Few Players Find This.
When you're young, you think success comes from working hard.
And that's true.
To a point.
But eventually you reach a level where everyone works hard.
Everyone is talented.
Everyone trains.
Everyone wants it.
I remember showing up at UMass Lowell for my first Division 1 practice.
I couldn't believe the pace.
The puck moved faster.
The players were stronger.
The battles were harder.
Guys seemed impossible to knock off the puck.
I remember feeling overwhelmed.
I felt underprepared and under-equipped.
So I did the only thing I knew how to do.
I went as hard as I possibly could.
When you're operating at that level, there isn't room for much else.
You just empty the tank.
And there's something powerful about that.
When you're giving everything you have, the voice of doubt gets quieter.
Maybe it never completely disappears.
But you stop listening to it.
You become consumed by the work.
That's one path.
But there's another path too.
The path that changed my life.
The path of going the extra mile.
When I finally figured out how to become a successful professional hockey player, I became obsessed with the extra mile.
It took me four years of college hockey.
Then four more years of bouncing around professional hockey.
Years of frustration.
Years of uncertainty.
Years of feeling like I was spinning my wheels.
Then something clicked.
I realized that everyone was working hard.
Everyone was competing.
Everyone was battling.
So I stopped trying to win during practice.
(Don't get me wrong...I still brought it...every...single...practice)
But...
I started trying to win before practice.
And after practice.
And at home.
And before bed.
I started looking for every possible edge.
Before practice I foam rolled.
I performed the same dynamic warmup I used on game days.
I made sure my body was ready.
Before that, I made sure I was fueling myself properly.
Before that, I made sure I got enough sleep because I knew recovery was where improvement happened.
After practice I stayed late.
Extra skill work.
Extra skating.
Extra reps.
Then came the team lift.
Then extra bike sprints.
Then stretching.
Then ice baths.
Then more recovery work.
Then more foam rolling before bed.
While other players were heading out for beers, I was listening to self-improvement podcasts and finding another way to get 1% better.
And here's where the magic happens.
At first, nobody notices.
But eventually everyone notices.
Your teammates notice.
Your coaches notice.
Your trainers notice.
Your parents notice.
The scouts notice.
Even your opponents notice.
Because the extra mile changes you.
It becomes part of your identity.
It becomes who you are.
And then one day something strange happens.
You make the big play.
You score the big goal.
You win the battle.
You earn the opportunity.
And everyone thinks it happened overnight.
But it didn't.
The magic was forming long before that moment.
The magic was created in all those tiny decisions nobody saw.
The extra rep.
The extra sprint.
The extra stretch.
The extra hour of sleep.
The extra mile.
I can't explain exactly how it works.
I just know that it does.
The more ways you find to go the extra mile, the more opportunities seem to find you.
So start today.
Find one way.
Then another.
Then another.
And before long you'll discover the magic for yourself.
Now GO.
Knuckles up,
Bobby Robins, savage motivator, NHL Alum, writer for Wraparound
P.S. One of the easiest ways to go the extra mile is to work on your puck skills when you're not on the ice. The best way to do that is with your actual stick. The Wraparound protects your blade so you can train anywhere and get thousands of extra reps this summer. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
➡️ Get yours and start putting in the work.