If you could teach your kid one thing about hockey, what would it be?

[thom]

Give 100 percent but your mental ability to deal with others around you and the stresses that are involved

 

[PanniniClaus]

The concept of support. Vital to playing successful hockey.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

Have fun. Try your best.

This,

Keep your head up.

and this.

 

[Bruwinz37]

Have fun of course is the real answer. But the one thing that has paid off for my son is that from day 1 I had him always practicing with a puck on his stick and keeping his head up. Some coaches still do a lot of their practice without the puck and the kids just dont develop their puck skills the same way.

 

[RoyalGremlin]

To have hands better than Datsyuk and Crosby's legs.

 

[#66]

Lose the tunnel vision.

 

[malcb33]

Correct hockey posture. It's the foundation for everything.

 

[TatarTangle]

Hard work / heart beats skill

 

[BondraTime]

Toe-drag

 

[BondraTime]

Hard work / heart beats skill

When skill doesn't work hard. Skill that works hard beats hard work.

 

[JayRosehillMVP]

Toe-drag

When skill doesn't work hard. Skill that works hard beats hard work.

Hope I never play with you.

 

[Skraut]

that he has more time with the puck than he thinks he does.

Of course, I still need to learn that myself first.

 

[Jarick]

To play devils advocate, on a competitive team I'd take Alex Semin over a 100% effort ECHL'er any day of the week.

There's a difference between skill and talent...Talent is your natural athletic ability and aptitude for improvement. Skill is something that can be improved, like puck handling, shooting, and skating.

Nobody was born with skill. You HAVE to work to improve it. We all start out nearly equally bad at hockey, but real talented players improve their skills more quickly, with less work, and often to higher ceilings.

Yet, at the end of the day, in minor hockey it's not about talent OR skill but about effort, attitude, sportsmanship, and having fun. It's physical exercise, camaraderie, building interpersonal and life skills, challenging yourself, a number of things far beyond and more important than the game itself.

 

[JayRosehillMVP]

To play devils advocate, on a competitive team I'd take Alex Semin over a 100% effort ECHL'er any day of the week.

There's a difference between skill and talent...Talent is your natural athletic ability and aptitude for improvement. Skill is something that can be improved, like puck handling, shooting, and skating.

Nobody was born with skill. You HAVE to work to improve it. We all start out nearly equally bad at hockey, but real talented players improve their skills more quickly, with less work, and often to higher ceilings.

Yet, at the end of the day, in minor hockey it's not about talent OR skill but about effort, attitude, sportsmanship, and having fun. It's physical exercise, camaraderie, building interpersonal and life skills, challenging yourself, a number of things far beyond and more important than the game itself.

Two completely different leagues, so obviously you take Semin. However, any NHLer who plays his hardest every game is a player I'd take over a floater 10 times out of 10.

To contribute to the thread, I'd hope my kid would value effort and teamwork as much as I do.
That, and hit every thing in sight.

 

[#66]

One thing I hate about some players, even some pro's, is when they leave the defensive zone with the puck and get sucked into the vortex that is the goalies logo.

No tunnel vision and always be aware of your team mates.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Two completely different leagues, so obviously you take Semin. However, any NHLer who plays his hardest every game is a player I'd take over a floater 10 times out of 10.

To contribute to the thread, I'd hope my kid would value effort and teamwork as much as I do.
That, and hit every thing in sight.

So you'd take a 4th liner over Semin?

 

[Dylbot]

If we're talking about hockey skills/knowledge soley and not attittude and approach to the game:

Skating ability trumps all other skills. A great shooter, stickahndler, passer etc. will never achieve much at all without great skating skills and you'll never reach your true potential.

Improving one's speed, balance, acceeration and agility will improve every other aspect of your game.

 

[Siamese Dream]

If we're talking about hockey skills/knowledge soley and not attittude and approach to the game:

Skating ability trumps all other skills. A great shooter, stickahndler, passer etc. will never achieve much at all without great skating skills and you'll never reach your true potential.

Improving one's speed, balance, acceeration and agility will improve every other aspect of your game.

I don't know, there's a guy on my team who is a great skater and can blow past an entire team but he can't shoot or deke to save his life

 

[Dylbot]

I don't know, there's a guy on my team who is a great skater and can blow past an entire team but he can't shoot or deke to save his life

Being a good skater isn't just about speed. Balance and agility will both greatly help one's shot and puck handling.

I bet despite not having a great shot or deking ability he probably still creates a lot of scoring chances for himself and his teammates. He's probably also good defensively if he so choses.

 

[cutchemist42]

Don't play in the CHL. (Based on anecdotal stories of people in the Winnipeg area I know)

 

[BondraTime]

Hope I never play with you.

The first comment was tounge-in-cheek.

The second comment is 100% true. Hard work does beat skill when skill shows up for a Sunday skate, but when skill works hard, they will win.

Yes, a bunch of hard working pluggers can pull together and beat a skilled opponent, but what about the skilled opponent that works just as hard.

A team full of zheredevs, they can beat.

A team full of Forsbergs, they will be destroyed.

But yes you prob would never want to play with me because I think hard working skilled players would beat hard working guys of lesser talent.

 

[Suddenly7]

Play with passion and to never let your emotion take over you. Never been a star player but I'm often told about my hustle and attitude toward the game. Would be a proud of myself if my kids would follow in my footsteps.

 

[ChrisNI]

Win or lose hit the booze!!

Seriously though it would be heart beats talent!

Maybe not everytime and maybe not in the short term but as long as they play with their heart on their sleeve and give it their all everytime they step on the ice they will do great by my book!

 

[HarrySPlinkett]

Keep your head up.

Go where the puck is going to be, not where it is.

 

[newfr4u]

avoid cliches and platitudes at all costs.