“A river cuts through rock, not because of power, but
because of persistence.”
Well, here we are, halfway through the regular season. I think that a good look back helps a team
move forward.
There have certainly been a number of challenges over the last ten games, some within our control, a few outside. However, success is not only measures in goals, assists, saves, or ice time. It is measured by what you show you can do – some of it may even surprise you. It is measured by period, by shift, by shot, by save, by clean check, by creating a play, or breaking up one by and opponent. It’s made in practice, but appears during games. It’s how you feel after a game when you ask yourself two very important questions and answer honestly:
1) What did I do well during the game? Be proud of any accomplishment. This doesn’t need to come from a coach or parent. This is very much your personal evaluation. If you did one or more things particularly well, that helped the team, which you are proud of, acknowledge it. Hopefully, it puts a smile on your face when you realize that all that hard work in practice paid off.
2) What can I improve upon? Don’t demotivate yourself. We can’t be great at everything, but we can improve. Be open to identify an area(s) for improvement, then make a point to try in practice. Maybe a coach pointed out something. Perhaps you saw a teammate do something well. Ask him for a bit of advice. Get talking. Get thinking. Be positive and work at it. And remind yourself how great it felt when you remembered what you did well during the game. If you want that same feeling again, work to improve. Work to motivate.
“Look in the mirror . . . that’s your competition.”
In addition, I would like to wish Andrew Hebert well as he has moved to a permanent spot on the Bantam Major AA team.
And I would also like to welcome, on behalf of the team and parents, Christian Kerestely to the lineup. Some of you may have already met Christian, and I know that he will be another valuable member of this team.
In other news, the Windsor Spitfires are ranked fourth in the country in the weekly CHL Top Ten. Also this week, big defenseman Sean Day was added in a trade with Mississauga. He’s only the fourth player ever granted ‘exceptional status’ by the OHL (others being John Tavares, Aaron Ekblad – put ‘er there, let’s hear it for the local boy, and Connor McDavid), entering the league at age 15. It should be interesting to watch this team once Surgachev comes back from Montreal.
And last, with the Motown Cup tournament this weekend, just a few reminders. Make sure skates are sharpened. Bring an additional stick, just in case. Take an inventory of your hockey bag. If you need tape, stock up. Have all proper travel documentation on hand for every passenger travelling with you. And be sure to leave enough time to cross the border in order to arrive at the arena at the regular time. The Red Wings play Friday and Saturday evenings at Joe Louis, and given the fact that this is the last year for the arena, every home game is a nostalgia fest, meaning sellouts. Also, the Lions play Sunday at 1pm. If our team makes the final, the game is scheduled for 12:50pm, so there could be some congestion at both border crossings.
Most of all, good luck.
Thanks for reading.
ENJOY!!!!!