It was a real privilege to meet with Joe DiPenta. If you follow NHL ice hockey, you probably know him as a defenseman who played multiple seasons for both the Atlanta Thrashers and the Anaheim Ducks. In 2007, Joe reached the pinnacle of the sport when he and the Ducks won the Stanley Cup.
While his hockey career is impressive on its own, our conversation went far deeper than stats and championship rings. We talked about faith, the trap of finding your identity in professional sports, and what it really looks like to stand firm as a Christian in an NHL locker room.
Here are a few key takeaways from our meeting.
Ice Hockey in Joe’s DNA
To many Americans, playing serious hockey can seem like a niche path. But for Canadians, it is a way of life. Joe was no exception; he started skating and playing ice hockey at just four years old. Like so many kids in Canada, he practically grew up with ice skates permanently attached to his feet.
Um, yeah, that’s what we did in Canada; we all played hockey.
That lifelong passion eventually carried him to the highest level of the sport. Even today, though retired from the NHL, hockey remains a fixture in his life, and he still plays in local leagues a couple of days a week just for the love of the game.
Christ in the NHL
Interestingly, Joe’s faith really took off during his professional career. He became a Christian while playing in the NHL, balancing the demands of high-level athletics with a brand-new faith.
During that transition, he received vital mentorship through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), an organization with a surprisingly strong and impactful presence in the NHL.
It was an interesting period of time. I got myself connected with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Yeah. And so they appointed me a pastor, a couple of guys that were leading the charge out there, and we would meet, I’d say, once or twice a month, and they would mentor me and kind of guide me, and I remember asking questions to them about, you know, how does this affect my faith in such and such different situations. So they were really a godsend to me in that early stage.
Navigating the Locker Room Talk in the NHL
NHL locker rooms and team culture can be challenging environments for a Christian trying to stand firm. Joe was very open about how he navigated social dynamics and post-game culture without compromising his values.
He set firm personal boundaries early on, for example, staying at a team gathering at a bar for only a short time before leaving. Central to staying grounded was a simple daily commitment: reading his Bible and maintaining an active prayer life.
It was definitely a challenge to live out my faith in the locker room and off the ice. There’s a lot of temptation as a young man when you’re traveling, etc. And so, um, it had to be very intentional. If the guys were going out to the bar or whatever, I would go out, and I would just go for an hour, and just to show, like, hey, I’m part of the team. I made it a point not to stay long, and just kind of found my way back out of that situation.
The Stanley Cup, False Identity, and True Humility
Winning the Stanley Cup is every hockey fan’s childhood dream. But holding that trophy comes with a subtle hazard: the risk of building your identity around a temporary achievement.
We spoke at length about how championship rings and professional success can create a false sense of identity. Living life with a false identity often has permanent negative outcomes for players and fans once the spotlight fades. I specifically asked Joe how his faith shaped his reaction to reaching the literal peak of his sport.
His response was striking in its humility. Despite reaching the top, Joe remains remarkably grounded, recognizing that a trophy, no matter how prestigious, can never define who you truly are.
Joe’s Day with the Cup
One of the coolest traditions in sports is that every player on a Stanley Cup-winning team gets to keep the Cup for an entire day. When it was Joe’s turn, he brought it home to share with his family, friends, and local community. His favorite memory with the Cup was visiting his grandmother in her nursing home, where she drank beer out of the Cup! Seeing the iconic trophy up close was an unforgettable sight for everyone involved, but for Joe, the real joy was sharing that moment with the people who supported him along the way.
Life After the NHL: Leadership and the EOS Framework
Today, Joe has translated the discipline and teamwork he learned on the ice into the business world. He now works as an EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) Implementer, helping business leaders clarify their vision, gain traction, and build healthy leadership teams.
Whether he’s lacing up his skates for a local game or helping executives run better companies, Joe’s story clearly shows how faith in Christ Jesus, firm boundaries, and genuine humility can guide a person through the peak of professional sports and well into the next chapter of life.
