The Markstroms: A Family of Keepers | FEATURE

TAKEAWAYS

• Jacob Markstrom has a unique support system when it came to growing up a goaltender
• The Markstrom family of five has four goaltenders/keepers
• Markstrom has been able to lean on his family over the years when it comes to building up the mental fortitude it takes to be a top goaltender in any league

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From the moment Jacob Markstrom was born, his destiny may have already been set. He was going to be a keeper of the net.

Which net? Well, that was to be decided later, but if a gene in DNA hasn’t been discovered yet that makes someone a gifted goaltender, the scientists should probably start with the Markstrom family.

The head of the Markstrom household, Anders, Jacob’s father, was a goalkeeper who played professionally with Hammarby IF and Gefle IF in Sweden’s top league. His mother, Lena, was a handball goalkeeper. His older brother Tim? You guessed it, also a goalkeeper. He played professionally in the Swedish third tier up until 2017.

“People say goalies are weird; maybe we’re a weird family,” Markstrom said.

There was one exception, however: younger sister Ida.

“She didn’t get the family memo,” Markstrom laughed.

Instead, Ida grew up playing defense.

Markstrom grew up playing soccer in the summers and hockey in the winter. Coming from a family of athletes, at a young age—around 14—Markstrom knew he had to make a decision. If he wanted to play professionally, he would have to commit. And his commitment had to be full-time, whether it was soccer or hockey.

"I never did like summer hockey or anything like that," he said, "So it was a tough decision for me because obviously my dad played professionally, and my brother played professionally. So, you know, when you're 15 or whatever, to make a decision to go against your family... But you know they were super supportive."

“I don’t think I said I wanted to quit soccer,” Markstrom remembers, “It’s more I said I wanted to play hockey.”

Both knew what that meant, and they didn’t have to talk too much about it. Focusing on hockey meant leaving soccer. But it’s worked out more than fine. Once he had made the decision, he really never looked back. And although his father and brother were training together for soccer, there was still one similarity they could all lean on each other with that kept them connected as keepers.

While Jacob no longer pursued the same sport as his father and brother, discussions between them were no longer about the techniques but rather the area to which they could all relate.

“The mental part, I don’t know if it’s engrained in the family, but it’s a pressure position,” Markstrom shared, offering insight into those closest to him. “It’s a pressure position, you’re the last line of defense, you’ve got to protect the goal, it’s a lot of responsibility. That can wear on some people. Some people enjoy it, some people get stressed about it.

“I think everyone in our family really enjoys the pressure; either you save the day, or it’s your fault, and you lose the game.”

The two positions, different in their technicalities, are based on the one fundamental they could all relate to. When the going would get tough – as it undoubtedly can at times as a keeper – he had a unique support system who truly understood the minutiae of what he would feel. That brought a lot of comfort.

“Being surrounded by that, I think they understand,” Markstrom opined, “You know, my support system, I could keep it in the family, which I, yeah, you know, growing up, being trusted when you're when you're younger, it's tough to talk to somebody what you're going through.”

It’s also the type of mentality that will greatly benefit the Devils as they head into the 2024-25 NHL season. Markstrom was not satisfied with his season in Calgary before being traded this summer and enters his first season in New Jersey with something to prove, just as his new teammates feel they are setting out to do after a disappointing year.

Markstrom is on a mission.

“I don’t want to lose a hockey game,” Markstrom said emphatically. “That’s where the bar should be. You want to set the standard where winning should be normal, and then losing should freaking suck. You should just hate losing so much that winning should be normal. You have to normalize that.

"And when you have that, and when you’re close as a group, when you come in close and when you’re close together, and you have those close games, you end up winning those close games, even if you’re not at your best. You end up winning because you’re just tight as a group, and you’re just finding ways to win.”

Markstrom feels the early trip to Prague will help with that, particularly with many new faces entering the fold. But he also preaches something as part of his mindset that he learned from his family of keepers as a necessity. He said it was the best advice he received from his father about the game.

Just have fun.

All else will follow.

Markstrom still loves soccer. He lights up talking about it, but there’s no doubt his path to follow hockey was more than the right one. He’s a Vezina finalist and a leading goaltender in the NHL, but there’s still one thing he misses most about those days as a young kid playing soccer that simply cannot be replicated in a hockey net.

If only it could.

"Standing there in shorts and a T-shirt in the summer, and all you had to do was tie your shoes on. That's it."

"This," Markstrom said, pointing to all his hockey equipment. "this now is a lot of gear."