There’s only one trait that matters.
If I can be honest…
We spend a lot of time talking about what makes a great hockey player.
We talk about skating.
Stickhandling.
Hockey sense.
Physicality.
Speed.
Strength.
Natural athleticism.
And all of those things matter.
Hockey is an incredible sport. In my opinion, it’s the greatest sport in the world.
It may also be the hardest.
You’re balancing on two thin blades of steel, holding a stick in your hands, chasing a piece of frozen rubber while other players are trying to take your head off.
There’s nothing else quite like it.
Anyone who has played the game knows two things:
It’s the greatest sport in the world.
And…
It’s the hardest sport in the world.
Over the years, I studied this game at every level.
From youth hockey to high school.
From junior hockey to Division I college.
From the minor leagues all the way to the NHL.
I had the opportunity to share locker rooms and lace up my skates beside some of the greatest players in the world—including NHL legends and future Hall of Famers.
And one trait I always possessed was the ability to observe.
I watched everything.
I watched how great players prepared.
I watched how they practiced.
I watched how they competed.
I watched how they carried themselves away from the rink.
I watched what they did when things were going well—and, more importantly, what they did when things weren’t.
After all those years of watching, I discovered one trait that separates the players who make it from the players who don’t.
The players who make it want it more.
They know what they want.
And they go after it.
When the puck gets dumped into the corner and there’s a one-on-one battle, they don’t hesitate.
They want that puck.
They attack the battle.
They get their body into position.
They fight through the contact.
And more often than not, they come out of the corner with possession.
Some of that comes from instinct.
Some of it comes from confidence.
But a lot of it comes from training, repetition, and repeatedly forcing yourself to step into uncomfortable situations.
That hunger can be developed.
It can be learned.
It can be trained.
You develop it by overcoming your fear one battle at a time.
You go into the corner and fight for that puck.
Maybe you lose the first battle.
That’s okay.
You learn from it.
Then, the next time the puck enters the corner, you go after it again.
You keep forcing yourself forward.
You keep teaching yourself to want it.
Want the puck.
Want the shot.
Want the goal.
Want the opportunity.
Want the responsibility of being the player your team can depend on.
And the more you go after those moments, the more things begin happening for you.
Your confidence grows.
Your instincts sharpen.
You stop waiting for opportunities to appear—and you begin creating them.
So get after it this week.
Want it more than the player beside you.
Want it more than your teammates.
Want it more than your opponents.
Want it enough to put in the extra work when nobody is watching.
Because when you want it badly enough—and you’re willing to back that desire with action—you give yourself a chance to go out and get it.
Knuckles up!
Bobby Robins, savage motivator, NHL Alum, Writer for Wraparound
P.S. Show how badly you want it by going the extra mile away from the rink. Grab your Puckaround, protect your stick with a Wraparound, and put in those extra reps in your driveway, garage, or basement. The players who want it most don’t wait for the next practice to start working.