It’s not the injury, the cut, or the coach.
There are plenty of things that keep hockey parents awake at night.
Will my child get hurt?
Will they be treated fairly?
Will they make the team?
Will they get the opportunities they deserve?
Will they look back on their hockey career with pride—or regret?
But underneath all those questions, I believe there is an even deeper fear:
Did I do enough to help my child reach their full potential?
It’s a difficult question because there is a fine line between supporting your hockey player and trying to control their journey.
We’ve all seen the parent screaming from the stands.
The parent complaining about coaches, ice time, teammates, and hockey politics.
The parent who draws the wrong kind of attention to themselves—and unfortunately, the wrong kind of attention to their child.
I was fortunate.
Both of my parents were calm at the rink. They genuinely enjoyed watching me play, and my dad was never a yeller.
In fact, I can only remember hearing him scream from the stands one time.
I was playing defense in Green Bay. We were in the offensive zone, and I was holding the blue line, looking for an opening to get a quick shot through to the net.
Unbeknownst to me, a player had snuck behind me.
He was cherry-picking, waiting for the puck to bounce loose so he could take off on a breakaway.
Then I heard it.
A loud, unmistakable roar coming from the stands:
“BOBBY! BEHIND YOU!”
My dad was six-foot-four, and when he wanted to make himself heard, he could make himself heard.
I recognized that voice immediately.
I had rarely heard it inside a hockey rink, but I had certainly heard it a few times at home when I needed to be corrected.
My heart dropped.
My instincts sharpened.
I turned, saw the player behind me, and recovered before he could get the breakaway.
That is the only time I remember my dad yelling during one of my games.
And honestly, I’m thankful he did.
But I’m even more thankful that he wasn’t the father who tried to coach me from the bleachers every time I touched the puck.
He let the coaches coach.
After the game, we could talk honestly about how I played. Sometimes I played well. Sometimes I didn’t. He could teach me, correct me, and challenge me without turning every car ride home into an interrogation.
He gave me room to become my own hockey player.
That might be one of the greatest gifts a hockey parent can provide.
Be present.
Let the coaches coach and the scouts scout.
Have honest conversations, but be gentle in your teaching.
Encourage your player after the great games, but especially after the bad ones.
And then provide them with the opportunities and tools to keep getting better.
My dad drove me all over Wisconsin.
He woke up in the early hours of the morning. He gave up weekends. He spent time, money, and energy giving me the chance to pursue something I loved.
That sacrifice paid off.
I climbed through youth hockey, high school, junior hockey, Division I college hockey, the minor leagues, and eventually made it all the way to the NHL.
Your player’s journey might lead there too.
But no parent can guarantee the destination.
What you can do is give your child the support, opportunities, and tools to discover how far they are capable of going.
Right now, we are in the middle of summer.
Tryouts and hockey season may still feel far away, but they will be here before you know it.
This is prime time for your player to get outside, step into the garage, or head to the driveway and start preparing.
They can work on their hands.
They can build confidence with the puck.
They can visualize the player they want to become when the season begins.
And they can do it with two of the best off-ice hockey training tools in the world: the Wraparound and the Puckaround.
The Wraparound protects their stick while allowing them to train on concrete, pavement, or any rough surface.
The Puckaround gives them the feel and movement they need to practice the skills that will transfer back onto the ice.
You don’t have to yell from the stands.
You don’t have to fight every battle for them.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is quietly put the right tools in their hands—and give them the space to work.
Help your player make this summer count.
GET THE WRAPAROUND AND PUCKAROUND>>>
Knuckles up,
Bobby Robins, savage motivator, NHL Alum, Writer for Wraparound