Forward this to every hockey parent you know.
Every hockey parent wants the best for their child.
You want them to succeed.
You want them to improve.
You want them to have a positive experience in the game.
And most importantly, you want hockey to help them grow—not only as a player, but as a human being.
So here's one of the most valuable things I believe you can do as a hockey parent:
Turn the car ride home into a conversation about lessons.
Not criticism.
Not analysis.
Not a replay of every mistake they made.
Lessons.
After a game, resist the urge to immediately say:
Why did you make that pass?
You should have shot there.
You missed your guy on that goal.
You weren't skating hard enough.
Instead, try something different.
Ask:
“What did you learn today?”
That's a powerful question.
Because now you're teaching your player to think.
To evaluate.
To process.
To become more self-aware.
And there are really two layers to this.
The first is the hockey lesson.
Maybe your player is a defenseman.
They pinched down the wall, mis-timed the play, the opponent pokes the puck past them, and suddenly there's an odd-man rush going the other way.
There's absolutely a lesson there.
But instead of telling them what they did wrong the moment they get into the car, ask:
“What did you think about the game today?”
Or:
“Was there anything you learned?”
Give them the opportunity to find the lesson themself.
Maybe they say:
I realized I need to read that pinch better.
Perfect.
Now you've opened the door to a productive conversation without making him feel like they're getting another coaching session from Mom or Dad.
And then there's the second layer.
The life lesson.
Because hockey mistakes aren't really that different from mistakes in life.
You're going to misread situations.
You're going to make bad decisions.
You're going to fail.
You're going to wish you could have a moment back.
But the mistake usually isn't the most important part.
What matters is how you respond to it.
Do you learn?
Do you adjust?
Do you become better because of it?
That's one of the greatest gifts hockey can give a young person.
The game becomes a laboratory for life.
Winning.
Losing.
Pressure.
Failure.
Success.
Disappointment.
Confidence.
Adversity.
Teamwork.
Responsibility.
All of it is teaching them something.
As parents, coaches and mentors, our job isn't to make sure young players never struggle.
It's to help them extract the lesson from the struggle.
So after the next game, try asking one simple question:
“What did you learn?”
Then listen.
You may be surprised by what comes out.
And you may be helping your player develop something far more valuable than a better slapshot.
You're helping them learn how to think, grow and respond when life doesn't go exactly according to plan.
If you know a hockey parent who could benefit from this message, please forward it to them.
Let's keep encouraging these young players.
Let's keep helping them grow.
And let's keep this hockey ship moving forward.
Knuckles up!
Bobby Robins, Boston Bruins/Providence Bruins Alum
P.S. One of the other great things a hockey parent can do is give their player the tools to put in quality reps away from the rink. We just received a fresh shipment of Puckarounds, and they're ready to go. The Puckaround is designed to give players the feel of a real puck while training off the ice. Stock the garage, driveway or basement and give your player the opportunity to put in those extra touches that add up over time.