Tag Archive: athlete

How to be a great hockey parent

October 15, 2021 2:27 pm Published by

The start of a new season provides athletes and their families a great opportunity to make it a year to remember! Here’s a few tips for parents to make sure they stay their athlete’s #1 Fan!

​

  • Emphasize Learning
    • Do all that you can to learn with them; reading books about hockey, watching educational videos on YouTube, watching NHL games with your athlete. If you put the effort in, your athlete will too! Remember and embrace the educational process of the sport!

​

  • Patience + Perspective
    • Be there with them, and be patient with them! Highs and lows are a necessary prerequisite for success – in anything! It’s how we grow. Remember the bigger picture. Team sports is an accelerator of a child’s life skills that help shape who they become tomorrow! Hockey is game, and we as parents can go above and beyond to make it fun and a positive life changing experience.
  • Be active – Be present
    • Research has proven time and time again that parents who are actively involved with their young athlete’s team and career will lead to a better relationship with their child, improved performance for their child, and overall personal fulfillment. Help score keep, organize a team dinner/party, bring some extra team spirit for the families to rally behind the team at games.
  • Be a parent and not a coach
    • Remember your child gets an earful every time they walk into a rink. They don’t always need an earful in the car or at the dinner table too. Sure, give them the extra kick in the butt when they need it, but more times than not, they need a break and they need your love, positivity and wonderful parental support!

​

Take these tips into this season and it will be the best hockey season yet! 

Working Through a Quarantine

December 15, 2020 10:00 am Published by

Embracing the uncertainty, and adapting as we go has been the theme of 2020! Unfortunately, it has become a regular experience for athletes to go through a quarantine period due to the current situation of the pandemic. All we can do is control the controllable when it comes to taking some time off. Own the following three points and we’re certain you’re going to be A-OK!

  • Have a Plan
    • Daily routines are critical. No rink, no problem! Besides focusing on your schoolwork, what else are doing to better yourself each day? What’s your hockey skill plan, also what’s your fitness plan?
  • Stay Positive
    • The time off is an opportunity, not a setback! Don’t squander the opportunity!
  • Stay Social
    • Even though you’ll be in isolation doesn’t mean you can fire up some zoom and face time calls and stay connected to your people!
  • Think Big Picture
    • No single two weeks will ever define your career. Take the time away knowing you’re doing the right thing to protect yourself and others. Knowing you’ve positively crushed your plan, rest assured you’re going to come out the other side of the quarantine in better shape than you were in when you entered it!

With the right perspective and plan, working through a quarantine can be a blessing and not a curse!

The Importance of Being an Athlete

December 1, 2020 4:30 pm Published by

We can all agree that hockey is by far the best sport in the world, there is no doubt about it. While hockey is the best sport in the world, there are plenty of other sports and activities which can help us improve at the best sport in the world! It is important to remember that while hockey is the most fun sport, it is not the only sport, and those other sports can help us be better hockey players!

Here are some other sports (but not the only sports) which can help us improve our general athleticism and refine our on-ice skills:

  • Lacrosse
    • Some of the best hockey players in the world also grew up playing lacrosse! Lacrosse requires great hand-eye coordination, superior conditioning, and an understanding of body positioning and ball protection. All three skills directly translate to hockey!
  • Football
    • Football is a great sport to learn all about grit and competition! Football is one of the most physical sports you can play. By playing football athletes learn a great deal about body positioning, taking and giving physical contact, as well as understanding the importance of teamwork. Sounds a lot like hockey, to me!
  • Soccer
    • Soccer is a fantastic sport to improve one’s athleticism! Constant movement is required in order to be successful. While players on offense are moving around looking for open space, players on defense are focused on closing down those open spaces. Running while dribbling the ball around defenders is also great for balance and coordination, two skills very important in hockey!
  • Basketball
    • Basketball and hockey are two peas in a pod! Both games are played 5 on 5; both games are very fast and are filled with transitions; both games require players to jockey for body positioning. There’s a reason many coaches use hockey and basketball as interchangeable examples of each other!

Being an athlete is one of the most important skills you can have in hockey. The only way you can be an athlete is if you try other sports while you can when you’re young! Not only will you develop other skills that you will be able to apply to hockey, but the psychological and social aspect of trying other sports is more important than you think!