Win or Lose, Always be a Class Act

If you’re a hockey player or if you regularly spend time around hockey players, whether as a coach, parent, or anything in between, you know that every athlete experiences both wins and losses.

And, no matter whether a team wins or loses, it’s important to show good sportsmanship and a good attitude. Being a “class act” is important no matter the outcome of a game.   

Celebrate Wins, but Be Respectful

If you are lucky enough to be on the winning end of a game, it’s fine to celebrate your victory. High-five your teammates, cheer, cry. Do whatever you need to do to express your happiness over the win.

However, do be mindful of the other team. Don’t rub your win and, by effect, their loss in their faces. Teasing, taunts, jeers, or anything of the sort should never be acceptable. Instead, be happy about your win, but also genuinely congratulate the other team on a game well-played.

Try to keep in mind that, next time, your team could be on the losing side. That simple thought should help to put things in perspective and should keep everyone’s behavior in check.

Always Shake Hands

Most of the time, hockey games require a mutual handshake between the two teams after the game, offered as a way to show respect and to remember that, after all, it’s just a game.

Sometimes, after a loss, all you want to do is storm off the ice and pout. However, never allow this behavior. Hold yourself or your players to a standard of always participating in the handshake or other show of respect, no matter the outcome of the game.

Winning is great, and losing is not. However, the only thing you can ultimately control is how you react to both. So, as an athlete, remember to put class and good sportsmanship above all else, and you really can’t go wrong.

Agility Training for Young Hockey Players

Hockey players need various different types of training in order to be successful at what they do. This includes or at least should include agility training on a regular basis.   

When hockey players regularly focus on improving agility, they will notice big improvements in terms of their starting speed, the accuracy of their direction changes, their explosiveness, and so much more.

There are all kinds of benefits to be had through regular agility training, but what is the best way to go about this training?

Try Mohawk D Man Pivots

One thing you can try with the hockey players in your life is Mohawk D Man pivots, a great way to build agility quickly.

To do this drill, you start skating at the goal line then move to the top of the circle. Your next move is to pivot backwards, stop at the bottom of the circle, come to the top of the circle, go backward to the hash mark, stop, go to the top of the other circle, and then go backward to the bottom of the circle. That may seem like a lot, but it’s a good way to get used to moving in quick and agile ways.

The easiest way to run this drill is to line your players up. As one player finishes the routine, have him head to the back of the line as the next player starts it, and so on. Do this drill enough, and you’ll have agile hockey players in no time at all.

Do Some Good, Old-Fashioned Exercises

It may be simple, but a little exercise can go a long way toward improving overall agility. In fact, certain common exercises are designed specifically to improve agility and flexibility. These include exercises like:

l  Barbell squats

l  Sprints and jumps

l  Deadlifts

l  Pull ups

By working these agility-building exercises into a regular routine, hockey players can improve agility in no time at all.

Practice Quick Turns

One final thing to work on in order to improve agility is quick turns. With quick turns, which are exactly what they sound like, players start at the goal line, go around the first pylon, head to the bottom of the circle, do a turn around pylon 2, go to the bottom of the circle, and then go around pylon 3, doing quick starts in-between. This is a heart-pounding drill, but it’s also an agility-building one, so it’s definitely worth trying.

As you can see, there are many excellent ways to build and improve agility among young hockey players. Give these methods a try, and you’re sure to see big improvements quickly.

How Hockey Players Can Get Rid of Excess Pounds

Being overweight is not healthy for anyone, especially not athletes. Athletes are already pushing their bodies to the brink, so they really can’t handle much extra strain. Plus, carrying extra weight makes it hard for them to move fast and keep up their stamina, both of which are key for athletes, especially hockey players.

Fortunately, though, losing extra weight isn’t all that hard. Hockey players already have the benefit of getting in lots of exercise on a regular basis, so typically, getting to a healthier weight just means making smarter dietary choices.

Fuel the Body

First of all, bear in mind that one of the biggest mistakes that athletes can make is choosing to starve themselves in order to get rid of extra weight.

Even when they’re carrying extra pounds around, athletes still need energy to play at their best and to play safely. Thus, athletes should always avoid crash diets or diets that severely limit their calories.

The best bet is to follow a meal plan prescribed by a doctor, a nutritionist, or a knowledgeable coach.

Focus on Fiber and Protein

Some people are wrongly taught that certain things- such as carbohydrates- are bad. However, that’s not true. There really isn’t a “bad” food when eaten in moderation, though some foods are better than others.

As an athlete trying to lose weight, the best choices are foods packed with fiber and/or protein. Both of these ingredients really help with feeling full and satisfied, which makes it easier for athletes to avoid overeating.

Protein is also useful for preventing muscle loss even while losing weight, making it virtually a perfect food for athletes. Thus, hockey players are encouraged to eat healthily from across all the food groups, but especially these two important ones.

Up the Cardio

Finally, players who need to lose weight can make more of an effort to get in cardiovascular exercise.

Cardio, such as running or swimming, isn’t usually encouraged for hockey players. The focus is typically on building strength instead. However, nothing beats cardio for losing excess fat.  

By adding in an extra hour or two a week of cardiovascular exercise without changing their regular routines, most hockey players will see big results in the form of fat loss.

As you can see, getting rid of fat doesn’t have to be difficult for hockey players or for anyone. It just takes effort, dedication, and a little bit of know-how. Plus, hockey players have an advantage since they already get in lots of physical activity, making it even easier for them to shed the excess pounds.

Long Distance Running and Youth Hockey Players

We’ve all seen those practices where the coach forces his players to run laps outside the hockey rink once ice time is over. However, is long distance running really necessary or smart for youth hockey players? The answer is, most of the time, no.   

Hockey is a game that requires a lot of strength, which is why most hockey workouts are conditioning-based. This means their focus is on building muscle, not on burning fat or getting the heart pumping. The reason for this is because the game, other than in a few short bursts, doesn’t require a ton of cardiovascular exercise. It’s more about strength, stability, and stamina.

The Exception to the Rule

Of course, there are always exceptions to any rule.

In some cases, it may be good to have your players –or at least some of them- work to incorporate running or other cardiovascular exercise into their regimes.

If, for example, you have a player who is overweight and/or has too high a percentage of body fat, running and cardio could help this person to drop the extra fat. This, in turn, would help the player to achieve greater speed in control on the ice.

Running can also be useful for injured players who can’t easily participate in all of their usual exercises. In this matter, it’s a case of “something is better than nothing.” It’s better for injured players to get in a nice, low-impact workout like running if they can’t do other workouts. At the very least, running will help them to maintain their endurance and keep them from putting on extra bulk.

Keep it Short and Simple

As mentioned, hockey really only calls for quick, short bursts of energy.

For this reason, there’s no need to force your players to run for long periods of time or for long distances. In fact, doing so can actually be detrimental by reducing energy and potentially causing injury.

For players who do need to run, quick bursts of running for twenty to thirty minutes is all that is needed.

The bottom line is that conditioning workouts are more important for hockey players than cardiovascular ones in most cases. But, when cardiovascular exercises do need to be incorporated, keep them short and simple. Following these basic guidelines should benefit your players and your team as a whole by allowing them to focus on the exercises that are actually going to benefit them…instead of waste their time.

Be More Than Good

Many children dream of one day becoming professional hockey players. More often than not, however, they have no idea of how to turn those dreams into reality. They often think that the only way “to the top” is to play on the best teams, to be the best player, and basically just to be perfect and successful all around.  

In reality, though, no one can be perfect. Plus, being or attempting to be perfect isn’t nearly as important as being consistent. Consistency matters more than perfection because it is what makes young players stick with the game and what causes them to continue trying no matter what challenges are thrown their way. And, really, you can’t make it to the top if you quit somewhere in the middle.

Another thing that’s important for “making it” is something that’s hard to explain. It’s something that sets a player apart from the rest. It has to do with being present and consistent but also with being kind, responsible, and reliable. It has to do with that “special something” that comes from more than just being good at hockey. It comes from being a good person and a good player- the total package.

The bottom line is that just being skilled or good at hockey isn’t enough if your goal is to become a professional player. After all, you will eventually get to a level where everyone is good. In order to have true success, you need to have something special, something extra. Work on developing that “something extra” by striving to be the best player and the best person that you can be. If you can do that and stay consistent, then there’s a good chance you can make it to the top.

The Importance of Positional Versatility

Most young athletes, not to mention their parents, have big dreams of making it to the pros, but for a lot of these players, that dream won’t be realized...and for one very simple and very preventable reason: they lack positional versatility. It is extremely important for hockey players, even and especially young ones, to have positional versatility, i.e. the ability to play several different positions and to play them well.   

Far too many youth coaches these days pigeon-hole their young players into playing one position. They find a position that an athlete is good at and then stick to it, but, in reality, it is important for young players to be trying their hands at a number of different positions, even and especially those that they aren’t so good at . Working on skills that they lack is what is going to make them versatile, capable, and competitive, no matter where or in what capacity they are placed on the ice.

Dave Christian is a perfect example of this principle. He is an athlete who grew up playing both forward and defense positions and who ended up making an Olympic level team in a different position than the one he preferred and was used to. Because he had been trained in all positions, he was able to help bring his team to a win, and he went on to play for the NHL as a forward, the position that was surprisingly thrust upon him.

Many other hockey players share stories similar to Christian’s. That’s because, in hockey, there are always going to be surprises and changes, and players who can “roll with the punches” are the most valuable players of all. They’re not good for just one thing; instead, they can easily play a wide range of positions, making them much more versatile, and thus, much more valuable.

As a coach, a parent, or anyone else involved in a young hockey player’s life, make it your goal to encourage your players to play a wide range of different positions. Even though they might not become pros at everything, they’ll learn a much wider range of skills and develop more abilities than if you just stick them to playing one position. Plus, as is the case with many famous athletes, it might just end up working out in their favor.

A Sad Story Leads to Help and Hope for Others

The Thomases were just like any modern American family. They had four children, the oldest of whom ate, lived, and breathed hockey. It was his life.

That son, Willy Alexander Thomas, known to his loved ones as “Zander,” played hockey for Team Comcast and for Pennington School, both located in New Jersey.

Even though he was still just a young teen, Zander truly excelled at the sport. He had traveled to play all over the country as well as outside the country, in Canada. His trainers included former NHL stars who wanted him to be the best athlete he could be and who pushed him to the limit.

Zander pushed himself as well. He played at the highest possible non-professional level, despite his young age. His games were fast, and, as such, dangerous. The faster the pace at which a game is played, the greater the risk of injury due to the huge impact of collisions and puck hits.

Unfortunately, Zander was eventually involved in one of those collisions, and he was diagnosed with a concussion as a result. Even after he began healing, he constantly complained of aches and pains and eventually began suffering from depression. Things seemed to be turning around for him, however, when, just three weeks after the concussion diagnosis, he joined the National Tier I Elite Hockey League, the highest possible level for amateur players.

Excited and seemingly back to his old self, Zander played in a big game and felt just fine. He fell asleep on the way home but got himself up, went inside, and went to bed without problems. It wasn’t until the next day that things went horribly wrong. When the family went to a gathering, he decided, uncharacteristically, to stay behind. Once left alone, Zander sent a cryptic text to his family. What he did next, however, they could never have imagined.

Zander parked his car near a bridge and then jumped to his death in the Hudson River, dying almost three months to the date after his concussion diagnosis. His pediatrician believes that the concussion Zander suffered hindered his ability to think correctly and caused him to make a poor decision, one he didn’t really want or intend to make.

Players across other sports, of all ages, have done similar things, often, many believe, as a result of frontal lobe damage sustained through the sport. While research is still being done to determine the link between concussions and other head injuries and increased rates of suicide and depression, many people believe there is a definite, real, and scary connection.

Zander’s family is among those who believe in the connection, and they have formed the UNTOLD Foundation, a nonprofit organization that teaches others about the risks of concussions, how to reduce the risk of getting a concussion in the first place, and the warning signs of serious brain damage. The organization also seeks to find answers and hopefully a cure to brain, frontal lobe, and general concussion damage. They have turned their unfortunate story into a way to bring help, hope, and healing to others.

As a parent, you can certainly empathize with the Thomas’ story. Take it to heart, and do everything you can to keep your child from getting injured. Take any injuries seriously, and monitor your child closely after any type of injury occurs. Doing that just might save your child’s life.