" Character "
Retired NHL Player, Adam Graves embodied Character, both on and off the ice. He has served his Team, his Family and continues to serve through several Community-based Foundations.
“Talent is a gift, but Character is a choice”, John C. Maxwell
Professional hockey players are undoubtedly talented and have been described as larger-than-life “gladiators on ice”. For generations, many of us have heard Radio and T.V. Broadcasters describe hockey players as super-human; and Games between rival foes, as “legendary” and “historical”. We grew up hearing our Coaches, parents, grand-parents; siblings and teammates describe allegiance and loyalty to a specific NHL® Team or player, with the kind of passion and reverence generally reserved for loved ones and royalty. In our youth, some of us had out-loud and living-dreams, about someday wearing the colours of our favourite Team; and of being the lucky player to score the winning goal in a World Championship or in the dying seconds of a Stanley Cup Final. Remember those days?
The Characters in Hockey we have created grow in fame and fortune in part because we idolize them; some of us in fact aspire to be just like them. If dreaming BIG is what keeps us reaching, then in the world of Sport, the NHL® Hockey Players provide the Youth of yesterday and today, a giant-sized reach for tomorrow.
Between daydreams in high school, I myself wondered why we were forced to learn half of the material presented to us in the required English and History classes. My own father, a librarian and English teacher was forever exposing me to funny sayings and stories about historical people, including Socrates. My father often tricked me into learning by telling me the characters in books and historical figures were big hockey fans. Socrates of course wasn’t a hockey fan at all, but he did say this about thinking BIG.
Socrates said:
“We cannot live better than in seeking to become better”
If aspiring to do something (anything) is an essential element of success, then dreaming and daydreaming about becoming a pro athlete is an excellent early training exercise for thinking about and reaching far beyond a current position, rank or order in life. If managed well, I believe the net result of thinking big in our Youth can be a very healthy, and well fed self esteem; which will predictably produce an adult with high self-esteem. People with high self esteem and confidence in themselves, have a distinct advantage in life because they and we believe we can achieve and accomplish anything in life. These same people can and do persevere to become the leaders in Communities; Churches; schools; and sporting associations. In short, these people naturally do things that matter in life.
Terry Orlick, a published Researcher, Professor and Author has conducted thousands of hours of interviews over a 25-year period with successful people and Performers from many different pursuits including astronauts, fighter pilots, surgeons, musicians, business leaders and of course hockey players. He has identified “seven critical elements of excellence” and found “belief and commitment to be at the hub and heart of excellence”. Belief in oneself and belief in one’s own ability to accomplish a task, or meet a goal is a driver of any process, and in Sport, Terry Orlick has identified “Belief” to be the most important driver, as it fuels Commitment which in turn cranks what he calls an entire “Excellence wheel”. (Source: Zone of Excellence, Terry Orlick)
In my own experience, I learned to believe in myself when opportunity presented itself in hockey, which I understand to be where I started to really form my own self-esteem, self-image and confidence. Character-building opportunities come quick and often during the course of a hockey game and even in a practice; the moment can be as simple as completing a drill, or having a good shift; sometimes scoring a goal and other times taking a hit for someone so he or she can advance play. In all cases, being recognized and rewarded with something as simple as a nod from a Coach or a pat on the backside from a teammate, as signs of acknowledgement, are the seeds that nurture our belief in ourselves which I have discovered, naturally feeds our self esteem, confidence and “self-belief”.
The “Characters of Hockey” have changed over the years and in my own past, the cast of Characters included the likes of Maurice “Rocket” Richard, Gordie Howe, and Bobby Orr to name a few. From the memorable 1972 Summit Series many of us remember Ken Dryden vs. Vladimir Tretiak, and from Canada, Phil Esposito, Guy Lafleur, Darryl Sittler, and of course Paul Henderson. Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and the more modern day heroes and NHL Characters, my own kids tell me include the likes of Sidney Crosby, Steve Stamkos, Corey Perry, and Alex Ovechkin. Modern day characters and characters from a different era are all overshadowed however, by one constant throughout the Generations:
One constant of Hockey is it’s ability to develop Character in people and NOT just NHL mythological Characters.
See ya at the rink,
Jody Anderson
@DoctorJody
#Hockey MATTERS
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