Seminal Moment, Stanley Cup, WJC for USA

Seminal Moment

I have to admit I am more a fan of players and staffs than an employee in the game. I've been witness to great accomplishments as individuals, as well as teams, each season and I became a fan of the players as well as the staff.

Almost daily, you read in the news where some player or person had a seminal moment that defined their career and/or life. Life shouldn't be all that complicated, but it tends to get that way sometimes. It has been a while since the Pittsburgh franchise had an attitude and a swagger. Looking @ this 2006 Penguins team, I get excited. They are a glaring example that age really doesn't matter if you are mature. The youngest players in the line-up were by far the most mature of anyone we interviewed prior to each draft. They had a maturity level far beyond the normal 17 - 18 year old as have a number of high picks in the draft. If young players are mature what difference does it make? The 2006 feeling played out to a Stanley Cup ring in 2009.

Team USA in the 2010 WJC is an example of taking your game beyond the technical and tactical levels of the game. Seconds after the USA win, my thoughts turned to Larry “Pops” Ross, the storied high school coach in International Fall, USA Hockey Hall of Famer, and most importantly mentor to Dean Blais and Michael “Lefty” Curran. Pops had a way of teaching you how to win. He willed an attitude, swagger, boldness and competitive instincts in to your game and life. Lefty used this to win Silver in the Olympics.

Dean has carried on the legacy as one of Pop’s prize pupils. USA players are fortunate that they crossed paths with Dean Blais. Every one of their careers will be enhanced because of this experience. If there is one thing Dean can do, he can will and weave all the intangibles in to your talent threshold.

The difference is a lesson for all players involved in the game today. These younger players may be mature but they have no doubt retained their fun loving 8th grade personalities. The game is still fun and life's new experiences are exciting if we retain that vibrant and youthful junior high personality. These players are well grounded athletes, a credit to their upbringing, and they love to be @ the rink.

If notoriety @ an early age becomes a burden, that, along with success, could also be a seminal moment in a player's career. These young players share some basic ingredients. Nothing is taken for granted. They are driven to outwork and outperform their opponents in life. They are not content to stay where they are. If they didn't have a "seminal moment" in their young career, their seminal moment is the adversity they face in working as hard to stay on top as they did getting to the top; and they accept the challenge. This is not an easy way to live your every day life regardless of age. A player’s commitment during the summer months is no different than buying an insurance policy on his career and ultimately his life. Another ingredient is they feel an obligation and responsibility to share the puck and the glory. They have figured out @ an early age if their teammates do well, the team will do well and they will do very well. They have the confidence, composure and charisma to trust their game during a critical moment and are comfortable in their own skin. They have fun winning and being who they are. They also have a game within the game. Most take their game beyond what any coach could teach.

For many, a seminal moment is some negative or a failure that wakes us up. For the high ranked players, a seminal moment is recognizing how good they are, how good they can be and the responsibility that goes with cultivating and maintaining what they have. They commit themselves to preparation and rest takes care of itself. This will give any young person, or young team, an attitude, swagger, boldness and over the top competitive instincts. This is what I believe Pittsburgh can be. They play beyond their years and they have young people with the maturity to ask questions about getting better. How special is that?

Next we ask, "Are these players human? Are they invincible? Do they need a support system? If the great players need three to six mentors outside of their immediate family, why wouldn't every person need this? I made the following observations @ our training camp during the fall of 2006. The great players have more outside people in their support system than any of the others. Is this a catalyst for their success?

"Adults and management have a way of stripping young people of opportunity; if only by a rating system." For some, you may get that “one chance” and you better be ready to make the most of it. For others, they can do no wrong. Right or wrong, the pros have less of a support system for their players than the amateurs. This comes at a time when the support system could be the most important thing in a person's life. That support can't always come from the immediate family.

None of us can say we’ve done it by ourselves, no matter what we accomplish in our lives. Supports systems are crucial to our success; whether amateur or pro. We’ve been witness to over twenty-five (25) training camps during our professional career. Sometimes it is the high risk chance we don’t take that gets the attention of management, then there are the times it is the expression of our unique talents with calculated risk taking. I've been to training camp where I've seen young men set up to succeed and I've been to others where certain players are set up to succeed and others are left to fend for themselves. I love the players who accept the challenge of beating the odds and make it happen and I feel the same for those who get an opportunity handed to them and they make the most of it and build on it.

Every athlete has to take the approach, "If it can happen, I am going to make it happen." I see a lot of players making it happen and I predicted this to Greg Malone when we sat down to discuss players the summer of 2006. I am truly excited about the play of a lot of players each season. It makes it even more special when I'm able to share some time with them during the summer months and watch them work hard, interact and have some laughs with players and the coaching staff. Players who have the intelligence to prepare for the unknown are easy to love and respect.

You have no way of knowing what is going to happen when opportunity knocks. You will know you are prepared and that gives you a psychological advantage because there will be no anxiety.

When I see hockey potential in high class young men, it reminds me of people who I believe are highly marketable if they can make it to the NHL. If they maintain the enthusiasm of a child, look like a young man (versus a boy) @ a young age, and play like they are leaders who belong, they are a step ahead of their opponent in life. I hope they maintain the image they acquire through substance and stay well grounded and a "class act".

This is the responsibility a player has to himself if he wants to go beyond being paid as a player on the ice. He has all this marketing potential that goes way beyond the salary of the player. Very few put themselves in a position to take advantage of it.

I love the following attitude. “He can do everything on the ice sheet if he puts his mind to it and he does it unconditionally. Training is a way of life for him. He comes here and he does every single exercise with the same attitude he has in a game. He does all this with a smile on his face, is able to laugh with his peers and laugh @ himself. How can anyone not love your son? He has the talent to play any position and can adjust to any situation.”

This is what I would like to write about every promising athlete I meet. There are a few that I can write about, but I want to write about more. Maybe this is a seminal moment for a player to realize he could really be something if he continues to intelligently prepare and take his development a step @ a time. Develop an swagger with an attitude, boldness and competitive instincts that lead to winning in hockey and in life. – Ole Gringo -

Copyright - Chuck Grillo, Minnesota Hockey Camps
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