Christian Sbrocca has been able to intertwine his two passions, hockey and music, into successful professional careers.  As his 11-year on-ice hockey career brought him to different leagues and countries, he would also share his musical talents, often moonlighting as a rock star by night.  While he has since transitioned to a career producing music, videos, and various marketing materials for major companies and brands, he has always maintained his hockey roots and aspires to give back to the game that gave him so much.

Growing up in the east end of Montreal, Sbrocca began playing hockey with his friends at a young age, donning the red, white, and blue of the Montreal Canadiens every chance he got.  He was in skates by the age of three, and one year later, was playing organized hockey against kids who were a year or two older.  If you ask him, he was just doing what he loved to do.

“When I was younger, hockey was my life.  All I thought about day and night was hockey and it was all I wanted to do,” said Sbrocca.  “I would go to the rink at 7:00 in the morning and leave when my Dad came to pick me up at night.”

Sbrocca credits his love of the game to his parents for introducing both he and his brothers at such a young age.  He also alludes to the success of the Montreal Canadiens dynasty in the late 1970’s for instilling excitement in the city and making every kid want to play hockey.

“My mom was born and raised in a city located six hours north of Montreal, so I was born into that fandom.  My father immigrated from Italy and instantly fell in love with hockey.  It was important to my parents that my both my brothers and I got involved in the sport to at least see if we liked it.”

Even while playing multiple sports though, Sbrocca took an interest in music, particularly the guitar.  “I began playing the guitar at around the age of 12.  My Dad was a singer/guitar player and was an amazing performer, and he taught me everything.  As I got older I started playing in front of friends and I could feel something happening.  At that time, music became my passion, but hockey was still my first love.”

At 5’6 and 130 pounds prior to his Midget AAA season, Sbrocca didn’t have the typical build of an imposing hockey player.  But a hard, tenacious playing style and a relentless work ethic saw him explode as a late bloomer. 

Eventually, a full hockey scholarship to a Division-1 school in the U.S. was too hard to pass up.  At the age of 18, Sbrocca packed his bags and headed south to UMass-Lowell, where he would go on to play four years for the Riverhawks, becoming one of the most accomplished players in the program’s history.  It was a life changing experience for the now 49-year-old.

“Unbelievable experience.  Probably the best four years of my life,” explained Sbrocca. “I met some friends there that still are an important part of my life today.  They changed my life and I will forever be grateful to the school and hockey program for giving me that opportunity.”

His college career came full circle in 2010 when he was inducted into the UMass-Lowell Athletics Hall of Fame, accepting the honour in front of many of his friends and former teammates.  When asked what it meant to be recognized by his alma matter, Sbrocca gave a very candid response. “It was really emotional.  It’s very moving to know that some people don’t forget about your contributions. My teammates and I felt at the time that we needed to help put the hockey program back on the map.  We made it a point.  We played hard and believed in it.  We did that for 4 years.”  Sbrocca still ranks second all-time in UMass Lowell’s scoring leaders.

He majored in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing, a program which would help him navigate his eventual music career and understand the complexity of the business side of the industry which he was about to enter.  For the time being though, he was still focused on pursuing a professional hockey career, although music still played a key role in his life.

“Everything changed for me when I discovered the song Wonderwall by Oasis during my sophomore year at UMass. I started playing Oasis covers and adapted a more grunge sound which ended up completely opening up my vision of music.  I fell in love with the song, and it sparked something in me.” 

After graduating from UMass in 1996, Sbrocca accepted a professional contract offer from the Quebec Rafales of the now former International Hockey League (IHL).  After just six games, he made the move to Pensacola, Florida where he continued his professional career with the ECHL’s Pensacola Ice Pilots.  He enjoyed his experience in Pensacola, where his passion for music began to turn into a real career option.

Even after playing a home game, Sbrocca would perform at bars and clubs throughout Pensacola, becoming a folk hero rock star where he would tear the house down until the wee hours of the morning.  On the ice, Sbrocca thrived, recording 25 goals and 46 assists for 71 points in 65 games, including 201 penalty minutes, instantly becoming a fan favorite. 

“It felt like ‘Sbrocca-Mania’ for a while.  I had so much fun in Pensacola that year and ended up going back a few years later to release my debut album “My Script”. The team was great, and I loved the city.  It was an amazing experience.”

The following season, Sbrocca took advantage of an opportunity to continue his career in Italy. “I felt like I needed to go to Europe and play professionally.  It was a sense of closure for me.  At that point, I thought my hockey career was nearing its end and music started to become my focus, but I wanted to make sure I didn’t have any regrets by the time everything was said and done. It was on my career bucket list so I’m happy I got to experience that and cross that one off.” 

Upon returning home from the Old Country where he polished the native language of his father, Sbrocca returned home to Quebec, where he played the next nine years in the North American Hockey League.

Around that time, Sbrocca signed his first record deal and soon launched his debut album My Script.

Asked if he was happy with where hockey took him, Sbrocca left no doubt. “I am very satisfied with my hockey career.  I think I gave everything to the sport, and it gave everything to me. I left on my own terms and was happy with my decision to finally walk away when I did, because ultimately, music became my life and I could not fight it anymore.”

Sbrocca followed his heart and devoted his full attention to his blossoming music career.  “I was so concentrated on music that I kind of forgot about hockey for a little bit after I stopped playing. Music became my everything and I think that’s why the transition came so easy to me because I had this burning passion for something completely different.”

His music career took off following his retirement from hockey in 2007.  Offers started to come in to write songs, direct shows, and produce for others.  While Sbrocca was happy with how his work was being received in the industry, he realized how he wanted to use his platform.

“When I started making music, I was really focused on being an entertainer.  But later, I changed the outlook on how I wanted my career to be. That was when I realized that the calling I had was not only to entertain, but to move people. I dug deeper and deeper and wrote about the things that were important to me.  I was dealing with a lot of anxiety at the time, and was going through it all on my own, not wanting to burden my family and friends and so I was writing about the way I felt.”

Sbrocca recounted several instances where he would receive a message from someone sharing how his music got them through their darkest of times and really saved their life.  For Sbrocca, that means much more than any number one hit song.  “One of the things I love most is being able to make a difference in other people’s lives. It brings me such gratitude to know that my work is helping other people get through hardships and dark times in their life because really, that has been my purpose in music all along.  It’s a good feeling to know that my passion is serving that purpose.”

While his career has allowed him to flourish in several different aspects of the music industry, including becoming a successful producer of content for major brands, he has not forgotten his hockey roots.  As a member of the Professional Hockey Players’ Association (PHPA) Alumni Network, Sbrocca reached out to the PHPA with an offer to assist any current or former players who may have similar career aspirations.

“First and foremost, I am proud to be a PHPA Alumni and part of this community.  It’s an amazing network of people and I am grateful to still be in contact with this group almost 18 years after I played my first professional hockey game.  Ultimately, I just want to be able to help anyone that has a passion or interest for music, videos, and art in general.  I am open to working and collaborating with anyone that is willing.  The goal for me is not to sell myself, but to let people know I can assist or help them with any type of project.  I was able to turn a passion into an amazing career path.  I love where I am currently at and wouldn’t change a thing about it.”

For more information on Christian Sbrocca’s music and video catalogue and latest projects, please write to info@christiansbrocca.com or visit:

https://christiansbrocca.com/en/