The summer isn’t over...but the excuses are.
Wake-up call!
It’s August.
The summer isn’t officially over. You still have nearly an entire month in front of you.
But this is the point when hockey players begin separating into two groups.
The first group looks back at June and July with regret.
Man, I should have worked harder.
I should have spent more time in the gym.
I should have shot more pucks.
I should have taken my nutrition and recovery more seriously.
I can’t believe it’s already August.
They spent the beginning of the summer talking about what they were going to do.
Now the calendar is staring them directly in the face.
Talk time is over.
Then there is another group.
The mad dogs.
These players have been grinding themselves right down to the bone.
They’ve been crushing it in the gym.
Putting in the work on the ice.
Running hills, pounding pavement, shooting pucks, and handling the puck until their forearms burn.
They’ve built their foundation throughout June and July.
But now they’re tired.
They’re sore.
They’re beginning to wonder whether they can keep pushing at this pace for another month.
A little voice inside their head whispers:
Maybe you’ve done enough.
Maybe you should start backing off.
Maybe you can coast through August.
But the competitor inside them answers:
Shut up.
You can make it through one more month.
In fact, this may be the most important month of the entire summer.
June and July built your foundation.
August is where you begin reaching peak form.
This is where all those workouts begin coming together.
This is where your conditioning, strength, skill, confidence, and discipline rise to another level.
This is the month that can propel you directly into tryouts, training camp, and the next opportunity with your team.
I’ve lived on both sides of this.
During one of my early professional summers, I had just finished a season in the ECHL with a couple of call-ups to the AHL.
But I never stuck.
Deep down, I had almost given up on my hockey dream.
I had signed to play in Europe, and instead of preparing like a professional, I spent most of the summer soaking it up.
I barely trained.
I figured I would arrive in Europe, lace up my skates, and everything would be fine.
And for a while, it was.
Until my body started breaking down.
I dislocated my shoulder.
I needed surgery.
I learned the hard way that you cannot expect your body to withstand the demands of professional hockey when you haven’t properly prepared it.
Now fast-forward three or four years.
I had become an entirely different player.
I was training with some of the best trainers in the world.
Gym in the morning.
Ice in the afternoon.
Recovery between sessions.
Eating with purpose.
Training with purpose.
Living like a legitimate professional.
The difference was night and day.
It almost felt like two different hockey careers belonging to two completely different players.
But here is the good news:
You do not have to wait three or four years to make that switch.
You can make it today.
Maybe you wasted June.
Maybe July got away from you.
Maybe you haven’t lived up to your full potential this summer.
That time is gone—but August is still yours.
You can decide that the rest of this summer will be different.
You can start training with discipline.
You can start eating like an athlete.
You can begin shooting pucks every day.
You can start building the habits that will carry you into the best season of your life.
It only takes one day of discipline.
One day of making the right decisions.
One day of doing what you said you were going to do.
Then you wake up tomorrow and do it again.
One disciplined day becomes a disciplined week.
A disciplined week becomes a disciplined month.
And a disciplined month can change the direction of your entire hockey career.
Let that first day be today.
You can do this.
Start with the little habits.
Finish the summer strong.
And arrive at the rink this season knowing you did everything you could to prepare.
Knuckles up!
Bobby Robins, savage motivator, NHL Alum, Writer for Wraparound
P.S. Great hockey players are built through small habits repeated every day. Start with ten focused minutes of off-ice stickhandling using a puck designed to feel like the real thing.