There's nobody else coming.
When I look back on my hockey career, I don't just remember the games.
I remember the faces.
The teammates. The coaches. The bus rides. The locker room laughs. The wins. The injuries. The heartbreak. The celebrations.
I can still picture the players I grew up with in youth hockey, the guys I battled against in high school, the teammates I had in junior hockey, college, the minors, and pro hockey.
Then I ask myself one simple question:
Who made it?
As I think back through those rosters, something stands out.
From the kids I played youth hockey with, I was the only one who made it to Division I men's hockey.
Then college.
Then the minors.
Then, eventually...
The NHL.
What's strange is that I was never the best player on any of those teams.
Not in youth hockey.
Not in junior.
Not in college.
Not in pro hockey.
There were always players who were faster than me.
More skilled than me.
More naturally gifted than me.
So why was I the one who kept climbing?
I've spent a lot of time trying to answer that question because I want this generation of hockey players to have every opportunity to chase their own dream.
I believe talent matters.
Good coaching matters.
Great parents matter.
But there was something else that lived inside me from a very young age.
I believed I was going to make it.
Even when I couldn't explain why.
Even when there was no evidence.
Even when people probably thought it was unrealistic.
I believed it.
Looking back now, I understand that belief was faith.
Faith is believing something is true before you can see it.
If you're reading this as a player, I want you to do something.
Look around your locker room.
Look around your team.
Look around your league.
The reality is that only a handful of players, if any, will reach the next level.
That isn't meant to discourage you.
It's meant to challenge you.
Because one of those players could be you.
When you look in the mirror, don't tell yourself you're average.
Don't tell yourself you aren't good enough.
Don't tell yourself you stink after a bad practice.
Every time you speak negatively about yourself, you're training your mind to believe it.
Instead, train your mind the other way.
"I learn from every mistake."
"I get better every day."
"I'm going to be the one."
Then back those words up with action.
Stay on the driveway a little longer.
Take a few hundred more shots.
Do one more workout.
Recover better.
Eat better.
Sleep better.
Do the things everyone else is unwilling to do.
Years from now, I hope you're the one looking back at old team photos.
I hope you're the one remembering the locker room, the laughs, the battles, and realizing that all those years ago you made a decision.
You decided to believe.
You decided to outwork everyone.
You decided to become the one.
Go after it with everything you've got.
You've only got one hockey career.
Make it count.
Knuckles Up,
Bobby Robins
Savage Motivator
NHL Alum & Writer for Wraparound
P.S. It's over 100 degrees here in Wisconsin this week. Most people are looking for air conditioning.
Champions are looking for opportunity.
Grab your Wraparound and your Puckaround, head out to the driveway, and become one of the Driveway Warriors. Every puck you handle and every shot you take is another vote for the player you're becoming.
Be The One>>>