The difference between those who make it and those who don’t often comes down to one thing: the willingness to do whatever it takes
Hey Hockey Family,
Anyone else been watching the NHL preseason games?
Every player out there is battling for an inch — and sometimes, those inches are earned by dropping the gloves and chucking knuckles.
I’ll never forget my first NHL training camp with the Ottawa Senators. I’d just signed out of UMass Lowell, and we were playing a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. They had a guy my size, played the same rugged style. One of the staff asked if I was going to fight him.
I knew I should. I knew they wanted me to. But if I’m being honest — I was scared to death.
I wasn’t ready yet to do whatever it takes. I didn’t fight, didn’t seize the moment, and I didn’t make the team. I spent the entire season in the American Hockey League.
For years, I carried that regret. I grinded in the minors, always feeling the pressure to fight, but I just wanted to play hockey. Maybe I was scared. Maybe those were excuses. Either way, I didn’t do what needed to be done.
Eventually, I went over to Europe where there was no fighting — it felt safe. But something inside me was shifting. Something savage was waking up.
That buried regret started to surface. I knew I had unfinished business.
So I came back to the U.S. with one mission: to make a legitimate run at the NHL. And this time, I decided I’d do whatever it takes. If that meant fighting, then I’d become a fighter.
And I did. 130 professional fights later, I finally cracked the NHL.
I learned a hard truth over that decade in the minors:
Some players are willing to do whatever it takes. Some aren’t.
Talk doesn’t mean anything in the trenches.
“Whatever it takes” looks different for everyone.
For some, it’s finishing every check.
For others, it’s dropping to block a shot with your body.
For me, it meant dropping the gloves.
For all of us, it means doing the extra when no one’s watching — the gym work, the foam rolling, the clean habits, the discipline, the restraint.
Maybe for you it’s skipping the party, choosing sleep, or saying no to the things that steal your focus.
For me, it was all of the above — and more than anything, it was about fighting for every opportunity.
So as this season begins, my challenge to you is simple:
Do whatever it takes.
Because if you don’t, the player next to you will.
Don’t live with regret like I did for so many years. This is your moment — the one you’ve been working toward, the one you’ll look back on for the rest of your life.
Even if you’re scared, even if you feel underprepared — go anyway.
This is your chance to make your dream come true.
See you in the driveway,
—Bobby Robins, savage motivator, ex hockey pro