Quick-Shot: Parents, Coaches and Players who seek to improve Hockey Skills can look to the Pros as examples of successful players who are well-rounded, and invested in athletic development beyond singular sport focus.

Long Version: Some say hockey players are born and you can’t teach kids to become great hockey players. Truth is, Hockey players, like individuals who play any sport must develop Life and athletic skills far beyond those developed within the Sport of hockey itself.

To excel in any sport, a foundation of athleticism will almost always be more beneficial than singular sport focus; or genetics alone. This is especially true as the athlete develops and two examples of Hockey Players that demonstrate the importance of Athletic Skill, Effort, Perseverance, and Vector Focus, over naturally gifted genetics, can be found in the NHL and on Team Canada's, Sochi Olympics Roster.

It is well known, "typical" Hockey player genetics often include impressive height and physical size.  NHL Player (Buffalo Sabres), Cory Conacher was in fact born into a "hockey family" as he is distant relative to Hockey Hall of Famers Charlie, Roy and Lionel "Big Train", Conacher - the only three brothers to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

However, his perfect hockey genetics simply don't exist and instead he was born with a birth defect, and developed a serious medical condition (Diabetes), later in life.  Cory didn't grow into what many consider "ordinary" or typical NHL size and is anything but typical or ordinary.  At 5'8", 179lbs Cory Conacher possess' "extraordinary" willpower, inner fight and determination, perhaps because of the early in life fight he needed to possess, for survival.

As result of the blessings he was born into, Cory Conacher developed heart, grit, speed and creative play.   He learned how to do things his own way and he used all of the phyiscal gifts he had available to him; he didn't dwell on what he wasn't born with.  Conacher has been cut from almost every team he played for dating back to 'AAA' Bantam Hockey; was overlooked by the NHL Draft and many of the bigger Division I schools in the United States and has had to fight for every position he held. 

Conacher landed at a small D-I school (Canisius College in Buffalo, NY) where he tore up the league and set many school and league records. He went on to the AHL (Tampa Bay Lightning's Affiliate), where he earned AHL's Rookie of the Year and was awarded the Les Cunningham MVP trophy.  In his NHL Debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Conacher "bagged a goal and a helper", which served as a first signal, that he had arrived.

As I write this entry, Conacher is in the process of being dealt again from the Ottawa Senators of the NHL, where he lit up his Rookie Season with impressive play. With the power, determination and grit of 10-NHL men, Corey Conacher is sure to lift the spirits, and hope of a City and NHL Hockey Club in Buffalo, where he will play with the Sabres.

One thing is for sure: BIG things are in store for Corey Conacher and he is building a allegiance of player respect; fan support; and kids who look up to this 5'8" framed bundle of focus and grit.
 
Physical Size of an individual is determined by the genetic mix in an Individual's DNA. Hockey Numbers guy, James Mirtle concluded the average NHLer to be genetically programmed with a height of approximately 6' 1", and a weight of 204 lbs.

Hockey DNA goes way beyond the stuff an individual is born with and is developed through years of getting up when knocked down; of reaching and grinding; of muscling and hustling.  Hockey players ARE NOT born. Individuals who possess shear determination; grit; focus; the ability to step into their potential while overcoming obstacles, become hockey players at the highest levels.

Take for example another 5'8-er, who has dominated at every level of hockey in Martin St. Louis, who has played key roles on several winning Teams. He has won a Stanley Cup Championship (2004), a Gold Medal from the 2014 Olympics and a World Championship (2004) both with Team Canada; an NCAA Championship (1996) and several personal Awards including NHL MVP and he was chosen to play in 6-NHL All Star Games. In 2012-13 Season at age 39, he was the leading scorer amongst a very talented and younger pool of NHL players, from around the world. 

St. Louis entered the NHL as an UN-DRAFTED player and he has proven that determination, guts, belief in one self and drive always out perform pure statistics and size.

As cliche as it is, this quote is fitting and quite true:

"It is not the size of the dog in the fight, 
its the size of the fight in the dog"

Size is clearly not everything. Well-rounded, Purpose-based; Values-driven; and Focused Individuals do well in life and in Sport. Hockey is no exception!

In a separate Post, I discussed the probability of a player's success to increase, and the likelihood of a player to be dominant in any Sport, especially hockey, to be directly related to that Individual's level of athleticism, and not their pure skill.  Coaches from around the Game have identified gaps in some of the young players entering the NHL, which revolve around poor training habits and singular hockey focus, as opposed to well-roundedness. 

Young players, Parents and Coaches we should all pay attention to the trend in Hockey as observed by Veteran insiders.

Brent Sutter, retired NHL hockey player, Hockey Canada icon, and veteran Coach at all levels has made his position on the matter of athleticism and hockey-training clear:

“You just don’t have as many players today that are as good as athletes as they used to be; too much today, especially in young players, is focused on hockey 12-months/yr

They don’t play soccer, they don’t play baseball or tennis or the other things that people used to do. It is so noticeable on a hockey team that the kids who have played other sports and experienced different things are always the smarter players on your team, and they are able to handle adversity better."

Brent Sutter,  Retired NHLer, Coach and Builder of People

A look at NHL stars Milan Lucic of the Boston Bruins, Evander Kane of the Winnipeg Jets and Brendan Gallagher of the Montreal Canadiens will reveal micro examples of players who possess Athleticism and bring this “A-Factor” into the sport of hockey.

All three NHL players share a common interest, passion for and participation in a sport other than hockey. In their Youth, Lucic was a boxer, Kane played soccer and Gallagher was a baseball player. All three consider multi-sport development to be a factor in their hockey success, and not simply possessing perfect Hockey genetics.

Evander Kane of the Winnipeg Jets was an accomplished track athlete in high school and has taken up tennis in recent years. Kane says, “I was fortunate enough to play multiple sports and it’s something I really enjoyed. You look back and those were some of my best memories growing up.”

See Blog Post, "Athleticism & The A-Factor" for more on this topic

A note to Coaches, trainers and players: adding to the bonus of “mixing it up”, is the development of Quick Starts, Acceleration and Agility through various sports, including for example, Track, Lacrosse, Baseball, and Soccer.

Scott Bonner, a GM of the Western Hockey League shared his opinion on the current training drain of hockey players, and promotes a more balanced approach to play and development. Interestingly, he points out the development of the person (not the hockey player) as important. “It’s good for guys to get away from the game,” Bonner told Hockey Now in a recent interview.

Bonner suggests parents put kids in other sports; to meet other people and where they will do work to become a well-rounded person. He adds, a child doesn’t need to play other sports at a high level and by simply playing, hockey doesn’t become mundane.

Pretty big insights from a number of successful hockey people, who have been around the Game for decades.  

Remember Players, Parents and Coaches: A player's Hockey DNA has little to do with genetic size or hockey skill-only, and a great deal to do with an Individual's personality; well-rounded training techniques; athleticism; personality; mental strength and attitude.

See ya at the rink,
Jody Anderson

#Hockey MATTERS
@DoctorJody