“Zen Buddhism” is quite possibly the most unexpected phrase to roll off the tongue of any hockey player. But Harvard captain Dominic Moore, who looks to lead the Crimson deep into the NCAA tournament this year, describes his approach to hockey in terms of this serene philosophy.

In a sport that conjures up images of on-ice carnage, Moore has become a portrait of calm.

“I was definitely a perfectionist in my younger days,” Moore said. “[But] you learn a sort of Zen Buddhism-type thing that you should just be in the moment and you learn how to react to things going on in that moment.”

“Hockey’s a funny game,” he added. “The more you try to control it, the more it controls you.”

Needless to say, then, Moore hasn’t been overwhelmed by the preseason hype that has billed him as a strong contender for the Hobey Baker award. Moore was selected as one of the top ten candidates by Sports Illustrated this winter, despite a less-than-stellar season last year that began with similar Hobey buzz.

“Obviously it’s nice that they consider me a Hobey candidate, and I consider myself one,” Moore said. “But I don’t think I feel any more pressure.”

“I don’t like to have any specific, clear-cut goals,” Moore added.

Instead, Moore has replaced explicit expectations with his philosophy honed over the years as he discovered the mental side of hockey.

“Things out of your control are fine, and you learn how to relax and deal with those things in the moment,” said Moore who has posted 40 goals and 56 assists through his first three seasons. “The more spontaneous I can be, the better I play, and that’s what I plan to get back to this year.”

Band of Brothers

By now, Moore is used to shrugging off pressure.

Throughout the college application process four years ago, Moore was unfazed by any pressure to continue the family tradition of playing for the Crimson set by his two older brothers. The eldest Moore, Mark ’00, had paved the way for the brood from Ontario to Cambridge and middle brother Steve ’01 was the Crimson captain two years ago.

But what may have appeared to be a natural progression of brothers was actually far from guaranteed. The youngest Moore didn’t decide to attend Harvard until the last possible day because of the wide range of options for skilled players like himself.

“It was down to, I’d say, five schools, and Harvard obviously had something else to it because my brothers were both here and it’s the best university in the world,” Moore said.

In the end, Harvard history was made in the 1999-2000 season, when the Moores formed the first brother-trio to play together. Steve and Dominic are also the only brothers to captain the team.