The Next One…
Every year hundreds of thousands hockey families all over the world participate in the game of hockey. Many of those families’ parents and players are looking for guidance on what decisions they should be making to give them the best chance for success in the game. Now what we are discussing won’t matter if the athlete is male or female, the family is affluent or just getting by. If you have a child that has the dream to be the “The Next One”. You as their parent and any player that has that dream must understand the commitment this will take with time, effort, personal sacrifice, and financial output.
I came across an article about Connor Bedard written by Rob Vanstone. The article title says “Connor Bedard: From a young age was determined to be a hockey star.” There is a copy of the article here ”link” If you as an athlete or as a parent want to have your son or daughter reach their full potential you should read this article. In my message to you today I’m only going to mention a couple very important points that would be the same for any aspiring phenom. I also believe that if you had a chance to or could sit down with Phyllis & Walter (Wayne Gretzky’s parents) or Kelly & Brian (Connor McDavid’s parents) even Tatyana & Mikhail (Alexander Ovechkin’s parents) and Marilyn & Tom (Hayley Wickenheiser’s parents) you would hear many similarities in their stories about their hockey journeys as Tom & Melanie (Connor Bedard’s parents) have on theirs.
Why Connor Bedard? Because he has a love for a game that you cannot measure and it started at an early age as the article states “he was and still is, self-motivated” in Connor’s words “I tried it and fell in love with it”. The internal Desire and Drive these athletes have is undeniable. It’s a thirst that can’t be quenched, a hunger that can’t be fed. The burning desire is so strong in athletes like Connor, there’s no extinguisher on the planet that can put out that kind of fire. “He just always outworked everybody,” Calvano said. “I don’t think Connor was naturally the most skilled or talented kid I’ve ever seen come through here, definitely his commitment to improve what he was given is special in human powers.” “He kind of had that Kobe Bryant ‘Mamba mentality’ when he was nine. It was ‘I’m going to put in three hours of open ice when you’re sitting at home.’ “That’s what it is. That’s Connor Bedard. He just does not stop.”
Enjoy the article. I will reference the article more in upcoming posts…these posts will reference other areas players and families will need to commit to in their hockey journey. There’s so much that goes into being the “Next One”. Go get your set of roller blades, set up your shooting range, start modeling or mirroring the very best and get ready to put in the work.
“Let’s Play”
