No more excuses.
One of my coaches used to say something that made us laugh every time.
"Excuses are like armpits. Everybody has a couple of them, and they stink."
I've never forgotten it.
Here we are, almost halfway through the summer. That's a dangerous place to be. The excitement of June starts to wear off. The workouts don't feel new anymore. The driveway sessions get skipped. The gym gets replaced by excuses.
Not this week.
This week has to be the week you elevate and separate.
Elevate yourself above the herd.
Separate yourself from the herd.
Because that's how you stand out. That's how you earn opportunities. That's how you become the player everyone else is chasing instead of another player wondering what could have been.
I'll never forget training camp with the Providence Bruins in 2012.
It was held at an old rink in Rhode Island called 146. Nothing fancy. Just an old building packed with unbelievable hockey talent.
The Boston Bruins front office was there. Scouts. Coaches. The general manager. Every drill, every sprint, every test...someone was watching.
I was there on a one year AHL contract.
I could have looked around the room and convinced myself I didn't belong.
Instead, I noticed something that changed the way I thought forever.
Before one of our testing sessions, a group of players started talking about what I call the "numbers game."
"There are only two right wing spots."
"This guy has a one way NHL contract."
"That guy is already ahead of everyone, drafted 1st round."
One after another, they talked themselves right out of making the team.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
They weren't competing.
They were surrendering.
Without saying a word, I made a decision in my own mind.
I will never play the numbers game.
I don't care if there are ten right wingers fighting for two spots.
I'm going to become one of those two.
Then I looked around that room and thought something else.
If any one of those guys tries to take my spot, they're going to have to fight me for it.
Literally.
If dropping the gloves in front of every scout, coach, and brass in the building gave me a better chance to earn that jersey, then that's exactly what I was prepared to do.
Knuckles up.
Because I wasn't leaving that camp with regrets.
Here's what's interesting.
The players playing the numbers game were right about one thing.
They didn't make the team.
Because they had already convinced themselves they wouldn't.
I did.
Not because I was guaranteed anything.
Because I refused to believe someone else had already decided my future.
That's the lesson.
Stop making excuses.
Stop telling yourself why someone else is bigger, faster, stronger, more skilled, better connected, or more talented.
I'm not saying you have to fight..that was my path...but I am saying that you have to fight against doubt and fight to believe you can do it.
Let everybody else play the numbers game.
You play the belief game.
Decide today that you're the player who's going to make it.
Then prove it.
In the gym.
On the ice.
On the track.
In the driveway.
Every single day.
That's how this works.
It doesn't start when the season begins.
It starts today.
No more excuses.
Make it happen.
Knuckles up.
Bobby Robins, savage motivator, NHL Alum, writer for Wraparond
P.S. This week we celebrate America's 250th birthday and the freedoms so many people sacrificed to protect. Honor that opportunity by making the most of yours. If you're spending your summer on the driveway or at the rink, do it in a pair of our USA Polarized Blade Shades. Built for hockey players who work while everyone else is making excuses. Train hard, celebrate the Fourth, and remember that freedom means nothing if you don't do something with it.