Quick Shot: Selfless acts or “sacrifices” are woven into the game of Hockey and they find their way into the lives of its participants. Hockey is a fast, dynamic game that periodically invites players with unique opportunities to excel, perform and to showcase and share their Gifts, on and off the ice.

Long Version: Hockey is a fast, dynamic game that periodically invites players with unique opportunities to excel, perform and to showcase their skills.  Heads up players are regularly rewarded.  More often than not, hockey teaches us that rewards in the form of “goals” come to those who work harder than their opponents, and sometimes harder than their teammates both in Practice (preparation) and during Game situations.

This reward system is a natural and competitive driver that motivates those who aspire to do as well or better than teammates and opponents. The "drive" comes naturally to those who seek to do their best and savour the victory found in effort.

In Hockey, it is rare to see a player rewarded for being selfish (i.e. hogging the puck or taking foolish penalties), and it is even more rare to find a player who can last very long on a Team or in the Game if he/she plays selfishly.  Hockey tends to wash itself of poor-sports and showboats, and it promotes a bigger game of sacrifice and team play.

In hockey, as in life, there are times that we need to take a hit for a teammate to get ahead.  In hockey, as in life we may need to pass off an opportunity (The “Give”) because it is the smart thing to do, only to have it come back to us (The “Go” and the completion of a “give and go”). 

Because hockey is such a long Season (7+ months), hockey players naturally learn about social sacrifices, and similarly we learn how to plan and coordinate school, social and family schedules at an early age. 

Hockey is a game that requires stamina, strength and discipline which requires fuel and players at a young age begin to understand the physical and mental rigours of the sport.  Fuelling the hockey body is a Science, and young players naturally learn to avoid (sacrifice) bad foods because they come with obvious negative consequences.  Thinking and motivated athletes naturally gravitate towards healthy food choices, because they are rewarded for the same.

Hockey is often a Sport that requires travel, which sometimes requires early mornings and late nights.  Young players learn quickly, that rest is essential to performance and hockey output, and unnecessary and "extra" late night indulgences catch up in the form or poor play and loss of competitive edge.  
 
Young people in today’s society have many life advantages and freedoms because of the hard work and sacrifices made by their families, and by the Generations before us all who helped to pave the way for a better and easier life.  It is difficult for anyone born into our Modern world to understand the depth of sacrifice our fore fathers and fore-mothers made for us.

Many have no idea what sacrifice to that degree even looks like.  One result of being born into our modern world is that we have become comfortable and unappreciative; some may say we display a sense of entitlement which is concerning for those who did the sacrificing.

Canadian Speed-skater, Gilmore Junio embodies Sacrifice and thinking about others. Junio gave up his chance to compete in a race, to Teammate, Denny Morrison at the Sochi Olympics. He said this about why he made the Sacrifice:  

“The decision to give Denny [Morrison] my spot was purely about performance. We wanted what was best for the team, what gave us the best chance to win.



"My parents [Gino and Julie] came to Canada from the Philippines looking to give their family a better life. Through my childhood they raised me to be a team player, consider the big picture and not only think of myself, to be humble and not a showoff. Ultimately that’s one of the reasons I made the decision I did."

Entitlement is the result of decay for the appreciation of what we have, and a lopsided sense of what we believe we deserve.  In a small way, Sport, including hockey helps participants including our Youth, appreciate the benefits of hard-work, and of sacrifice; and of the many factors that go into achieving good results.  The Game of Hockey is far bigger than the contests we play in our rinks, and as life goes on, this understanding guides us to gain a sense that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves, and that many people contributed to our joyful success in the Sport that gives us so much. 

See ya at the rink,
Hockey Matters