Not every trophy comes from winning it all
Remember the feeling of getting a trophy at a youth tournament?
Nothing beat it.
Most of the time it was a medal around your neck, eventually hanging on the wall of your childhood bedroom. But every once in a while, a tournament handed out trophies; and those little plastic things that felt like they were made of gold.
Like any young hockey player, I fell in love with winning.
And I loved trophies.
That pursuit followed me through youth hockey, high school, juniors, college, and into pro hockey. Anyone who makes it to higher levels collects a decent number of trophies along the way.
I’m in my 40s now, and I still have a box of them in the basement. One day I’ll put them on a shelf, hang the plaques, and give them their moment. I guess I’m still waiting for the right time.
Truth is, I never won many “big” championships.
Aside from winning the American West Hockey League Junior A championship in 2001, I never lifted another major trophy. That one felt like the Stanley Cup. It was my first year of junior hockey, and I honestly thought championships would just keep coming.
They didn’t.
In pro hockey, I never made it past the second round in the ECHL or AHL. My three NHL games with the Boston Bruins didn’t end with a Cup parade either.
But every trophy I won meant something.
And the one that meant the most to me wasn’t a championship at all.
It came after my senior season at UMass Lowell.
Everything came together that year. After four years of grinding, I finally found my game. I led the team in scoring, wore the “C” on my jersey, and went straight to the AHL when the season ended.
I gave it everything I had every single night.
And I know that’s an easy thing to say, but I mean it. Hockey meant everything to me back then. Looking back now, it almost feels crazy how consumed I was. But that’s what it takes when you’re chasing something big.
Later that year, the University of Maine awarded me the Most Honored Opponent trophy.
If you know college hockey, you know what that means.
Maine was a powerhouse. Playing in Orono, in that sold-out barn, was as intense as it gets. Those were absolute battles.
To have a team like that recognize and respect the way I played meant more to me than any trophy I ever lifted.
They might not have liked playing against me...but they respected me.
And that meant everything.
So here’s the takeaway for this week:
Don’t worry about trophies.
Don’t worry about praise.
Don’t worry about recognition.
Make it undeniable. Make your presence known out there.
Bring your effort. Bring your compete. Bring your consistency...shift after shift.
Respect is earned the hard way.
Be an honored opponent and make them never forget you.
See ya in trenches,
Bobby Robins, ex hockey pro, savage motivator, writer for Wraparound
P.S. One of the coolest moments of 2025 was seeing the Puckaround earn an award as the #1 Off-Ice Training Puck. I love seeing hard work get rewarded. Have you tried one yet? Curious if it feels like a real on-ice puck to you.