Consistency, discipline, belief — the habits that separate the dreamers from the doers
Hey Hockey Family,
Who you got?
The season is here. NHL teams are back on the ice for training camp. The new prospects are stepping up. Veterans are showing if they put in the work this summer…or if they didn’t. Training camp is the great revealer.
If you’ve ever been through a camp — whether it’s junior tryouts, captains practices in college, or battling for a spot on your high school team — you know the feeling. The intensity. The nerves. The fire.
I’ve been to three NHL training camps in my career, and each one taught me something that could change the way you approach your season.
~Ottawa Senators, 2006. Fresh off signing my first NHL contract, I showed up fat and out of shape. I thought I had “made it.” Reality check: 40+ guys on contract, half getting sent home. I gave it everything I had, but my summer wasn’t all in. Half training, half partying. I ended up cramping so bad after practice they had to carry me out and stick an IV in my arm. Lesson learned: talent and shortcuts won’t cut it.
~Boston Bruins, 2013. Six years later, older and wiser, I came back in the best shape of my life. I’d learned the secret: good habits every single day → good results. Consistency, discipline, belief. I was ready, until a torn ligament in an exhibition game knocked me out. Could’ve been the end. Instead, I came back harder.
~Boston Bruins, 2014. Another year of lessons, another summer of discipline. One day at a time. One rep at a time. And when they announced the Opening Day Roster, there I was. Number 64. A training camp number. But I didn’t care — I made the team.
Here’s my encouragement to every player starting a new season:
Give it everything you’ve got. Don’t worry about the guy next to you. Don’t obsess over the scouts or the coaches. Keep your focus on the task at hand — and BRING IT.
The season doesn’t lie. The ice doesn’t lie. The work you put in this summer is about to show.
Who you got?
See you out there,
—Bobby Robins, savage motivator, ex hockey pro