Hockey Is A Game of Mistakes

Hockey is a game of mistakes.

When was the last time you watched a game and saw one of the teams do a perfect breakout or score a tic-tac-toe powerplay goal? There is a reason that when you see it happen on TV, the announcers get so excited about it...because those "perfect" plays don't happen very often.

A coach of mine used to always say, "The ice is slippery. Take advantage of it."

Mistakes are going to happen and it is those teams and players who are able to recover the quickest that are going to have the advantage.


You might be focused and confident before you head out of the dressing room...


--> But how do you react when those mistakes happen on the ice?


You have to regroup quickly and refocus on the task at hand.


After you have made a mistake during a game, you have to let it go and to forget about it as quickly as possible.


"Easier said than done”, right? Especially when you score on your own net or miss a sure goal on an open net.


No matter how big you think the mistake was, there is absolutely nothing that you can do to change it. It is now in the past and you canʼt go back in time and make it go away.


But you do have control over how you react after a mistake.

When you react negatively to a mistake, whether outwardly (like slamming your stick against the boards) or inwardly (by telling yourself that you canʼt do anything right), you let that mistake take control of you.


You need to stay focused on what you can control.

You canʼt control what happened in the past.


You have the choice:

--> Let the mistake get to you

--> Or move on


Since there is absolutely no benefit to dwelling on the mistake,
the choice is clear: you have to let it go.


One tool that has worked well for many players is to think about “flushing” their mistakes down the toilet. I know, it sounds a little strange -
but trust me, it works.


When you get back to the bench after a tough shift, just take your mistake and “flush it”. Once you “flush it”, it is gone forever - or at least until after the game when you want to take the time to reflect on both the positive and negative aspects of your performance.


The most important thing is that you move on immediately.


Because in hockey, a few seconds can change everything.


And your ability to control your mental game can completely transform your physical game.


Until next time,

Kim