Ray Neufeld was an all-star hockey player. He scored 102 points with the Edmonton Oil Kings in his WHL career in one season. He also had a great career with the Hartford Whalers and Winnipeg Jets, but it was off the ice that Ray found what matters most.

He started his career with the Hartford Whalers, spending a couple of years going up and down with the minors. It wasn't until the fourth year that he stuck with the Whales. 

"In my first few years in Hartford, I was trying to figure out my life and figure out my game, how to be a professional player, how to be able to stay at the national hockey league level," Neufeld explains. "I had many good years. I was playing with some terrific guys. It was a great time."

But in 1985, Neufeld was traded to the Winnipeg Jets, and although Winnipeg was his hometown, this trade had a huge impact on his life, both good and bad.

"That was an interesting time. Getting traded my first year was challenging to say the least. I had a lot of personal things going on in my life. Challenges I was trying to figure out from a standpoint of off-ice. How I was conducting myself away from the arena. It wasn't very positive."

Ray says he struggled with alcohol, and when he arrived in Winnipeg he fell off the wagon, hanging out with different people and drinking too much again. He says this put a strain on his relationships both at home and on the ice. 

"It became a concern in my life, a problem I had to overcome," said Neufeld. "Thankfully when I got traded to Winnipeg, there were some awesome Christian guys on the team that were incredibly instrumental in my life. They were superstars from my end. That was really my resurgence to rededicating my life to Jesus Christ and starting to live for the Lord."

In 1986, Ray re-dedicated his life and has been a follower ever since. 

"I can't be more thankful than I am for God having a plan. When I got traded to Winnipeg, I mean, honestly, it was the last place that I thought I would ever go to, happy to go home, but reluctant at the same time, and God's perfect plan came to the forefront."

"I guess the biggest lesson I've learned is it's hard to have a relationship with God if you don't spend time with him and you're not in prayer and you're not in the bible. The good Lord gave us the Bible, and it's the greatest playbook in the world."

Today on Connections, Ray tells us about the big trade and how it helped him to become the man he is today.