Who Finishes
Everyone dreams of having their name called out in the starting line ups or seeing their number on the depth chart in those coveted starting positions. It’s a great feeling — a sign of superior status on the team that shows that you are the best. And this is where we stake our worth as a player.
I played a lot of sports growing up and always was at the top of the depth chart. As I got older and began to compete with a smaller but more talented group of players, I moved up and down depending on the team or strategy being deployed. One day I was moved from 1st to 3rd line. I was devastated and wanted to lose it on my coach. I was telling my dad on the way to the game how I am going to show him I should be on the first line. My father stopped me and said “show him that you should be on the ice at the end of the game, not the beginning”.
Show him that you should be on the ice at the end of the game, not the beginning.
As you rise through the ranks in the game of hockey, strategy and match ups begin to come into play. Coaches might be looking to move skilled players around the line up to avoid the top defensemen on the opposing team or someone is a little off over the course of the season and things need to be changed. Game planning is a critical element for coaches to make sure their teams are ready for any situations.
But just as Mike Tyson once said “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”. And as a player, you want to be the default, the safety valve your coach goes to when punched in the face.
Down 2-1 with 3 minutes left. Offensive zone face-off. You are a goal scorer, you need to be on the ice.
Up 2-1 with 3 minutes left. Defensive zone face-off. You are a shut down defensemen. You need to be on the ice.
If you are not on the ice for the make-or-break situations that apply to your role, then you are on the wrong side of the table.
How do you make sure of this? Prove that you can keep it together in high pressure situations. Make the right decisions and play within yourself. Know your role and execute to the best of your ability. If you do that, the rest will take care of itself. What you don’t want to be is the loose cannon that might score a goal but at the same time will give up 3.
I don’t remember what happened at that peewee game or if I really took in what the lesson was at that moment, but reflecting back on my career, my dad’s quote stuck with me.
It’s not who starts. It’s who finishes.
