{"id":642939,"date":"2026-05-01T14:58:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-01T14:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/642939\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T14:58:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T14:58:12","slug":"from-the-nhl-crease-to-the-clinic-matt-berlins-unexpected-path-to-optometry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/642939\/","title":{"rendered":"From the NHL Crease to the Clinic: Matt Berlin\u2019s Unexpected Path to Optometry"},"content":{"rendered":"

At New England College of Optometry, there\u2019s no single path to becoming an optometrist. Some students come straight from undergraduate programs. Others arrive after careers in research, business, or healthcare. And then there\u2019s Matt Berlin\u2014a second-year student whose journey includes a moment on one of the biggest stages in sports: the National Hockey League.<\/p>\n

His story is a powerful reminder that the path to optometry isn\u2019t linear\u2014and that even a former NHL player can find a new purpose in patient care.<\/p>\n

\"\"A Moment That Still Feels Unreal
Before arriving at NECO, Berlin found himself in an extraordinary situation: suiting up as an emergency backup goalie for the Edmonton Oilers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got a call that morning\u2026 \u2018be prepared to be at the rink,\u2019\u201d he recalled. What followed was a whirlwind\u2014signing a contract, joining the team for pregame, and suddenly being part of an NHL locker room.<\/p>\n

Then came the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coach tapped me on the shoulder and was like, \u2018you\u2019re going in next whistle,\u2019\u201d Berlin said. \u201cI literally asked him if he was joking.\u201d<\/p>\n

He wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Berlin stepped onto NHL ice for the final three minutes of the game. \u201cTo this day, it still kind of feels fake,\u201d he said. \u201cI totally blacked out during the moment\u2026 I was just telling myself, \u2018I\u2019ve played hockey my whole life. It\u2019s just another hockey game.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He made a save. The crowd roared. And just like that, a lifelong dream was realized.<\/p>\n

\"\"Choosing a Different Future
For Berlin, hockey had always been the plan. \u201cMy whole life, my goal was to play in the NHL,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

And he did\u2014if only for a few unforgettable minutes.<\/p>\n

But shortly after that experience, Berlin faced a defining choice. He was offered a contract to play professionally in Europe, a path that could have extended his hockey career. At the same time, he was preparing for the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) and nearing the completion of his undergraduate degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had about 48 hours to decide,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I go to Europe, I\u2019m not done with school; and if I get hurt, I have nothing to fall back on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, he made a decision rooted in a deep-seated vision for his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, \u2018No, I\u2019m going to stick it out, finish school, write my OAT,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m more than happy to be here in Boston at NECO.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"A Passion for Vision\u2014On and Off the Ice
Berlin\u2019s interest in optometry didn\u2019t come out of nowhere. Even during his hockey career, the connection between vision and performance was always clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a goalie, your visual system is everything,\u201d he said. \u201cYou\u2019re working on reflexes, depth perception\u2026 it\u2019s kind of all you\u2019re using.\u201d<\/p>\n

That early exposure\u2014combined with positive experiences with his own optometrist\u2014sparked a long-standing interest in the field.<\/p>\n

At NECO, that interest has only deepened.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t realize how much systemic disease shows up in the eyes,\u201d Berlin said. \u201cYou can be the one who notices something before a patient even knows anything\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Berlin, optometry is about more than vision correction\u2014it\u2019s about impacting overall health and quality of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if you\u2019re just giving someone a pair of glasses so they can see clearly, that can have a huge impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"\"From Game Day to Exam Day
While Berlin may have left professional hockey behind, the mindset that got him there hasn\u2019t gone anywhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy competitive nature has kind of moved from hockey to school,\u201d he explained. \u201cTests and exams are like my game day now\u2014this is what you\u2019ve been preparing for.\u201d<\/p>\n

That discipline\u2014and drive to perform\u2014has translated into academic success at NECO, with his recent award of the Dr. Otto Hochstadt Scholarship. But he\u2019s quick to point out that the environment is collaborative, not cutthroat.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all made it here. We all worked hard to get here,\u201d he said. \u201cI just try to show up, put in the work, and learn as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding Purpose Beyond the Rink
Like many student-athletes, Berlin had to grapple with the idea of life after sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re one injury away from not being able to play anymore,\u201d he said. \u201cSo you need to have a backup plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

For him, that plan became a passion\u2014and ultimately, a calling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just as happy now being in optometry school as I was playing hockey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, Berlin hopes to combine both worlds. His long-term goal is to open a practice in his hometown of Edmonton\u2014one that includes a focus on sports vision.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d love to work with athletes and stay connected to the game,\u201d he said. \u201cThat would be an ideal situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Many Paths, One Purpose
Berlin\u2019s story reflects a broader truth about NECO: there is no single \u201cright\u201d way to get here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of different paths you can go in life,\u201d he said. \u201cIf plan A doesn\u2019t work out, there are multiple other things you can do.\u201d<\/p>\n

For prospective students, that message is clear. Whether you\u2019re coming straight from college, changing careers, or\u2014even\u2014stepping off professional ice, there\u2019s a place for you in optometry.<\/p>\n

And for Berlin, the transition hasn\u2019t been about leaving something behind\u2014it\u2019s about building something new.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got no regrets,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I made the right decision for my future.\u201d<\/p>\n

At NECO, students don\u2019t just learn how to care for vision\u2014they bring their own unique vision to the profession.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At New England College of Optometry, there\u2019s no single path to becoming an optometrist. Some students come straight…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":642940,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[556],"tags":[64,63,575,85],"class_list":["post-642939","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nhl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642939","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642939"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642939\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642940"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642939"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642939"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642939"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}