Setting Goals In Hockey: The Complete Guide

Setting goals in hockey is something that we hear a lot about, but there’s rarely clarification, or instruction, about the best way to go about doing that. We hear it all the time, “what are your goals?”

It’s kind of crazy because we hear people talk about setting goals and their importance, but never really receive any guidance about how to go about doing it. It’s like we’re just supposed to automatically know how to set goals in order to drastically change our life for the better.

Hockey is no different. I had coaches growing up who used to just ask, “What are your goals?”

And I remember thinking about it and just kind of throwing out a random answer of what I thought I wanted, but there was never a system behind it. There was never someone who sat down and said this is how you set goals, and this is why you need to set goals.

Goals are an incredibly powerful thing if you’re taught how to use them and actually act upon the process.

So let’s jump in and get started.

What Are Goals

The simple answer is that goals are things we want to accomplish in the future. And to be honest, this is probably how most of us think about them on a daily basis.

That’s the right answer but that’s also just a surface answer. There’s obviously a lot more that needs to go into everything in order to create strong goals that are not only achievable but will also keep you motivated to continue working towards them. 

Whether it’s in hockey or life, we need to be setting goals that all have three defined characteristics.

1. They need to be inspiring. If it isn’t something that is going to keep you motivated and excited to be working for, you’re never going to be able to achieve it. When obstacles come up, are you passionate enough about your goal to keep pushing forward towards it?

2. It needs to be believable. I know a big part of goal setting is to push the boundaries, but it needs to be believable (at least to you) in order for it to be successful. For example, it’s probably not believable to say you want to play in the NHL next season if you are 16 and currently playing on a local midget team....

3. Your goals need to be things that you can take action on. Without the ability to take action, there is no way to track, or build, a process to achieve your goals. We need to be able to define what the actions are that we need to take to achieve our goals.

Why Do You Need To Be Setting Goals

As hockey players, there are a lot of things that can act as possible distractions. Plain and simple, goals provide us focus and direction. When you know what you are working for it’s easier to stay focused on what it is you really want. Jim Rohn, a well known motivational speaker, sums it up best.

“Goals are like a magnet - they pull. And the stronger they are, the more purposeful they are, the bigger they are, and the more unique they are, the stronger the pull.”

So in other words, if you aren’t setting goals as a player then you aren’t reaching your full potential because you don’t have a laser like focus on the direction you want to move in. The more defined, and clear, you are on your goals the easier it becomes to stay on track and continue to make progress.

Goals are also vital because they allow us to push through obstacles.

How many of you have ever started doing something and then ended up quitting or not following through?

I’m sure we all have at one time or another.

As parents or coaches, how many of us have heard our players say that they were going to go in the garage or basement and shoot extra pucks everyday to get better, and then a couple weeks go by and that bucket of pucks just continues to sit there unused?

The truth is that I’m sure most of us can share a story similar to that.

This is just an example of why goals become so important. They continually give us a reason to keep working even when things get tough. And, when done correctly, can be a quick shot of motivation to push through those tough days and stay on track.

One of the best, most relatable, examples I can give is working out. Think about yourself when you’ve decided that you needed to get in better shape and start working out more, or again.

For most of us, the first few days, or even weeks, are pretty easy because we’re inspired and motivated to make a change. And it also helps, that often times we see some quick results from starting to work out again. Whether that’s dropping a few pounds, or just genuinely feeling better about yourself… it feels good.

But then what happens? Three or four weeks roll by and all the sudden the excitement of starting something new has worn off and maybe the noticeable progress has started to plateau.

It’s the first major obstacle that we all hit. We start to lose our motivation and all the sudden it becomes easier and easier to find an excuse of why we don’t need to work out.

This is just one example as to why goals are so important. Without goals, it becomes easy to quit.

The whole point of having goals is to give you some backup and help keep you motivated, inspired, and moving forward.

I feel like learning about goals and how to incorporate them into your life are incredibly powerful because of exact examples like above.   

It’s like anything else in life, if you can buy in and 100% commit to trying it, I promise you you’ll grow for the better from the results.

Because here is the real truth behind having goals. We’re all after the end result, but it’s during the journey that we learn the most from.

How To Set Goals

Now before we just starting throwing out ideas about things we want to do. We need to start with some reflection and a good self evaluation. It’s nearly impossible to grow as a player and person if you don’t know where you are currently.

From a hockey standpoint, think about yourself as a player. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

You also need to think about how bad you really want to get better. You have to know that with anything, it’s going to take a lot of hard work and commitment to really get better. So I always think it’s important to really think about the amount of work you’re willing to commit to before you start throwing out lofty goals of things you want to achieve.

Once you have time to reflect and feel like you have a really strong understanding of where you are as a player, then it’s time to start thinking about what you really want to achieve and work for.

Now is the time to pull out a piece of paper and start writing down everything that comes to your mind. What do you want to achieve? What are your actual dreams, aspirations, and goals?

This is the time to get everything down on paper. Don’t worry about if it’s realistic or not, just write down everything that comes to your mind about what you want to achieve. Once you have a list, then you can sort through it and figure out what you really want to work on making a reality.

An even better way to think about it is, what would you want to do if you knew that you could not fail? Or, what would you want to do and achieve to ensure that you never had any regrets.

Now that your list is done, take a break from it all. I think you should give yourself a minimum of a few hours, or even 24 hours, to let that list sit there. Once you’ve had a chance to get away from it for a bit, go back to it and look at your list again.

Most people will have a few things that will be easy to cross off. Either they aren’t even remotely realistic, or now that you’ve had some time to refresh your brain, you’ve decided it’s not something you’re remotely interested in.

With everything that is left over, start prioritizing each item on the list. Pretty soon you’ll have an organized list of the things that you’re passionate about and motivated to go after.

Now with this next part, I’m sure that a lot of you have heard of S.M.A.R.T. goals. If you haven’t, it’s an acronym for a system to follow when setting goals. We want to be able to create intelligent goals that our heart can get behind and our body will follow. Every goal you set should be able to follow this same system:

• S - Specific -  This is where we have to know exactly what we are working for. You cannot be vague in this part of the goal setting process. An example would be: I am going to shoot 10,000 extra pucks over the course of the summer (or 100 extra pucks for the next 100 days). This is specific. A bad example would be: I want to be a better goal scorer. While they are essentially saying the same thing, the phrasing of the first example is specific and leaves no room for interpretation. When you get specific with your goals, they become more powerful.

• M - Measurable - Think about it this way, if you don’t track something how do you know if you are ever actually getting better? Each goal that you set needs to be able to be tracked and measured. If we use the example above, we know that if we shoot 100 extra pucks a day that we can track our progress. Saying that you want to be a better goal scorer leaves to many things open for interpretation. Sure you could possibly compare year to year how many goals you have been scoring but that won’t give you the measurable results that you need to really get better and stick with your goals.

• A - Attainable - Our goals should almost feel like they are just out of reach in order to continue to challenge and push us forward. With that being said, they need to be attainable. Don’t set such a lofty goal that you know you have no way of reaching. An example of this would be to shoot 10,000 extra pucks over the course of the summer. That is a stretch, but really a very attainable goal.

• R - Realistic -  This portion of the goal setting process works hand and hand with the ‘attainable’ piece above. We talked earlier about how goals need to be realistic. Now, just because I said realistic doesn’t mean easy. If we stick with our example above, shooting 10,000 extra pucks is only attainable if we set a realistic goal for ourselves, like 100 extra shots a day. It would be unrealistic to say I want to shoot 10,000 pucks today, but you can make it realistic by saying that I am going to shoot 100 extra pucks a day for the entire summer to reach 10,000.

• T - Time - Every goal that you set should have a time frame attached to it. Think about how easy it is to procrastinate on things if there is no deadline. The same idea holds true with goals. We need to set a time frame to everything we do. If we use the example above, then a realistic time frame would be to shoot 100 extra pucks for the next 100 days. That would, in turn, get you to your original goal of shooting 10,000 extra pucks during the summer. Putting a time frame on a goal keeps us motivated and accountable. 

The last piece to ensuring that you’re successful with your goal setting is having accountability.

Accountability is vital to your success with setting goals. Think about it this way, if no one knows about your goals, what’s there to keep you accountable? Does that goal really have any power behind it? I would say often times, no.

There are two main parts to accountability: internal and external.

Internal accountability is important because at the end of the day, we are the ones that are going after our goals. Thus, we should make sure that we are taking responsibility for our goals. It ultimately isn’t up to anyone else to make sure that we achieve our goals.

The best way to ensure that you have internal accountability is to write down your goals so you leave no room for interpretation. When goals are specific and follow the S.M.A.R.T. format, they remove the possibility of be ambiguous.

The next best thing you can do for yourself is be brutally honest with yourself. Don’t allow excuses to come into the picture. Look at things from a black and white viewpoint. Are you on track? Are you sticking to what you said you wanted? In most cases, you’ll find with an honest self assessment that you’re either on track and working towards the end goal, or you’ve fallen off the path and process and need to either get back on track or reevaluate your goals to begin with.

External accountability is also extremely valuable for achieving your goals. Like I said earlier, if no one knows about your goals, then really how powerful are they?

The best way to create external accountability is to find someone who you really trust - a coach, parent, spouse, best friend - but is someone that will be tough and honest with you. Once you identify that person, or group, share with them what your goals are and ask them to keep you accountable. It’s truly amazing how motivating it can be to most people knowing that they are going to have to answer and update someone on their progress.

No one wants to feel like they’re letting anyone down.

Having an external source of accountability helps eliminate this feeling and can help keep you on track. The last part of having an external source of accountability is to commit to being completely honest with them. Remember, no one is perfect and we all have moments of struggle. But, if you are serious about achieving your goals then you have to be willing to take the good with the bad and you have to commit to being honest about your work and progress. Create a time frame of when and how often you are going to check in with each other about your goals. When you have someone holding you accountable, your success rate with improve dramatically.

I know it can be intimidating to share with someone your dreams, but get over the fear and get out of your comfort zone. Find someone to keep you accountable and make your goals and dreams come true.

I know this is a long guide, but I wanted to really spend some time to get into the details of goal setting. The hope is that you can read this and be able to go and start implementing these techniques into your life, and game, immediately.

Good luck!

Are You Going Through The Motions?

It took me a long time to realize this, but there is a huge difference between taking action and just going through the motions.

From a hockey perspective, I think this concept totally fits.

How many of you have talked about all the things that you want to happen in your hockey career?

In other words, how many of you have sat down and talked about things like "being stronger and in better shape for next season by working out 5 days a week" or "if I stick handle for 15 minutes a day I'll become more confident with the puck" or "I'm going to shoot 100 extra pucks a day so I can score more goals next season".

If we're really being honest with ourselves then I would bet we've all heard things like that said before. Either we've said them our self, or your son or daughter or players we coach have all told us this.

Now, I'm not here to be negative in this post, because the positive is that at least you're starting to think about those things and are realizing that there is more you can be doing to get better. But, this is where going through the motions, compared to taking action really steps in.

How many of you have said things like that, but then never fully followed through?

I know this is on the internet but I would hope you all are being honest and raising your hand. I know I am.

The truth is, we've all been there and done that before. We've all had moments of clarity and motivation where we map out the things we want to do.

But then what happens is that the next day rolls around and we maybe don't feel quite as motivated, or we didn't sleep as well as normal the night before, or we need to go on YouTube and watch videos about the best way to set up a shooting lane in our basement...

I hope you're starting to see the point that I'm making...

It's really easy to make these grand plans about the things we want to do, but it's really hard to just start.

And if I've learned anything over the past 32 years, it's that nothing is ever perfect and if you can take action, and start, you're already ahead of 90% of everyone else.

I'll never forget a conversation I had with a player a couple of summers ago where he talked to me about wanting to work on his stickhandling and shooting everyday over the summer.

After that conversation, I remember him leaving excited and motivated about his possible improvement over the course of the summer.

When I saw him the next week, I asked him how his training at home was going. His response was exactly what I'm talking about here. To paraphrase, he said: "Well, I haven't started yet, because I'm waiting for one of those Green Biscuit stickhandling pucks to arrive that I ordered online, and I haven't started shooting pucks yet because I only have 5 or 10 pucks at my house, but this guy my dad knows said he has a big bucket of pucks that we can have. So whenever my dad sees him and I get the bucket, then I can start shooting. But hopefully I'll get started this week."

Like I said before, I'm not trying to be overly critical in this article. But, that paragraph above is the perfect example of what so many of us do...most of the time without even realizing it. We're in motion, but not actually taking action.

Making plans are great, but executing is where the real difference is made.

The only way to ever actually get results is through taking action. It doesn't have to be perfect and changes, and pivots, can be made along the way. But usually, the biggest hurdle is to simply get started.

If you can start taking action, stay consistent, and continue to work hard there's no way that you're not going to get better.

So the next time you sit down and think about what you want to achieve next with your hockey career, or life in general, start with figuring out what the quickest way to take action is going to be and start there.

Hard work and determination don't care what kind of stick you have, or what kind of fancy training tool you're looking to get.

Trust me, if you start taking action you'll see results.

Do you ever find yourself trying to make the perfect plan instead of just taking action? Comment below and let me know what you think.

How To Be Productive When You Don't Feel Like It

How many of you have ever used the excuse, "I'm tired today?"

I'm sure we all have at one time or another. And hockey is no different. 

There are days when you aren't as excited to be at the rink, or you don't want to be there at all for that matter, but, you know you still have to be there. 

You made the commitment and you know that simply not showing up is not an option. 

We've all been there. Even the people who love the game the most have days where they feel like they want a break. 

So if we catch ourselves in one of those moods, how do we deal with it? How do we still contribute something to the team and make it a productive day?

Over the years, being involved in the game as a player and a coach, I really think it comes down to one thing. 

Attitude. 

I think that the attitude you bring into the rink is over half the battle. 

Maybe you are a little tired, or maybe you had a long day at school or work, or maybe you just don't want to get on the ice that day... Whatever your reason is, your attitude holds the key. 

If you go into a situation in hockey, or life, with a bad attitude, I bet at least 9 times out of 10 you're going to have a disappointing experience. (And, really that number is probably closer to 10 out of 10).  But, if you can find a purpose and flip your attitude around, more often then not, you'll have a positive outcome. 

Honestly, I bet if we all sit back and think about it, we can remember a time when we didn't want to pack up our stuff and head to the rink. But we did anyway, and once we were there, and got on the ice, we had a great time. 

I know I have. 

And, I feel like by the end of those days that's when I was always most thankful that I had hockey. 

So how do we fix our attitude when we get into one of those moods?

I think the first, and most important, aspect is to gain some perspective. 

If you've read a lot of this blog before, you know that I'm a huge believer in the power of perspective and all that it can bring to your hockey career, and life. 

Think about the reasons why you play the game and try to name a few things that you truly love about it. 

Think about how fortunate you are to even be able to play hockey. Be thankful for your health. Be thankful for the opportunity that you have to be on a team, and to participate in a game with (most likely) a lot of your friends. 

There are so many different things that we can be thankful for when it comes to hockey. 

Often, we all just need a little reminder of how lucky we are. 

It's really just a matter of our perspective on the situation. If you have a good attitude, challenges will appear as opportunities, not obstacles. 

The other cool thing is that attitude becomes contagious. A good attitude can inspire, motivate, and pick up teammates around you. While a bad attitude can do the opposite. 

So if you think about, simply having a good attitude everyday at the rink is contributing to your team in a positive way. 

If I can give any advice to a player who's questioning why they're heading to the rink, take 5 minutes and really think about how much you have to be thankful for. 

The game of hockey will give you so much.

Learn to appreciate it, and make the most of every time you get to step on that ice.

The Importance Of Failure

Failing sucks. 

While it may seem at times that no one else is going through failure, the truth is, we all fail. 

It's crazy to think that so many great players have failed countless times throughout their career, yet they aren't remembered for that.

They're remembered for the great moments, the incredible performances, and the often amazing victories. 

I would even go out and say that the best players are the ones that fail the most. 

While that might sound counterintuitive, it makes sense if you think about it. 

Let me explain. 

People that don't fail frequently are often set in their ways and scared to get out of their comfort zone. In other words, their growth becomes stagnant. 

And when you relate that to hockey, stagnant players who aren't constantly growing, learning, and improving are only ever going to be average players. 

On the flip side, people that fail often are usually the ones that are pushing their limits and looking to grow. 

For hockey players, great players fail often because they're constantly pushing themselves to try new things, develop new skills, and reach new limits. 

Plain and simple, great players aren't settling. They're always wanting more.

I know it sounds crazy when you first hear it, but it's true. If you want to be great, you need to accept that failure is part of the process of improvement and growth. 

 That doesn't just mean that you go out, give a half hearted effort, fail, and then try to sell yourself that you're getting better. 

Failing is important when done the right way. 

I know that's another crazy sounding thing, but it's true. There is right way to fail. 

If you're putting all your effort and energy into something, and you fail, that's an opportunity to learn and grow. 

In other words, if you're lazy you miss out on the growth opportunity.

But, if you put everything into your preparation, effort, and attitude and still fail, then it's not really a failure at all. It's simply just a way that didn't work. And from that you'll learn, grow, and continue to get better. 

So don't be scared of failing, be scared of not putting everything you have into what you're going after. 

No one is perfect, and no hockey player is exempt from making mistakes.

The best players know how to trust the process and learn from their mistakes to ensure that they're continually improving. 

Live In The Moment

The longer that I have been involved in hockey, the quicker the seasons seem to roll by. 

Maybe it's because as we get older, we gain a different perspective, or appreciation, for all that hockey has to offer. 

If there is one thing that I have really learned over the years, it's that it's so important to live in the moment and truly treat each day at the rink, and on the ice, as an opportunity. 

I'm sure we're all guilty of it at one point or another... focusing to much on the past, or worrying to much about the future. 

I know I fall into this description...

But, if there's any advice I can give to players, coaches, and parents reading this, it's that you should really try to live in the moment.

Sure some days will go better than others, but we all are so fortunate to be involved in such an amazing game. 

The relationships, the teammates, the competition, the road trips, the big wins and heartbreaking losses, the bag skates, the brotherhood, and the laughs are just a few of the things we all get to be thankful for. 

Speaking from personal experience, when you look back on your playing career those stories are the ones that matter and the ones you'll remember. 

Stop stressing about the things that aren't in your control and make the most of everyday that you get on the ice. 

Love the game, love your teammates, and truly enjoy every minute because it goes by faster than you'll want to believe...

The Importance Of Repetition

Everyone is always looking for an advantage. 

That's the way the world works, and hockey is no different. We all want to find that little edge that will help put us over the top. 

For some players, that could mean the difference between making a team and not, continuing the play the game or hanging up the skates, or even just logging a few more minutes of ice time each game. 

Regardless, we all want to get that little extra edge. 

And for a lot of people, that can mean trying everything (and anything) to get that advantage. 

I think we all have bought into these gimmicks at one point or another. Picture a hockey player standing on a bosu ball and shooting pucks...

While I'm not trying to discredit anyone out there training players, or criticize their methods, I just don't believe in the gimmicks.

And I understand that if I asked someone who believes in it they would tell me that it works on balance and core strength, which we all know are necessary for hockey players.

But, for me, I think of a couple things, would you ever actually use this movement in a game, or on the ice?

No, of course not.

And, how is this actually making my on ice performance better? 

It's not, or it's at least not giving you any added advantage that you couldn't have gained from doing a drill that's for sure going to directly improve your game. Say something like just shooting pucks, but focusing on all the details that go into doing it the right way... 

The longer that I have been around the game, and the more that I continue to learn about it, the more I realize that simple is often times still better. 

Great players do the simple things incredibly well and consistent. I truly believe that's one of the biggest differentiating factors between a great player and a good player. 

So for me, repetition is one of the most valuable training tools for hockey players. 

And when I say repetition, I mean repetition of the simple things; shooting, stickhandling, passing, and skating. 

There obviously is the hockey sense and mental component that go along the game as well, but I'm talking about strictly from a skill standpoint. 

In believing this so strongly, I've adjusted the way that I coach and train players. Instead of focusing on gimmicks, I focus on habits and being incredibly good at the little things. 

I also believe in this so much because as we get older, and play the game longer, those simple skills are the ones that get forgotten about the most. 

If you think about a practice, (and I'm guilty as a coach of this too), so much time, effort and energy is placed on systems and preparation for the next game that the actual individual skill development gets forgotten about. 

It's almost like we think that since we've been playing the game so long and we know how to do those things that we can just forget about them. I have found, however, that the simple skills (shooting, passing, stickhandling, skating) can always be improved upon and need to be worked on constantly to stay sharp. It doesn't matter how long you've played, or what level you play at, your hands and feet can always get better. 

A perfect example of this is myself. I played hockey my entire life and all the way through college, and I can honestly tell you that my individual skills are ten times better now then they ever were when I was actually playing. 

Why is that?

The simple answer is the repetition. As a skill coach, I am on the ice almost everyday, and a lot of times it's for multiple hours a day, working with a multitude of players. With all this time on the ice, I am continually demonstrating and working alongside my clients, and in turn, staying sharp (and actually improving) my individual skills. My stickhandling has become smoother, my release quicker, harder, and more accurate, my touch with the puck more precise, my control with the puck more natural... truly my whole game has improved drastically just by working on the simple (foundational) aspects of the game.  

So while the bells and whistles of a new training technique may seem like the thing that can get you over the top. Focusing on the repetition of the simple foundational pieces of the game are what's actually going to take you the farthest.

Let me know what you think of this. Do you agree or disagree? Comment below.

Success Is In The Details

With summer hockey training getting into full swing, I've really started to analyze the details of what helps make successful hockey players. 

Just like a player, as a coach, I'm always trying to learn more and tweak things here and there to get better. 

What types of things can I do as a coach to help my players improve the most over the long haul? 

That's the one question that I ask myself the most. I think it's important to mention the 'long haul' because I really believe that building habits for the long run is the way to create real success. 

A fellow coach that I know talks about it all the time and uses a good analogy that's easy to relate to. He says, "are you going to retain the information and be more prepared for the test if you show up and do the homework everyday, or if you just try and cram for the test the night before?" Naturally, we all know that the right answer isn't to just try and cram the night before. 

The same can be said with hockey. 

It's never just a quick 'cram' session to try and get better for the season. That rarely works, and if you do scrap by, it's not sustainable and in the long run everyone else who's been sticking with the plan and training for the long haul will catch up and surpass the player who's looking for the quick fix. 

The reality is, there is no quick fix, in hockey, or life. 

The players that ultimately have the most success are the players that focus on the details and become passionate about perfecting the details. 

Like I've talked about before, hockey doesn't need to be overly complicated. If you can focus on your habits and the details, the long term results will always outweigh the person looking for the quick fix. 

So my advice to coaches reading this is to really hammer down on the details. Don't let players just slide by. Sure, it can become tiresome to repeat yourself 50 times in a matter of ten minutes reminding players of the same thing. But, at the end of the day, that's our job as coaches. 

And players, don't cheat drills. Don't rush through something because everyone else is going faster, or you want to show everyone that you're done with the drill first. Instead, focus on the details. Take the extra time that you need to make sure that you're doing things the right way. 

If you can change your mindset and remember that taking extra time now will reap benefits later, you'll be much better off in the long run. 

Success is truly in the details. If you can buy into that, and commit to trusting the process, your future self will definitely thank you. 

How True 'Underdogs' Win

We all love a good underdog story don't we?

You know, the one where one team has seemingly no chance to win, but manages to band together to overcome the odds and knock off the giant?

The 'Miracle On Ice' comes to mind as one of the best examples of an underdog overcoming the odds to shock the world.

But, if I'm being totally honest, I think often times most teams beat themselves before they come to the rink when they're faced with the underdog role.

Like we talked about in a past article, we start to focus our mindset on the wrong things. We start to focus on all the things that are out of our control....

How good the other team is... How fast they are...How physical they are...

Often times, players and teams also let doubt win the mental battle and start to creep in. It becomes easy to say "that team is too good" or "we have no chance".

Think about it.

I'm sure every person reading this has felt that way at one point or another.

So that begs the question, how is that helping you or your team be your best?

The short answer is: it's not.

The thing we have to remember is the struggle and the competition is what makes hockey, and life, so great and awesome.

Winning and overcoming obstacles is more of a mindset than anything else. It doesn't mean that you're always going to get the result that you want, but I can guarantee you that it will leave you feeling satisfied with the effort that you put out. That inner knowledge that you know you put everything on the line and went for it. That's what it's all about.

So as playoffs start to role around, or even just a big game or a big opportunity, give yourself a real chance to be successful.

Focus on the things you can do to be successful. Focus on your preparation. Focus on your work ethic. Focus on your ability to be a great teammate. And most importantly, focus on your attitude.

Nothing worth having comes easy. I love that quote for a few reasons, and there's a reason that I have a big framed picture in my office with that quote on it. Plain and simple, it's the truth. I don't know anyone who has achieved anything great, in hockey or life, without having to work and grind for it. The grind and blood, sweat, and tears is what makes achieving what you want so worth it. It's that feeling of satisfaction knowing that you laid it all on the line, overcame obstacles, and did something great. At the end of the day, no great victory is possible without a ton of hard work and a belief that what you're going after is possible.

So if you take anything from this post today, take this... Don't beat yourself before you even show up.

Don't be scared because the odds are stacked against you. Instead, embrace the challenge and truly lay it all on the line and go all in for what you want. I can't promise you that you'll always get the result that you want, but I can promise you that you'll never look back and regret the work you put in.

So if you find yourself the underdog, realize the opportunity that's in front of you. You have the chance to knock off the giant when no one else thought it was possible. You have the chance to write the ending to the story. Don't waste that chance because you're too scared that it might not go the way you want. Give yourself the chance for something great to happen...

Keep fighting and striving for greatness.

I can't wait to hear about the next underdog story.

The Mindset Of Opportunity

I know that a big topic for this blog has been all about opportunity. 

Seizing the opportunity, making sure you're ready for your opportunity, and having the perspective and mindset to realize all the different opportunities that present themselves. 

With that in mind, the way we think about things can make all the difference. 

Something as simple as one word can really change everything. 

I have talked about it with teams and players that I have worked with over the years. 

Having to practice versus getting to practice. 

It's essentially saying the same thing (you have practice) but, isn't it amazing how one word can change the entire feeling of the action?

As a player, if you show up to practice with the attitude, or mindset, that you have to be there, are you really allowing yourself the opportunity to be at your best?

I think we would all agree that you wouldn't. 

Having that mindset has the connotation of a negative feeling. A feeling of being forced to do something. 

If you really love the game, are a competitor, and playing for the right reasons then you should never feel like you have to be at practice. 

On the flip side, if you change that one word and go into practice with the attitude of you get to practice, doesn't that just have a better feel? 

It's a feeling of optimism. It's seizing the opportunity. 

It's that feeling of gratitude to work at your craft and continue to grow your skills, work ethic, and for most players, spend time having fun with your buddies. 

While we all go through slumps and lulls in the season, I think it's good to have a little reminder from time to time. A reminder of how lucky we are to play, and be a part of, this game. 

So if you catch yourself thinking about how you have to go to the rink, it's time to take a step back and make sure that you're still playing (or being a part of it) for the right reasons. 

Enjoy the game and make the most of every opportunity that you get. 

What Makes Great Players Great?

Hockey is a simple game. 

We've probably all heard that line before, right? 

I 100% agree with this statement when it's taken in the proper context. When talking about the actual skill involved with hockey, it's definitely not simple. Skating 30+ miles per hour on two blades that are only 1/8 of an inch thick definitely doesn't sound like the simplest thing to me...

But, when people talk about hockey being a simple game, and are talking about it from a execution standpoint, that, I completely agree with. 

Often people talk about what separates one player from another. What makes certain players 'so great'?

I think the answer is maybe something that you wouldn't expect. I think the great players are the ones who can execute simple things unbelievably well. 

Like the first line of this post says, hockey is a simple game. The people that ultimately excel the most are the ones who are able to master the simplest aspects and details of the game. 

Sidney Crosby isn't the best player in the world solely because of his ability to stickhandle or shoot the puck. He's the best player in the world because he can do so many simple things incredibly well. 

He understands the game. He reads and anticipates the play. He protects the puck. Then you add all that together to his individual skill and there's an obvious reason why he's as good as he is. It's honestly hard to find any sort of weakness to his game. Sure he has a ton of natural ability but the real reason for his success is his work ethic and his concentration on the details. 

There's always the famous story about how when he first entered the NHL he really struggled with faceoffs. Over the next offseason, he dedicated himself to improving everyday and low and behold he became one of the best centers taking draws in the league. 

The point of all this is that keeping it simple gets results. Is it really that important to want to go on the ice and work on shooting the puck while reaching your stick back between your legs, or is it more important to work on your snap shot and quick release?

When you read that it probably (I hope) seems like a no-brainer. But, the truth is I still hear and see people focusing all their efforts on these sorts of things. 

Personally, I usually get a laugh when I ask a player why they're spending so much time working on something like that and the answer is usually something along the lines of, "I need a challenge". 

I just have a different philosophy. Sure everyone needs to be challenged and pushed. But, I want to push players to be really great at the simple things. The things you use most often in games. Working on having that quick release. Focusing on handling the puck. Being able to make a great first tape to tape pass. 

I'm a big believer that these are the things that as individuals, and teams, if you do really well will lead to a lot of success. 

Remember to keep hockey simple and focus on the details, that's what the great ones do.