Teddy Blueger left his Latvian homeland hoping to make his home in hockey.

He didn’t expect to find faith along the way.

But when he crossed the Atlantic Ocean with dreams of playing professional hockey, he began a journey that led to something greater than the game: a lasting relationship with Jesus.

Blueger grew up in the capitol city of Riga, Latvia, a medieval metropolis on the Daugava River that endured Soviet and Nazi occupation during World War II before regaining independence in 1991. However, the effects of Soviet control left an iron grip that proved difficult to loosen, and Latvia is today a largely secular society.

“I don’t know if my parents ever talked about Jesus,” he said. “They didn’t really know much about Him. They grew up in the Soviet Union, and it had just collapsed a couple of years before I was born, and religion was not a part of daily life.”

Sports were part of his family, who found time in swimming pools and on tennis courts, snowboarding hills and hockey rinks. At 14, Blueger came to the U.S. to play hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School in Faribault, Minnesota, where his focus concentrated on the ice. While there, he was introduced to weekly chapels and regular prayer, concepts unfamiliar to him.

“I remember first coming over, and there was a chapel service early in the year my parents were at, and they thought it was a nice message. But that was the extent,” Blueger said.

His wife Monique also attended Shattuck and came from a strong Christian family. They played a big part in Blueger’s faith journey, which included attending church a few times throughout high school and college.

“She was the biggest introduction [to faith] for me, my main introduction into understanding Christianity and Jesus,” he said. “You could feel there was something different about her, different about her family and how they treated other people. It piques your interest, and you want to know more about it and what it is about them that makes them different. Eventually, that leads you to Jesus.”

Blueger was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2012 following his career at Shattuck-St. Mary’s, but chose to attend Minnesota State University. He signed with the Penguins at the conclusion of his senior season at MSU, and made his NHL debut in 2018. That was where he connected with a team Bible study led by chaplain Brad Henderson.

When he and Monique got married in 2021, things clicked, and he gave himself to becoming a true follower of Christ. He connected with FCA and FCA Hockey Director Rick Randazzo through Blueger’s father-in-law, John LaFontaine, a longtime coach at Cranbrook Kingswood School in Michigan and the 2025 recipient of FCA’s 2025 Hockey Character Coach Award. Rick ran a Zoom Bible study that Teddy would occasionally join, and he came to understand more about what surrendering control of the sport he’s dedicated his life to meant and how to lean on the Lord in the unknown.

Blueger’s contract with the Vancouver Canucks ended following the 2025-26 season, and as the date drew closer, he was tempted to micromanage every assessment.

“It’s hard to wait and not know,” he admitted. “I start comparing myself to other guys, how well they play and what their contract is. In the past I would have been calling my agent and saying, ‘What’s going on?’”

Blueger found solace in looking back to note all the “coincidences” that happened at the right time that led him into the NHL and playing on the Latvian team in this year’s Olympics. With reminders of God’s faithfulness and timing, he loosened his grip on needing to know outcomes.

“It is important to wake up and be committed, work extremely hard and do everything I can in my control to succeed,” he said. “But giving up control of the outcome gives incredible peace.

As he begins the next season of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Blueger wants teammates to see the same difference he first noticed years ago in Monique and her family — a peace, joy and purpose that can only be found in Jesus.

"My whole life I was very driven by hockey results and success," Blueger said. "But I keep bringing myself back to the foundation of Jesus in Scripture and what He teaches."

“What a blessing it has been to see the spiritual growth in Teddy over the past couple of years,” said Rick Randazzo, Director of FCA Hockey. “His willingness to serve the Lord, share his faith and live out his faith is inspiring to so many around world.”

Hockey still drives a demanding schedule, but it no longer defines him. For a boy who grew up barely knowing the name of Jesus, Blueger sure has evolved into His likeness.

Get involved with FCA Hockey and merge your faith with the sport you love!

-FCA-

Photos courtesy of Teddy Blueger and Getty Images - Steph Chambers