I’ve been everywhere, man!!
I grew up in a tiny town in northern Wisconsin.
And from a pretty early age, I knew I wanted more.
I wanted to get out.
I wanted to see things.
I wanted to experience life.
I wanted to experience the world.
I just had absolutely no idea how I was going to do it.
Hockey became my vehicle.
I fell in love with the game when I was young, and once I did, I wanted to see how far I could possibly take it.
But here's the funny thing:
I never really thought about the entire journey at once.
I just kept thinking about the next level.
Peewee to Bantam.
Bantam to high school.
High school to midget.
Midget to junior hockey.
Junior hockey to Division I college.
College to professional hockey.
The minors to the NHL.
Make the jump.
Then make the next one.
Then make the next one.
I think that's an incredibly powerful way for a young hockey player to approach a big dream.
Maybe you want to play Division I hockey.
Maybe you want to win the Hobey Baker Award.
Maybe you dream about becoming an NHL star.
Maybe you want to play professional hockey for ten years.
Whatever that massive goal is, sometimes it can seem impossibly far away.
You're standing here…
And the dream is way over there.
So stop staring at the entire distance.
Instead, ask yourself:
What can I get a little bit better at today?
Can you improve your shot?
Your hands?
Your skating?
Your strength?
Your conditioning?
Your hockey IQ?
Your nutrition?
Your mindset?
Your discipline?
Your body is your athletic vehicle.
Your mind is what drives it.
And every single day, you have an opportunity to make both of them a little bit better.
That's the formula.
Small improvements. Every day.
Because those little improvements start adding up.
A day becomes a week.
A week becomes a month.
A month becomes an entire season.
And over six, eight, ten months…
You can become a completely different hockey player.
That's the goal.
You don't have to become an NHL player today.
You just have to become good enough to make the next jump.
Then you start working on the one after that.
And if you keep doing that long enough?
There's no telling where this game might take you.
I know that because hockey took me places I never could have imagined as a kid.
From northern Wisconsin to Green Bay.
From Green Bay to Culver Military Academy in Indiana.
Then out west to Montana for junior hockey.
Nebraska in the USHL, those cornfields of wonder.
Four years of Division I college hockey in Massachusetts at UMass Lowell.
And then professional hockey took me all over again.
New York.
California.
Chicago.
Providence.
Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Slovenia.
And eventually…
Boston.
The NHL.
Looking back on it now, sometimes I truly feel like:
I've been everywhere, man.
And hockey did that for me.
This game allowed me to see the world.
It introduced me to incredible people.
Different cultures.
Different cities.
Different countries.
Different locker rooms.
It gave me friendships, stories, memories, adventures and experiences that the little kid in northern Wisconsin couldn't possibly have imagined.
And it all happened because I kept trying to make one more jump.
So wherever you are in your hockey journey right now, don't get overwhelmed thinking about how far away the ultimate dream seems.
Just ask yourself one question today:
What's one thing I can get better at?
Then work on it.
Tomorrow?
Do it again.
Keep stacking those incremental improvements until one day you look around and realize…
You're ready for the next level.
And then go take it.
I'm excited to see where this game takes you.
I hope hockey takes you places you haven't even dreamed of yet.
Keep those knuckles up!
Bobby Robins, Boston Bruins/Providence Bruins Alum
P.S. A lot of those tiny improvements happen when nobody is watching. Ten minutes in the driveway. A hundred extra touches. One more stickhandling session after everyone else is done. Grab your Puckaround, pair it with your Wraparound, and get to work. The Puckaround is designed to feel like a real puck on the ice—so you can keep making those little improvements anywhere there's pavement.