Jacob Newton: the conversation

Mornings in the Lab · Interview transcript

You know how to look fine. You've had years of practice. The smile is so convincing even you believe it sometimes. But there are moments where you catch yourself wondering who taught you to perform this well. You start to wonder if the thing you've been hiding from everyone else is the same thing you've been hiding from yourself. Jacob Newton learned to perform that young. By seven he had a nickname. People called him Happy Jake. What they didn't know was what Happy Jake was smiling through. He'd been sexually abused by a family member since he was five. He buried it, left home at 15, chased hockey across the country, got good enough to turn pro, went undrafted. Then Anaheim signed him. First preseason game he scored a power play goal off a pass from a teammate. That same game six fights broke out on the ice. He froze. He never made the NHL regular season, ended up in Allen, Texas drinking, cheating, falling apart. Therapy cracked it open. 20 years of memories surfaced. Everything Happy Jake had been hiding. He rebuilt across Europe, won a championship with his son in the stands, watching his father play whole. Now he's written it all down. The book is called The Tears of Happy Jake. If you've ever wondered what happens when you stop performing and finally face what's underneath, that's today's conversation. Jacob, it's great to have you here. Welcome to Mornings in the Lab.