There is a lustrous bounce to Chase Pearson’s hair that you can only get from an egg yolk treatment.
When the 28-year-old Canadian forward flicks his locks back absent-mindedly, it’s almost distracting as he seamlessly shifts between talking about hair care, a career that took him briefly to the NHL, the loss of his mother and the prospect of helping Nottingham Panthers reclaim the Challenge Cup for the first time in a decade when they face Coventry Blaze on Wednesday (19:30 GMT).
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It is with the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) side that Pearson says he has “enjoyed playing hockey more than ever” and where he feels he has been able to be his most authentic self away from the game – quirky social media presence and all.
Pick through his posts and you are greeted with a step-by-step guide to getting “eggstremely nice hair”, the benefits of red lights at night, and streams of healthy living and mindfulness advice.
“I like to be myself, obviously,” he told BBC Sport.
“I’m not for everyone and don’t want to be for everyone. Being different is a good thing, right? Or I’d like to think so.”
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When Pearson got on the ice in the NHL for the Detroit Red Wings in 2022, he emulated his father Scott by playing in the world’s most illustrious ice hockey competition.
His father played 292 times in the competition across 13 years, featuring for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Quebec Nordiques, Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders.
“He was my North Star,” Pearson said of his father’s influence on his sporting aspirations.
“I always knew that I wanted to play in the NHL and that was my aim from age eight or nine. Most kids do, but I was steadfast on it.
“I would have loved to play a 300-game career in the NHL. I think every hockey player wants to be the 1,000-game superstar, and it just didn’t work out. And that’s the way it goes for most guys.
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“Most players are never going to be able to even get to the NHL, let alone have a career and stick there. So the fact that I got there was something huge for me.”
‘Losing a parent like that, it’s difficult’
It was on his arrival as an NHL player that Pearson reflected on what it took to reach that level – the years spent playing for the University of Maine, the seasons with Detroit’s minor-league affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins and, most poignantly, the devotion of his mother Laura along the way.
She didn’t get to see him play on that stage, having taken her own life years earlier. But getting there was always for her.
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“As a child if you’ve been through that, losing a parent like that, it’s difficult. There is a lot of stuff that goes through your mind,” Pearson said.
“I wanted to do it [get to the NHL] to be financially secure so I could help take care of her.
“I never got that chance, but when I did get there, a lot of that moment I was absorbed in thinking ‘wow, I’m here and this is cool’. And if you’re religious, then she would have been watching down.
“That was special. She meant a lot to me and still means a lot.”
Chase Pearson, pictured in action for Detroit Red Wings, made three NHL appearances for the club [Getty Images]
The memories of losing his mum continue to stir powerful emotions in Pearson. “It’s hard for me to talk,” he says, as he steadies himself.
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But the career he has built after his time in the NHL, his European excursion with spells in Slovakia and Austria before landing in the EIHL with Nottingham and how he has treasured each experience and opened himself up to the world with unflinching frankness online, is linked to that loss.
“A lot of what I post about comes through the lens of someone who’s been through that and dealt with a lot of stuff,” he said.
“I’ve unhealthily dealt with it in ways that aren’t productive for myself or people around me. I’ve hurt a lot of people that I didn’t want to.
“And sometimes when I post I can be polarising, but most of what I do post is coming from a place of genuinely trying to put my thoughts out in the world in a way that I would like to have heard it from my position looking back.”
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‘I don’t think about the medals’
The value placed on success, the endless effort it demands and “fleeting” joy it brings, is something he has grappled with along the way.
The European Continental Cup he helped Panthers win earlier this season, and the Challenge Cup up for grabs when they play the Blaze, are moments of his career he has learned to cherish.
Being sat on a private jet as an NHL player for the first time taught him that.
“On that plane back after the first game I was like ‘wow, this is incredible’, but what’s next?” he reflected.
“I didn’t realise I’d feel like that, and I thought ‘dang I’ve just spent 15 years to get here and now I’m thinking now what?’
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“That moment made me realise it wasn’t even about getting there, but more about proving to myself I can do it and all the moments in between.
“We talked about this in the locker room today, about getting so caught up in chasing this, chasing that, trying to achieve this and that, you sometimes forget to sit down to just enjoy it and be present with everyone.
“There are not many moments in your life or career where you actually get to remember winning something. I don’t think about the medals or silverware; it’s about doing something that no-one can ever take away from you.
“Understanding that helps you forge those connections with your team-mates and people in the organisation, not the medal you get to put up on your wall or eventually down in your basement where no-one ever sees it.”
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