The Dreams of "Going Pro"

Just about every young hockey player who ever sets foot on the ice will have dreams of one day “going pro.”   

Unfortunately, however, very few players will actually make it to this elite level. A lot of people think this is because most people just aren’t that good or that talented, but that’s not necessarily the case. The real truth is that many players just aren’t willing to work hard enough to achieve their goals and they don’t have the right attitude.

See, believe it or not, the ones who make it aren’t always the best or the most talented. A lot of the time, they just have the best attitudes and the most determination.

Another way of looking at it is that anyone with a baseline of talent can be good at hockey and can get even better with practice. That isn’t enough to send someone to the NHL.

The players who get sent to the NHL are the ones who were good or who became good at the sport but who also offered something extra, and that “something” can be different for everyone. For some, it’s a positive attitude or incredible team-mindedness that catches a scout’s attention or causes a coach to recommend a player, thereby catapulting his career.

For others, it’s simply not giving up; it’s persisting failure after failure, challenge after challenge.

At the end of the day, nobody can really answer the “secret” of going pro or “what it takes.” That differs for everyone, but striving to be the best person and player one can be is a great way to increase one’s chances of making it big in the hockey world.