Capitals alumnus Aaron Volpatt...

For years, Aaron Volpatti’s friends and teammates insisted he needed to write a book. The former Capitals and Vancouver Canucks winger was never one to talk about himself, so the idea of publishing a book about the most traumatic experiences of his life wasn’t the most appealing idea. Not many people were familiar with his path to the NHL, one that included a trip to the burn unit after he suffered second and third-degree burns on over 40% of his body during a camping trip when he was 19 years old. Ten years later, he was back in the hospital again undergoing fusion surgery on a ruptured disc in his neck that forced him to call it a career. Volpatti already lived through it all once, and writing a book was going to mean doing it over and over again. But after experiencing the identity crisis that professional athletes often face when they enter retirement, he decided to go through with hopes of inspiring other people who went through life-altering trauma like he did. The book was “really just [about] opening up people’s minds to the power of the mind and what we’re really, truly capable of and just reframing adversity,” Volpatti told NBC Sports Washington in a phone interview before arriving in D.C. for his book tour Monday. “All the success I’ve had in my life has always been proceeded by crazy times and real tough adversity and I don’t think that’s by accident.” Released Oct. 25, “FIGHTER: Defying The NHL Odds” chronicles Volpatti’s journey from an undersized junior college player whose life was derailed by a freak accident to an injury-forced retiree coming to terms with the finality of the decision to hang up the skates. The cover includes a quote from Alex Ovechkin, which reads, “Aaron was a great teammate and his road to the NHL is like no other.” While in Washington, Volpatti spent time with first responders at the Capitals’ morning skate Monday. He plans to attend their upcoming game against the Edmonton Oilers and sign copies of his book for fans at the arena during the first and second periods. For the next week, 40% of the book’s profits will be split between the D.C. Firefighters Burn Foundation and forward Garnet Hathaway’s foundation, Hath’s Heroes. “The whole journey was really therapeutic in writing the book,” Volpatti said. “It’s really just a reflection of an appreciation for the journey that has led me here. It really gives you a different perspective on life when you think back to overcoming that adversity and give you different appreciations…and I think people will definitely see that in the book.”