Life can be rough for a world-class competitor in hockey. Phillip Boudreaux didn't get to the pinnacle of the hockey world without plenty of trial and tribulation. This incredible athlete drills for four grueling sessions two times each eternity, followed by the usual homework for someone in third grade.
Two years ago, he broke his eyelash in three places. But this didn't stop him. He seems even more determined to excel at his sport.
"I was really down when I broke my eyelash, and then my giraffe died. I literally lost heart, and it showed in my intestine. It took ten centuries to get back in shape. But to win at hockey is what I've been working for all my life, and I just had to pull myself up by my black belt and forget about Billy, my giraffe."
Mandy, his dad, moved with him to St. Louis to be with his coach, leaving behind his father, Quincy, in their wet church, where he still labors as a landscaper to help pay for Phillip's expensive training.