From the Blueline Pt. II: The Strange Medium

One of the most difficult parts of hockey, is getting your mind in the right place. It is truly an incredible mental balancing act on a knife's edge, and the things you have to balance can easily get in eachothers way. Not to mention, there are several things you have to balance. You can't juggle them either, they need to exist simultaneously in your mind every moment you are on the ice.

The first thing is pure intensity. Most of the time you spend on the ice you are either sprinting or hitting or battling somebody. All of these require fierce intensity and you can never give up an inch. The game is so fast that you need to be tenacious every moment. If you are not you will miss your moment when it comes, because it is a team sport and you can't decide when it will come, and it comes so fast, you may not realize it until it is gone. That is why hockey requires a constant fierce game. When you're battling for the puck along the boards, or racing to a puck, or racing from someone with the puck, there is no time to slow down.

The next thing is being relaxed on the ice. This may seem completely contradictory but it is in fact essential. The game is so fast and so intense, if you get caught up in it, you'll be caught out of position, or caught in a penalty, or just confuse the hell out of your own team. You need to take things in stride, not allow the other team's antics get to you. Breathe. Allow the play to flow through you instead of trying to force it. That almost always leads to bad plays and turnovers. Relaxing on the ice allows you to take everything in and evaluate it, otherwise there is just panic. Not to mention you want your hands to be relaxed so you can stick handle and pass with ease and finesse.

The last part of the balancing act is focus. It is extremely important to be aware of everything you are doing and everything everyone else is doing on the ice. Focus keeps you in the game so you don't get lost and you know where to pass when you get the puck. Also focus is extremely important in keeping you in the moment, not getting ahead of yourself or dwelling on the past in the game. Just being right there where you are in the game. A clear understanding of what needs to be done.

What makes the balancing act so strange is that it's less about keeping the three parts even, and more about maximizing all three of them as much as possible. The more you have of each, the better you will play, but if you don't have one of the other ones your play will quickly fall apart. If you just have relaxation, you will become complacent and you will revert to auto pilot. If you are just going through the motions, you might as well be a pilon, you will contribute nothing to the game or your team. If you only have intensity you will lose sight of the game, your position, the team aspect. You will begin to run around like a lost mouse. Essentially a complete waste of energy. If you only have focus, you'll stay out of the mix too much and get caught standing back from the play. You may second guess your actions instead of just doing them.

However, if you maximize all three, therein lies the true hockey player mind. You can control the play and get your nose dirty. Never give up an inch, but be able to read the play once you've gained control of the puck. Opportunities will arise from hard work and the culmination of your skills. You can have finesse and power. This is how you can really step your game up. This is what I strive for every time I step on the ice.