PLAY, DEVELOP, AND BE VICTORIOUS What's the one word that every player hopes for in hockey?

Victorious is more than just any word and it means many things to many people. So before we get too deep into this thought, let’s see what the old dictionary has to say about the word.

In the world of junior hockey, and the development of hockey players, the word can mean so much more than just wins and losses, because it can also refer to climbing up and over that final step towards reaching a goal.

For some players that is just getting to junior hockey and for others that means raising the Stanley Cup. It’s all just a matter of perspective.

2020 and 2021 was certainly a nightmare for the game of hockey. Follow the science, deal with the reality, or fall somewhere in between, COVID is a word that wreaked havoc on almost every area of normal life. We never let that damper any world-class athlete’s ambition, drive, or passion.

As schedules were altered and plans changed, hockey players needed to keep the bigger picture in mind and keep their eye on the prize. Some players did not make it, others were caught up in the wave of NCAA extended eligibility and lowered expectations.

As we work toward the start of 2025-26 season, things are almost back to normal after the shock of major juniors gaining NCAA Division I eligibility.  Normal or not, now is not the time to let off the developmental gas pedal, now is the time to accelerate through the curve and into position to take advantage of all the hard work to date. It’s time to come out ahead, it’s time to be victorious.

The games most successful influences have been able to victoriously help transition a flock of young boys into productive young men. It’s the game’s leaders that have consistently put the development of their players’ character ahead of on ice wins and losses. It’s funny how those same coaches always seam to also end up with a pile of wins.

Players of unquestionable character and high intellect deserve to see enhanced opportunities to succeed and do so when taking advantage of the chance to align with the game’s best.

We’ve all had a life full of personal wins and losses. I passed the fifty-eight year marker last summer and can’t help but ponder a basket full of what-ifs and should’ve could’ves. But looking back over that journey, the thought is that there were a lot more personal victories than losses.

When it comes to the game of hockey, there is little doubt that the work that we have done to date has been very productive.

The lion’s share of that success has occurred long after the skates were hung up. After a phone conversation with an old friend from Anchorage, a conversation from the past was pulled from memory.

The Grandfather once said this to the ten year-old me:

After a dozen years of grinding away with content on JuniorHockey.com, the biggest victory has come in the way of positive relationships that have been built within the game. That network of coaches (and friends) has delivered an unprecedented advantage in the role as a family advisor. The biggest victory has been the various lessons and principles many of those coaches have passed onto our clients, and even myself.

In the advisor’s role, we’ve tried to push our players into the mindset of being victorious in everything they do. It’s funny but, I find myself telling our own children to do the same thing.

We tell players to take victories in the off-season conditioning program, in their nutrition, and in the classroom. In season we are talking about leaving it all on the ice to get the win, one shift at a time. Putting in the extra ice-time, work in the film room, and even getting the victory at night with a solid sleep.

Here at home it’s all about starting the day off with a winning streak. Expecting the kids make a good looking bed, straighten up their rooms, wash their face, have a great breakfast, and brush their teeth. There’s nothing like a pile of early victories to start the day.

In the past few years, there has been an astonishing number of new advisors that have jumped in and out of the market. The reality is that the vast majority come and go within the same twelve month period because they lack a real connection to the levels of play, outside of a small circle of influence. That’s regrettable.

I feel that we have raised the bar in regards to what the role of the advisor should be. An elevation of service, contact, and developmental progress. An entity that gives players an entirely new degree of respect when they walk into the changing room.

Over the upcoming summer, the expectation is that a large number of players will be forced to seek opportunities different than the ones they have been focused on.

Don’t make the mistake of navigating that journey uninformed.

Be Victorious