mindset has led to a steady improvement over a 16-year career.
“I always told myself I’ve got to do more,” O’Reilly said. “It’s not going to be easy, but it pushed me to self-evaluate more. Find things that I can get better at.”
That mindset also led to a dream season in 2018-19 with the St. Louis Blues. That year, he led the Blues to their first Stanley Cup championship, scoring eight goals and 15 assists during their magical run and earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
When recalling the moment he lifted the Stanley Cup at TD Garden in Boston after winning Game 7, he was reminded of all the effort it took to get him here, especially from his parents.
“It brought me back to playing with my brother on the ice as a kid… the flood of emotion that it worked up to comes down to this trophy. And to your group of teammates all feeling the same thing. Also takes me to my parents as well. All the hours that they put in driving to all the practices. The hard hours, the cold ice rinks. Just all the time they put into it is something that just brought so much emotion in realizing that it isn’t just about me, I get to share it with those people.”
O’Reilly then reminded the athletes in attendance that they wouldn’t be in position to receive accolades if not for the adults in their lives.
“For all the athletes here, you’re not here without your parents,” he said. “Thank them as much as possible. Your success here, there’s so many people behind it. And you need those people, those relationships are important.”
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.