player tips

Do you ever wonder why the same teams always find themselves in the playoffs, championship game and even winning the title?

In past articles we’ve talked about Winning Being A Habit and that To Be The Best, You Need To Set Goals Like The Best. When it comes to winning, it’s pretty obvious that the best teams have good players. These players are doing all the little things that add up to the big things! But why is it that certain teams and programs always seem to produce winners?

It starts with skill, talent, work ethic and all of the ingredients that you would expect in a successful recipe. However, there is something that we’ve noticed in recent years, especially at the youth levels, that great teams share.

Selflessness. (Related Articles: “Are You A Me or We Player” & “That You Do Is More Important Than Who”)

As we watch teams, from the good to great, we are always intrigued by the top players. We watch their skill sets, their style and how they interact with their teammates. From an individual standpoint, this is important because much of the time as the top players go, so goes the team.

More specifically, if the team relies on the top player for everything, other teams can usually contain the threat. But if that top player (or players) relies on themselves for everything, and tries to do everything either out of selfishness or not trusting that teammates can get the job done, well this is separation between good teams and championship teams.

What we mean is this: How bad does a top player, or any player for that matter, want to score themselves vs. making sure that the team wins.

We’ve seen players in game changing moments shoot from bad angles for example, rather than sliding the puck to a teammate for an easy tap in goal. We’ve seen players that want the notoriety of scoring in the big game or scoring a big goal seemingly more than an assist on a teammates goal. These things don’t happen on championship teams.

The teams that are playing for the championship are the teams that operate like teams! The players, all the players, want the team win more than the individual stats. Championship teams make good hockey decisions, they make good hockey plays, they are unselfish and we is always more important than me.

As you head towards the playoffs we wish you the best of luck at your Mass Hockey USA Hockey or local tournament! We hope that your team comes together and plays like a team and when that final buzzer sounds, you are celebrating a well-deserved championship!

Thanks for reading and as you set goals for next season, please accept our invitation to join us at any of our hockey schools this summer!

When it comes to taking your game to the next level, what are your goals? How are you going to accomplish your goals?

The New Year brings new beginnings, on and off of the ice. For hockey players it’s an especially exciting time with holiday tournaments setting the stage for the second half of the season and playoffs.

It’s also a great time of the year to take a pause and evaluate your season.

• Are you improving your skills?
• Are you a good teammate?
• How many of your preseason goals have you accomplished?
• What are your New Year’s resolutions for hockey?

Only one of ten people who set a New Year’s resolution actually fulfill it!

Are you going to be part of the 90% or part of the 10% that dedicate themselves to becoming better. In this case, becoming a better hockey player includes developing skills in all areas of the game.

The great news is that we are going to incentivize you to keep your New Year’s resolution! For a limited time, all of our summer hockey camps are 10% off. Simply choose the date and location that works best for you, and our coaching staff will work hard to take your game to the next level!

We wish you nothing but the best in the 2024 and we hope you score like never before!

For 2024 Greg Carter Summer Hockey School dates and locations, click HERE. Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you at the rink soon!