Head, Heart, & Hustle
It all started when I was 4 years old. One random day, while rollerblading in the basement of my childhood home, my father received a phone call. On the other end of the phone was the parent of a classmate of mine. The purpose of the phone call was to question if I was interested in learning how to play ice hockey. My response, “What’s ice hockey?”
That phone call made me who I am today.
I started playing ice hockey when I was 4 years old. At that time, my helmet weighed more than my head, my stick was a piece of splintered wood, and I had barely any idea what I was doing.
I remember scoring my first goal like it was yesterday. We were in Rocky River, OH, which is a suburb on the west side of Cleveland. At the time, I played youth hockey for the Geauga Maple Leafs. When I put the puck in the net, I had no idea what to do. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to smile, stare, look into the stands, or what. So, I smiled and looked at my dad in the stands. I remember the feeling of that big ol’ grin on my face and the thought of everyone in the stands being able to see it.
As I sit here reminiscing about my experiences with hockey, I recall all of the teams, coaches, teammates, arenas, gear, scents, emotions, and beyond all else, lessons.
This amazing sport took up the majority of my life prior to college. Early mornings, weekend trips, countless practices, nightly games, and so much more. It was nearly impossible to imagine life without it.
Now, while I live without it, the lessons, relationships, memories, and feelings will be with me forever.
When I was younger and actually had hair, a teammate, Greg Foley, and myself always competed at early morning practices for who had the most wild “bedhead”. Greg and I undoubtedly had the longest, craziest hair on the team. When arriving to the rink, we’d take off our hats and measure up. Always a great laugh to start the day.
Hockey taught me so many things that there’s no way I will be able to recall everything. It taught me how to work as a team. It taught me that a team is only as good as its weakest player. It taught me how to motivate others to be their best. It taught me how to pick a teammate up after making a mistake. It taught me how to be coached and advised on how to get better. It taught me how not to be as a person. It taught me how to think about the team before myself. It taught me how to be patient. It taught me how to read the ice before making a play. It taught me how to skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it is. It taught me that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Hockey taught me how to be humble when you win. It taught me how to pick your head up and move forward when you lose.
Hockey taught me how to deal with adversity and persevere through challenges. Hockey taught me how to manage my emotions when the referee made a bad call.
“It’s just a bump in the ice.” — A quote that will live with me for my entire life. This quote is a metaphor for when uncontrollable obstacles present themselves in your way. You can’t control it. It’s there. There’s nothing you can do to change it. You just have to deal with the outcome and continue playing your game.
At every stage of my hockey career I was able to develop special relationships with my coaches. They were hard on me. They yelled at me. They got in my face. They shot pucks at me. They worked with me. They pushed me. They motivated me. They inspired me. They wanted the best for me. They taught me what true leadership is about.
For many years during youth hockey, you play with the same teammates. The coaches often change, but your teammates are based on birth year and skill level. One year, I was fortunate to be on a team where one of my best friends’ father was our coach. At the beginning of the season, we held a kick-off party at the ice rink. At that party, our coach introduced our team as “Team H3.” No one had any idea what that meant. Very quickly, we learned. Head, Heart, & Hustle. From that moment forward, every single player was to abide by the code of H3: Head, Heart, & Hustle. These three ingredients were considered to be the recipe for success. If, when we’re playing, we use our head, we show our heart, and we execute with hustle, we will win.
This motto will never be forgotten and holds true for everything in life. Head, heart, and hustle.
As mentioned, there are 14+ years of memories and lessons when it comes to hockey.
Lessons of courage.
Lessons of adversity.
Lessons of growth.
Lessons of sportsmanship.
Lessons of character.
In my senior year of high school, I was the captain of our high school hockey team. We had a new coach, new division, some new players, and I was the only senior. Things were different that year compared to previous years in high school. I was finally able to exert my leadership abilities. Our team thrived.
Where some locker rooms are filled with hierarchy, bullying, egos, and disrespect, our locker room was filled with comradery, team building, humor, focus, and overall positivity. We never put a teammate down. We lifted them up. We were a team. We were a family.
At the end of my senior season, I received some recognition for my performance on the ice, but more importantly I received one additional award that will stick with me forever. That year, I was selected by my coaches and teammates to receive the High School Hobey Baker Character Award.
“Success in life, much like success in hockey, demands more than skill alone. It demands a positive attitude, an excellent work ethic, and a will to succeed, no matter the circumstances.” — Hobey Baker Memorial Award
These lessons translate into every aspect of life: working with teams, showing up to meetings, performing in meetings, executing responsibilities, creating materials, handling obstacles, receiving feedback, persevering through adversity, motivating others, inspiring others, having a positive outlook, being/feeling/existing in a positive manor, understanding the playing field, and so much more.
Unfortunately, when you step away from the game, you lose sight of the many things the game itself taught you. Where I once believed hockey was a part of my past, I now understand it is a part of my past, present, and future, and will be with me in every single thing that I ever do and set my mind to.
Hockey was my passion, my skill, and my life. I was and forever will be a hockey player.
