Hockey is a very fluid game with lots of intangibles that are very tough to measure. It’s not like bowling where the ceiling is 300.(Unless you’re a mormon by the name of Ishmael from the movie Kingpin and bowl 15 frames). In every important aspect of your life-mainly school and work-you try to get a 100% on the test or produce a product with no defects. You get rewarded for perfection. Try that in hockey and you play rigid, scared, and boring. I tried to play the perfect game within my coaches system. Stay on the defensive side of your man, drive hard to the net, keep your stick in the passing lane, etc. I always thought that if I do all of the little things right then this will give my team a chance to win, maybe even get me noticed by the scouts with “contracts in their pockets”. Well let me save you the trouble: you, me, and Sid the Kid have made mistakes and will continue to make mistakes. Lots of them. Perfection is impossible to achieve in hockey. Let’s consider a slightly different way of thinking.

The great players spend 95% of their time on the ice doing the little things that I mentioned above just like the rest of us. The other 5% of their time on the ice the great players break outside of the system and CREATE. Whether that is Ovechkin using his speed to bust around a D and score, Dion Phaneuf laying an open ice hit that changes the momentum of the game, Hall Gill blocking a shot, or the Sedin brothers cycling. In that creation there is bound to be some confusion or chaos-that no doubt makes a coach cringe-but that is where the greatness rests. Babe Ruth hit 714 homeruns. But he also struck out 1,330 times.

Every hockey player has a unique skill that they bring to the game. That includes YOU. If you’re so busy trying to play within a system then you will have a hard time differentiating yourself and more than likely will end up average. So even though the coach may not like when you delineate from the system that’s where the greatness lies. So make sure you’re taking care of your responsibilities but don’t be afraid to try new things and CREATE. That’s what wins games and gets you noticed. I challenge you to strive for creatively unleashing that unique skill not perfection. Good luck with the start of the season.

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As we get down to the dog days of summer, you get sick and tired of working out. It’s normal. The season can’t come quick enough and all you want to do is get out on the ice and start hitting people. But this is the time when you need to really crank it up. School has started for most of you and it’s pretty easy to go a couple of days without working out. This can easily turn into 2 weeks of getting deeply involved in Madden. That’s how long it takes to lose your edge. I had a really tough time of sustaining my intensity towards the tail end of summer but you can take advantage of something that never occurred to me. It’s momentum.

(Micro Level)Today’s Momentum--When you get up and have to lift legs or work on conditioning, push yourself to start the exercise.  Just by starting the exercise you will get rid of those lazy thoughts in your head. Then once you get  started and the blood/endorphins start kicking in, it’s hard to stop. Another great way is to always have a work out partner so it’s tough to take a day off when you both hold each other accountable.

Season Momentum(Think long term)--How you start your season creates momentum good or bad for the entire year. I can remember starting my last season of hockey and not really producing anything offensively in the first 10 games or so. It became a huge weight on my back that was a mental obstacle to moving forward. And then think back to when you started the season on fire and everything was easy. If you can push yourself harder than your peers in the final weeks before the season starts then you will have a huge advantage.

And yeah I can’t wait for the season to start either. Looking into starting a contest to expose my facebook page to more people(I’m an idiot for not putting hockey in the title so no one knows what the heck Score100goals is). Trying to get my hands on some cool prizes right now.If you are not a fan then make sure to join because the contest will be announced early next week. If I can figure it out.

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If you want to boost your offensive stats this year, work on your lateral quickness in the upcoming months. In my opinion there are two types of speed.

1. The north –south, up and down speed that everyone notices
2. That shiftiness/elusiveness that seperates high end offensive players because they create chances everytime they get the puck. For the most part you see this lateral speed in European players. (Obviously there are many exceptions with Crosby, Parise, Gionta, Rafalski, Keith, and many more) This is because a lot of their off ice practice habits include functional training rather than the pure weight/strength/speed exercises that North American players practice.

Personally, I was a straight up and down player without a third gear so I always strived to improve my speed. I did squats, lunges, plyo’s, on-ice overspeed drills, sprints, etc. It really helped but I very rarely worked on my lateral movement. Big mistake. This is so important in today’s game where everyone can skate. That elusiveness provided by great lateral movement isn’t something a scout or a coach can put a finger on but it’s apparent everytime a forward beats a d-man in a cycle, a forward beats a d-man one on one with an inside-outside move, a d-man gets away from a fore checker to start a breakout, and hundreds of other little situations that you can’t even think of.
I thought a good place to start would be to figure out a few exercises that the best athlete in this respect over the past 25 years practiced. Drumroooooollllllll. His name is Barry Sanders. Here are some excercises that he focused on:

The Shuttle Run:

Very simple exercise that everyone has probably done a few times during a preseason test. Then we quickly forget about the on-ice benefits that continually practicing this drill will reap. Here is a Youtube video explaining how to do it:

The ladder:

Here’s a great youtube video that gives you more ladder drills then you will ever need. The kid demonstrating the movements is an absolute jedi:

Lateral Depth Jumps:

I have never personally done this but have seen baseball players-especially outfielders-train using this method for reactive training. Here is a quote from an article by Kelly Bagget explaining technique:
“However, if you perform a depth landing and land in a deeper squat position you can also develop reactivity in the hamstrings and glutes - muscles which are more important for agility and acceleration.”

Incorporate these exercises into your workout program and I guarantee that you will be quicker out on the ice. Thanks for your interest.

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From the earliest age of organized hockey until you get the fortunate opportunity of having a team chosen for you, the act of picking what team to play for next year is one of the most utterly confusing, stressful, back and forth experiences that you’re faced with in hockey. It’s kind of like buying a car. You could have buyers remorse on the first long road trip after being a healthy scratch.

I can honestly say that I had great experiences at every team I played on, but looking back my maturity and skills stagnated at certain points. My decision priorities were all messed up. Because of this I would like to share the top 3 factors I would use if I could magically transport myself back to those fateful decisions that shaped my life. In order of importance they are:

1. Practice Time

I don’t know the exact stat but a hockey player has the puck on his stick for an average of 30 seconds during a 60 minute game. This even seems a bit much to me but we’ll go with that. If you’re choosing your team based on the number of possible games while disregarding number of practices then you’re overlooking skill development. I made this mistake and choose a team based purely on the league and because a friend was already on the team. The only problem was the team practiced twice a week. This was during my critical years of skill development. I really feel that I missed out on some of the maturation process needed to take my game to the next level. Practice is where you try new things, gain confidence, work on mistakes, etc. Practice does not make perfect but it beats sitting on the bench. This also includes off ice workouts from a knowledgeable trainer.

2. Coach

Having a great coach that has the genuine interest of his players at heart every time he goes to the rink is critical. Let’s forget about the coach having complete control over your playing time. I have seen a coach make or break players with something as simple as side comments made after practices. A great coach will learn the different factors that motivate each individual player on his/her team, pushing them to play to the best of their abilities. Just as important he/she will have the hockey knowledge to run a great practice, advancing the players skill level every time he/she steps on the ice. With that hockey knowledge a great coach will also develop winners and drive a team deep into the playoffs. As you may be able to tell my dad was a longtime coach, so I am pretty biased to their role in the success of a team. Also a lot of times coaches have a pipeline to certain college teams or Jr. teams for further advancement.

3. Number of Games Played/League/Talent Level

As stated above I believe you get better through repeated practice. With that being said of course you want to test yourself in game situations against players of a competitive talent level. I don’t think you necessarily want to put yourself in a position where you play up against better players because that could stifle your development, but if the competition is too easy then complacency sets in. I don’t think this is much of a problem anymore because as you advance to higher levels most players are funneled into certain leagues that meet this criterion.

3 THINGS that were a Factor in my decisions and SHOULD NOT have been

1. Where my Friends Choose to Play

Players from the same team seem to make their decisions in a group huddle format. I definitely did it and it seems to be even more common today. In reality it should be an individual decision because every player is different and their fit on the new team will be different. Just because you guys played on the same line for the past five years doesn’t mean that will happen going forward. Plus if your role is a shut down D and your buddy is a offensive D, who’s to say the team isn’t full of shut down D. You may never see the ice while your buddy excels. You get the point. Remember: The greatest part of playing hockey is that you immediately have 20 new friends at the start of every season. O.k. maybe not immediately because there is some jockeying for positions at the start of the season where everyone tries to fit their ego into the same locker room but I promise you after a tough training camp you will all be friends.

2. Town Size/WOW factor of rink/Number of fans at each game

Here are a few truths that most of you know by now.

• A lot of hockey teams are based out of small towns that time forgot.

• Many rinks are concrete boxes that are teeth chattering cold.

• In the same league there are teams with a rabid fan base of thousands of cheering fans and other rinks that are so empty that you can hear your mom scream your name.

None of this matters. You will find, as I did, that the nicest people in the world live in small towns, old rinks have character, and fans are great to have but if you rely on them for energy then you’re not going very far anyways. I suppose you do get more dates though which is a bonus.

3. Scouts are always in the stands at this teams games

No matter where you play from Siberia to California if you’re a great player you will get scouted. Don’t let a coach, parent, or teammate tell you any differently. If you can play you will eventually end up on the radar of every scout the world over.

Off-ice Factors that may, will, and should supersede all of the above points.

1.  Education-Doesn’t need to be discussed
2.  Living Environment-All billet families are not created equal
3.  Money-If you can’t afford to play somewhere then make the best of your situation. Side note: If you are in a situation like this check out the newest Hockey News. Haven’t read the headline story but I hear it’s great and applies to this point:

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/34526-VIDEO-Urban-Legends-Indepth-interview-with-Wayne-Simmonds-and-Chris-Stewart.html

Hopefully this helps clear some stuff up. If you have any questions please comment below. I will do my best to clear anything up and if I don’t know the answer someone else will.

Thanks for your interest.

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Wrist Strengthening Exercise Part 1

I grew up shooting pucks in the backyard and doing this wrist strengthening exercise. I believe it really helps your speed and accuracy with all your shots.

This will quickly develop your wrist strength to make your wrist, snap, and slapshot considerable harder. And the training tool is very easy to make:

1. Buy a 1" woo...den dowel More...

The other day I caught myself saying "It's too hot to golf." I had to immediately give my head a shake and throw on the spikes. But if you're working out hard in the sun then it can be potentially very dangerous. Especially since it's sweltering 99 degrees here in Denver where I just moved. My bald head will get pretty crisp in this heat. Here is a couple of tips to follow on hydration from my book:

NHL Draft 2010

I was pumped to attend the NHL draft held in LA this year. Still waiting for my name to be called. I'm Joking but in all honesty it was exciting as their was a tremendous buzz in the arena with the build up of Hall vs. Seguin, the parents/players sitting on the edge of their seats hanging on every pick called, and all of the GM's scurrying around the floor pushing trades. Here are 3 things I learned from the draft:

First Round Picks are Historically a Crapshoot

Only the players drafted in the first round are ushered onto the stage for the jersey photo op with the team brass. As each player makes his way down the stairs after his name is called, fans try to get a glimpse of the next NHL superstar. But the scoreboard listing the teams top players tells a completely different story. Consider these numbers:

• Less than 55% of the players taken in the first round play more than 3 years in the league. (This stat was taken from the 1990's to give players a chance to mature)
  
• 113 players or near 20% of the league come from rounds 8+ or were never drafted
• Dustin Byfuglien (245th/2003 draft), Joe Pavelski (205th 2003 draft), Ryan Clowe (175th/ 2001 draft), Luc Robitaille (171st/1984), Doug Gilmour (134th/1982 draft) were all late round suprises.
  
• Players undrafted are way too numberous to mention but here are a few notables; Adam Oates (1,420 points), Martin St. Louis (Hart Memorial Winner and Stanley Cup Champion in 2004), and Eddie "the Eagle" Belfour (2-time Vezina Trophy winner)
  

This is mainly because of injuries, the NHL having the youngest draft eligible players of the four major sports, or talented players who are able to slide through the feeder leagues on superior skill failing to raise their work ethic to pro standards.  Bottom line never give up. Each person reaches their maturity levels at different times. Just because Player A is better than you at age 15 doesn't mean he will be 6 months,  1 year, or 10 years from now.

Character Matters

There were at least 2 players whose stock dropped considerable because of off ice issues. And one player was considered the steal of the draft and has scouts talking him up as a 10+ year captain in the NHL based on his off ice behavior.

It's interesting to see hockey's heightened importance of character that perennial winners in other sports such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Yankees have long internalized. The amount of money involved and cancerous affect one player can have on a team sure makes a GM reluctant to discount "stories" about that player.

This reminds me of something my dad once told me. "It's what you do when you think no one is looking that defines you as player". Bottom line, Keep working hard and develop the character needed to play at the next level.

NHL Fashion

The Staples Center hallways was like a fashion show runway. Everyone from the GM, coach, scouts, players, and even Bettman seemed to be pimped out. It was unbelievable. It must be that LA brought out the best of peoples closets. All I know is that I have to get on this train. My 8 year old suit with a hole in the pants is not going to cut it anymore. Note to self -- Mix in a trip to the mall between golf, hockey, and shoving food down your fat face.

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How to Take a Slapshot

I still remember trying to raise the puck while ripping slapshots in my drive way as a peewee. I was told that I threw a few "hissyfits", as my mom described them. I don't know about that, but I know how frustrating it can be trying to learn the many different moving parts of the hockey slapshot.

Here is a video and a detailed explanation below:

The main things to focus on as highlighted in the video are:More...

Wrist Shot Fundamentals

Many players overlook the wrist shot. You grow up practicing it in your back yard, raising your hands when you actually raise the puck over the net for the first time. Then you put in on the back burner as you slice at the puck in your first attempts at a slapshot. But the wrist shot is your bread and butter, especially as a forward. You can catch the goalie off guard with a quick release and also hide the angle of your shot.

There are many ways to shoot a wrist shot including with your feet square to the net, pushing off your back foot toward the net, shooting off the weak foot, and pulling the puck into your body. But this is how I was initially taught and includes the basics. All of the above shots should be taught aftewards.

Players take this shot for granted but a few minor tweaks can add 5 to 10 mph to your top end speed. I created a Youtube video that highlights specific things (one of them I didn't consciously realize until I was out of the game):

Here is the video: 

Thank you for your interest.

Brett

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I gave a speech yesterday to about 150 people and it absolutely sucked. I lost my train of thought multiple times, talked way too fast, and overall was pretty boring. Aaaahhh it's frustrating even thinking about it. I have had the opportunity to speak about 10 times in the last couple of months and in my mind I knocked 5 out of the park. As I was licking my wounds today and trying to learn from my mistakes I realized that before all of the good speeches I visualized the audience. Not sure why I didn't do it yesterday but it showed. I really believe this is also a critical factor in hockey, especially as you get to the higher levels. Here is some info and a link on Visualization and how it pertains to hockey.

Visualization in Hockey

Today's players spend over 500 hours every season practicing on the ice, training off the ice, and doing whatever it takes on top of that to be the best physically prepared player they can be. The game has become so competitive that it's hard to separate yourself from the pack as you move up to better and better competition.

I truly believe that the mental part of the game is often neglected and affects a player's performance just as much, if not more than, the physical preparation mentioned above. In my book the 7 Pre-Game Habits of Pro Hockey Players I devout a whole chapter to Visualization. Researching the book I found that every star performer in every area, such as Navy Seals, bodybuilders, CEO's, etc. use visualization to consistently attain that high level of performance. More...