Chances are if you ask Quad City Mallards forward Kevin Baker about anything related to the hockey life, he would have an answer for you. And not just an answer based on what he has seen and heard, but an answer based on what he has actually experienced first hand.

It’s been 15 seasons since Baker first turned pro and you would be hard pressed to find another player who has been exposed to so many facets of the game. Now at age 35, he not only continues to be the good soldier both on and off the ice, but also an integral and productive part of the Mallards’ offense. As such, he’s a veritable poster child for hockey perseverance and professional wisdom.

None of it has come easily, though, and that goes right back to Baker’s days as a youngster playing minor hockey in Kingston, Ontario, a widely-acknowledged hockey hotbed.

“I was a kid who was a late bloomer,” says Baker, “and I wasn’t drafted into the OHL. I was a walk-on as an 18 year old, made the team and stayed for three years in Belleville.”

After netting 21 goals in his OHL rookie campaign, Baker broke out with 44 goals for Belleville in 1998-99 and followed that up with 12 more tallies in 12 post-season games. That was enough for the Los Angeles Kings to notice, drafting him in seventh round of 1999 NHL Entry Draft, ahead of such luminaries as Henrik Zetterberg, Radim Vrbata, and Tom Kostopoulos.

Baker began his rookie season in the AHL with the Lowell Lock Monsters in 2000-01 but it didn’t take long for his career to take an interesting detour.

“I blew my knee out in my first year and only played half a season,” recalls Baker. “After that year, LA didn’t want to re-sign me so I got a tryout with Saint John and was reassigned to Johnstown, and got called up and down, signed a bunch of PTOs and lived out of a suitcase. The following summer, all I had going were some tryouts and nothing concrete. That’s when I sat down and realized there was life after hockey.”

That often means hanging up the skates and getting a new job. It can also mean heading back to school, though, and many institutions offer first-rate hockey programs.  So Baker made a bold decision and opted to attend Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

“It was absolutely a positive experience,” explains Baker. “That was a good opportunity to go back and get my college degree and get my school paid for so that’s the decision I took. I knew that if everything worked out, I could go back and play pro again.”

Baker certainly received full marks for his on-ice presence during his time at Acadia. In 77 regular-season contests over three seasons, Baker racked up 58 goals and added 45 assists. By the time he completed his studies, he was back on the professional hockey radar.

“I sat out my first year (due to being a pro for two years previous) and got to help out, almost like an assistant coach. It was a great experience with my coach, Darren Burns so I got to see that side of college life, and then I played for three years. I was MVP one year and then we went to the Nationals one year so it was a really good experience.”

Rejuvenated by his success within the Canadian university ranks, Baker signed a 2006-07 contract with the Texas Wildcatters in the ECHL and once again proved to be an offensive force leading the team with 81 points in just 62 games.

“Once I was done school and the teams started calling,” recalls Baker, “I got the itch again and I really wanted to get back and play. I knew it wasn’t time to be finished. Going to Texas, we had a really good team that year and I had a really good season. I got a few call-up games and I just wanted to get back into it.”

It would be fair to observe that a number of minor leaguers throughout the decades eventually become comfortable with their surroundings and are happy emerging as the proverbial big fish in the small pond. For various reasons, that scenario never quite resonated with Baker. After his successful 2006-07 campaign, he decided to give Europe a try and packed his bags for Germany.

“I wanted to experience the European side of the game. A lot of my friends that I had played with have gone over. Some guys liked it and some guys didn’t. I didn’t enjoy the first time I went over there; it really was culture shock for me. I missed the professional game over here so I decided to leave at Christmas and came back to Texas.”

Of course, upon his return, all Baker did was score, notching 29 goals in just 44 games with the Wildcatters.  He then spent the following two ECHL seasons with the Florida Everblades. His 2008-09 campaign was particularly noteworthy when he led the loop by a wide margin with 57 goals and 102 points. By the summer of 2010, however, Baker was looking back overseas, this time with Italy on his agenda.

“In Italy, I decided to stay for the full season,” says Baker. “My oldest daughter was born over there so that was a great experience. After that year, now that we had the baby, there was a lot of traveling and it was going to be tough so we thought we’d stay over here in North America.”

So it was back to the ECHL for two more years playing for the likes of Stockton, Orlando, and Evansville followed by a stint in the Central Hockey League (CHL) with the Arizona Sundogs, the whole time averaging nearly a point per game. Baker had expected to return to “The Copper State” for 2014-15 until the ECHL absorbed seven CHL franchises. Ironically, Arizona was not one of them but Baker managed to catch on with the Quad City Mallards and as of mid-December, he was more than pulling his weight with 16 points in his first 19 games despite the change in leagues.

“I feel like there isn’t a lot of difference in the caliber of play,” observes Baker. “There were a few more older guys in the Central League because of the veteran rule.  (CHL teams were permitted six players classified as veterans as opposed to four in the ECHL.).  Now that we are in the ECHL, it’s gotten a little younger but there is a little more motivation to move up than there was in the Central League. The guys are a little more motivated to make it to the next level and are not quite as settled in.

At age 35, Baker thoroughly comprehends the leadership role he is expected to undertake at this point in his career, even if being a “rah-rah” type of guy doesn’t necessarily come naturally to him.

“I try to lead by example,” he says. “I’m not a real big talker but when I have to, I know guys will respect me and listen. I try to show them not to let their career waste away and take advantage of your time now. You never know. You could get hurt or anything could happen so take advantage of your opportunities now and you won’t be looking back saying ‘What if?’

“A lot of them are coming out of junior hockey and they’re learning too. They’re on their own and there’s this whole thing about being a pro. You’re in the community and you’re trying to help out and get your name out there, just little things like that.”

Through it all, Baker just keeps on scoring.  He now rates as the ECHL’s active career-goal leader with 195 goals, good for 25^th all-time in league history as of mid-December. And while he tries to play down his accomplishments to an extent, he admits there are certain people in his life who make sure he is fully aware.

“My wife reminds me of the milestones coming up,” says Baker. “I really try not to think about it too much but it’s one of those things where I do have a sense of accomplishment. It shows my hard work and doing what I love. To be among the top players who have played in the ECHL, it’s definitely a real honour and something I take pride in. I enjoy it.”

Another inevitable off-ice challenge for so many veteran players involves balancing professional hockey with family life. It’s no secret that many have found it difficult to reconcile the two, but for those who succeed, the key appears to lie in tolerance, understanding, and attention to detailed planning.

“It’s definitely not an easy task, says Baker. “The road trips are the hardest. Being away from family is really tough. A lot of the younger guys don’t really know what it’s like. I don’t get to go home and lie down and nap or play video games. I’m chasing a four year old and a one year old around the house and trying to be a dad and playing with them and their dolls. But I also know that I may have a game that night and I’ve got to be prepared.

“My wife and I, we’ve been together about seven years now and we’ve figured out how to make it work and on game days, I can catch a nap and the girls won’t be knocking on the door and waking me up. It’s one of those things where you have to have a strong wife who’s willing to sacrifice.  But I love being a dad and having a house full of girls can be challenging but I love every minute of it.”

As if Baker doesn’t already have enough on his plate, he has also become involved with the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) and is currently serving as the Mallards’ Player Representative for the union. He appreciates the direction recent developments have taken the players, especially in light of the ECHL absorbing former Central Hockey League franchises and the resulting upgrade in benefits for players.

“With the whole ECHL-Central League consolidation and the insurance issues in the Central Hockey League, and me having kids, I really started to get a little more involved, see what’s happening, and where I could voice my opinion and try and represent the guys who have families. When everything happened, I thought it was great for hockey and great for the players, to get improved insurance coverage and being in a league that’s on par with the American League and the NHL.”

As for his future, Baker continues to weigh various options but he is not in any hurry to leave the game he loves. A league championship remains a primary goal but more than anything, he simply continues to appreciate the privilege of suiting up to play pro hockey.

“I’m hoping this isn’t my last year but you never know. I would like to stay in the hockey field. It’s something I grew up with and it’s pretty much all I’ve known. Coaching is something I could dive into or maybe I could finish the physiotherapy part of my degree. That’s also an option and that way I could stay involved. But for now, I’m hoping to play as long as I can.”

Given Kevin Baker’s experience, and everything he is capable of delivering both on and off the ice, that decision may still take a while.