Small daily habits create big hockey careers
Every year my family takes a late Christmas trip together. Instead of buying gifts, one of our family members rents hotel rooms for everyone, and we spend a couple days together just hanging out.
This year we stayed at the Tundra Lodge in Green Bay, Wisconsin, right down the street from Lambeau Field.
That area brought back memories.
I grew up playing youth hockey in Green Bay. We used to play in a rink right next to Lambeau Field. Years ago the Packers bought the land and tore the rink down to build a parking lot for their practice facility. But anyone who grew up in Green Bay in the 90s remembers that little rink. And right across the street is where the Green Bay Gamblers play.
There is a lot of hockey and sports history packed into that small stretch of land.
These days, hockey is not a big part of my daily life. Aside from writing these emails for Wraparound, I do not think about it much. I am a dad now. A husband. A business owner. A writer. Hockey was a huge part of my life for a long time, but that chapter has mostly closed.
Still, I am grateful for moments like this. Writing these emails gives me space to reflect on all those years, all those hours, all those dreams I poured into the game.
This weekend was spent at an indoor waterpark in the middle of one of the coldest stretches of the year. I spent a lot of time in the hot tub talking with my brother in law and other family members. These days the conversations are not really about hockey anymore. They are about family, faith, and trying to figure life out.
At night, we played a board game called Klask.
If you have never played it, you should. It is a fast paced tabletop game with magnets and quick reactions. Every year my brother in law and I play a best of seven series. I am happy to report that I won the championship again this year.
As we played in the hotel lobby, people kept stopping to ask what game we were playing. One family joined us, and I learned they were in town to watch a Green Bay Gamblers game. They had young hockey players with them.
Eventually I mentioned that I used to play hockey and had spent about ten years playing professionally, mostly in the AHL with a little time in the NHL. The kids’ eyes lit up. They immediately looked up my stats and highlights.
That is when I felt the pull to share something.
I told them this.
The secret to a long and successful hockey career is finding a way to get a little bit better every single day.
Not a huge leap. Not perfection. Just a small improvement.
Maybe you stay after practice for a few extra reps.
Maybe you choose a healthy meal and water instead of junk.
Maybe you stretch at night instead of scrolling.
I told them if you stack those small improvements day after day, week after week, year after year, something powerful happens. You start to separate. You start to pass people. And eventually, that process becomes who you are.
That is how players climb the ranks.
I could tell their dad loved it. He kept repeating, “Little better every day.” The kids seemed more interested in playing Klask and laughing, but that is okay. Seeds get planted quietly.
I hope that message sticks with them.
And I hope it sticks with you.
Let’s find one way to get a little better today.
Bobby Robins, savage motivator, ex hockey pro, writer for Wraparound