Play with no regrets.
It’s that time of year again.
End of September.
I’m watching NHL exhibition and preseason highlights, and man, does it bring me back to my playing days.
I’ll never forget signing with the Ottawa Senators right out of college at UMass Lowell.
I signed an NHL contract.
And somewhere in my young, naive mind, I thought I had already made the team.
Then I showed up to training camp.
There were about 50 guys under contract.
Only about half of us were staying.
Suddenly, the reality hit me.
And instead of thinking:
I’m going to be one of those guys.
Part of my mind was already wondering what it would be like going back to the American League in Binghamton.
I was already thinking about Plan B.
And worse than that, I was wondering if I actually had what it took to face my fears and play the way I knew I needed to play.
With reckless abandon.
I got my chance in an exhibition game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
I’ll never forget my first shift.
Tripping penalty.
Two minutes.
That was pretty much the only impact I made on the scoresheet.
And a guy like me couldn’t play that way.
A guy like me needed to finish checks.
A guy like me needed to take the puck hard to the net.
And realistically, back in 2006…
A guy like me needed to fight.
I knew who I was supposed to fight that night.
But I let fear consume me.
I didn’t do it.
I couldn’t even look the guy in the eye.
That opportunity came and went.
I spent the next four or five years bouncing around the minor leagues before eventually going to play in Europe.
At one point, I had pretty much given up on my NHL dream.
Then something snapped inside me.
I decided I was coming back to North America and making one legitimate run at the NHL.
Everything changed.
I quit a bunch of addictions.
I got my mind straight.
I became completely focused on one goal.
I am going to do this.
Six years after that first NHL training camp, I got another opportunity.
This time with the Boston Bruins.
And this time…
I brought it.
I made an impact.
I finished my checks.
I took the puck to the net.
I fought.
I did everything I knew I needed to do.
I was a completely different man.
And because of that, I was a completely different hockey player.
The biggest difference?
I had finally decided:
No more fear.
No more doubt.
Just bring it.
Win?
Bring it.
Lose?
Bring it.
Fail?
Bring it.
Succeed?
Bring it.
It didn’t matter anymore.
I wasn't going to leave the rink wondering what would have happened if I had given everything I had.
And as your season begins, I want you to adopt that mentality.
Maybe you’re at an NHL training camp.
Maybe you’re trying to make your high school team.
Maybe you’re fighting for a spot on the first line.
Maybe you’re fighting just to get into the lineup.
It doesn’t matter.
Bring it.
Stop worrying about what might happen.
Stop worrying about making mistakes.
Stop wondering whether you’re good enough.
You have today.
You have this practice.
You have this shift.
So before you head to the rink, look yourself in the mirror and say it:
I AM GOING TO BRING IT TODAY.
Then go play with no regrets.
Knuckles up,
Bobby Robins, ex hockey pro, writer for Wraparound
P.S. BRING IT.
But remember—the work doesn’t start when the puck drops.
It happens after hours, when nobody’s looking.
Get a Puckaround and take that on-ice feel off the ice.
Put in the work when nobody’s watching. Then BRING IT when everybody is.
P.P.S. This is what it looks like to make an impact in an NHL preseason exhibition game.