Does that make me a loser?
Before we start this email, let's get something out of the way.
I played at every level of hockey.
From Mighty Mites all the way to the NHL with the Boston Bruins.
Junior hockey.
Division I college hockey.
Minor pro.
American Hockey League.
NHL.
And guess what?
I've been cut.
A lot.
I've been healthy scratched.
I've been told I wasn't good enough.
I've been told I wasn't fast enough.
I've been told I wasn't a good enough skater.
Too slow.
Not what they were looking for.
I've seen it in a coach's eyes when he lost faith in me.
I've seen that look when somebody stopped believing I could do it.
And I never forgot those looks.
I'll never forget some of those sweltering summer training sessions in July.
I'd be lying underneath a barbell getting ready to rep out five heavy sets of bench press to failure.
Before each set, I'd close my eyes.
And I'd picture those coaches.
One coach for every set.
This one's for you.
You didn't believe in me?
Okay.
Watch me.
Now...
Am I recommending that you spend your entire hockey career fueled by bitterness and trying to prove everybody wrong?
No.
That's probably not the healthiest mentality in the world.
But I'll tell you what it was:
It was savage.
And sometimes getting told NO can put a fire inside of you that burns hotter than anything else.
I remember going to training camp with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL.
I thought I had the tryout of my life.
I was crushing guys with bone-rattling checks.
I fought the tough guy at camp and did pretty well.
I thought:
There's no way they're cutting me.
They cut me.
I'll never forget the conversation.
They told me they were looking for smaller, quicker players.
I was just a little too big for what they wanted.
I couldn't believe it.
But that's hockey.
I didn't hate the coach.
I didn't hold some lifelong grudge against him.
But...
I never forgot.
And eventually, I got another opportunity to play against that coach when he was behind the bench of another USHL team.
I'll never forget warm-ups that night.
I skated by their bench.
Our eyes locked.
Nobody said a word.
But in that moment, I swear an entire conversation happened between two men.
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
And the message was clear:
You made the wrong decision, Coach.
Then I spent the rest of that night trying to make it a miserable night for his hockey team.
And I did.
So...
What if you get cut?
What if you don't make the team?
What if the coach doesn't like you?
What if somebody else gets your spot?
What if you screw up?
What if you have a terrible game?
What if?
What if?
WHAT IF?
You can drive yourself insane living inside those two words.
So here's another question:
What if none of that matters today?
What if you walk into the rink and play like those possibilities don't even exist?
What if you stop worrying about tomorrow's roster...
And give absolutely everything you have TODAY?
Heart exposed.
Everything on the table.
Nothing held back.
That's the mentality I eventually learned to bring to the rink.
Every practice.
Every training session.
Every shift.
And when I finally snapped that mindset into place—when I flipped that switch—things started happening for me.
So I know some of you are at tryouts right now.
Some of you are at captain's practices.
Some of you are fighting for spots.
And that little voice is probably whispering:
"What if I don't make it?"
Okay.
But...
What if you do?
What if today you simply decide to be the best hockey player you can possibly be today?
Be excellent today.
Be relentless today.
Compete today.
Because today is what you control.
So push the negativity aside.
Push the anxiety aside.
Get over the boards.
Skate as fast as you possibly can.
Win your battle.
Take your shot.
Go put that puck in the net.
And tomorrow?
Do it again.
That's hockey.
Knuckles up,
Bobby Robins, savage motivator, ex NHLer, writer for Wraparound
P.S. And when practice is over, your work doesn't have to be.
Get out on the concrete.
Grab your stick.
Grab your Puckaround.
And get your reps in.
The Puckaround was designed to give you the feel of an on-ice puck while you're training off the ice, so you can keep developing your hands when you don't have access to a sheet of ice.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Twenty minutes.
Don't worry about becoming a completely different hockey player overnight.
Just get a little bit better today.
Because enough of those days stacked on top of each other?
That's how you become the player they can't cut.
👉 Get your Puckaround and start stacking your extra reps today.