Your first action matters.
Back in my playing days in the American Hockey League, I was a third-line right winger.
I played a regular shift—usually about 10 to 12 minutes a night.
My job was pretty simple.
Hard hockey.
Finish my checks.
Forecheck.
Get the puck in.
Get the puck toward the net.
Make life miserable for the other team.
And if somebody wanted to fight?
Well…
I was usually more than willing to oblige.
We had a heck of a line in Providence (Providence Bruins, AHL team for the Boston Bruins).
Lane MacDermid on the left wing—a legitimate heavyweight who went on to play in the NHL.
Christian Hanson in the middle—son of Dave Hanson of the infamous Hanson Brothers from Slapshot.
And me on the right side.
We called ourselves:
The Buzzsaw Line.
And that's pretty much what we tried to be.
A buzzsaw.
Hard.
Physical.
Relentless.
Not necessarily the prettiest hockey in the world…
But you knew when we were on the ice.
And every once in a while, our coach, Bruce Cassidy, would do something interesting.
He'd start us against the other team's best line.
Their number-one guys.
Their most skilled players.
Now, let's be clear.
We weren't going to out-skill some of those first lines.
We weren't trying to play tic-tac-toe hockey with the most talented players in the league.
But we could defend.
We could skate.
We could forecheck.
We could explode on loose pucks.
And most importantly…
we could set the tone.
When Cassidy sent us over the boards to start a game, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.
Get in on the forecheck.
Finish a hit.
Create some chaos.
Get the puck to the net.
And if somebody challenged me?
Let's go.
The goal was simple:
Create momentum immediately.
Make the other team realize:
Oh boy. It's going to be one of those nights.
That first shift mattered.
Because the way you start something has a funny way of affecting everything that follows.
And I've realized the exact same thing is true in life.
Your first action matters.
Think about how you start your day.
For me, I've changed that dramatically over the years.
There was a time when I would wake up, grab my phone and immediately start scrolling.
Social media.
News.
Notifications.
Other people's problems.
Other people's opinions.
Other people's lives.
Before I had even gotten out of bed, I had already given somebody else control of my attention.
Now?
I try to set the tone myself.
I wake up.
I pray.
I thank God for another day.
And then I start putting the right things into my mind.
I'm going to be excellent today.
Today is going to be a great day.
I can.
I will.
Positive thoughts.
Gratitude.
Purpose.
Before the outside world gets a chance to tell me what to think.
And it's amazing what happens when you start your day that way.
You create momentum.
The same thing applies to hockey.
How do you set the tone when you walk into the weight room?
What's your first rep look like?
How do you set the tone when practice starts?
Are you floating through warmups?
Or are you already dialed in?
What about a game?
What does your first shift say?
What does your first battle say?
What does your first backcheck say?
What does your first shot say?
You don't need to be the biggest player.
You don't need to be the toughest player.
You don't need to fight somebody on your first shift like I was looking to do.
But you CAN decide:
This is how I'm going to show up today.
And then prove it with your first action.
Maybe it's winning your first puck battle.
Maybe it's finishing your first check.
Maybe it's making a hard backcheck.
Maybe it's firing your first shot on net.
Maybe it's simply skating harder than anybody else in the drill.
Whatever it is…
Set the tone.
Because your first action creates momentum.
And momentum has a way of creating the next action.
Then the next one.
Then the next one.
Until suddenly, you're not trying to have a great practice.
You're already having one.
So ask yourself today:
What's one thing I can do first thing tomorrow morning to set the tone?
What's one thing I can do at my next workout?
My next practice?
My next game?
Start right.
Then watch what follows.
Knuckles up,
Bobby Robins, ex hockey pro inspiring a new generation of hockey stars
P.S. Want a simple way to set the tone before the day even gets rolling?
Before you grab your phone…
Grab your stick.
Put the Wraparound on the blade, grab your Puckaround and spend 10 minutes getting touches.
Garage.
Driveway.
Basement.
Wherever you've got room.
Head up.
Soft hands.
Feel the puck.
Work your forehand.
Work your backhand.
Ten focused minutes before school can give you hundreds of touches before most players have even started their day.
That's how little advantages start stacking up.
The Wraparound + Puckaround combo lets you train with your real stick while getting the feel of a real puck away from the ice.
So tomorrow morning, don't start your day scrolling.
Start it training.
Set the tone before the world gets a chance to set it for you.
[Grab the Wraparound + Puckaround Combo and start your day with extra reps →]