What I take from the Rink: A personal reflection on what the game has done for me

Over the course of the last 10 weeks, I have had the honor to share about a sport that has shaped a good amount of my life. Hockey has given me a passion, opened my eyes to so many quality life lessons, and brought me closer to the people around me. Without hockey, I would not be the person I am. In past blog posts I have talked about my upbringing in hockey, but in this one I want to wrap it up with a bow. I will talk about the biggest lessons I have gotten from hockey and what’s next for me when it pertains to hockey. 

Five things i’ve learned: 

Hard work pays off  – When I started playing hockey I hated it! My feet always hurt in my skates, I didn’t like the feeling of bulky padding, and quite honestly I didn’t like not being good at something. My Dad always told me I will never like it if I don’t put the work in, and boy was he right! Once I dug in and put in the work, it got fun. I started to love going to the rink and getting all my gear on, my skates finally got comfortable, and I was seeing improvements because of the work I was putting in. 

Teams turn into Family – On every team I have played on, my teammates have become family. Spending that much time together you start to feel like one anothers families. We learned how to encourage one another, what that person may need if they’re having a bad game, and you quickly learn what they’re passionate about in the game. This bond is unlike any I had felt before and it was a true honor to create these relationships in the years that I did play. 

Lessons learned on the ice translate to daily life – Although I only played for a handful of years, the lessons I learned through hockey are in my toolbelt every day. As I noted above, I learned how to work hard in hockey and can now implement that in every other aspect of my life. Hard work was a big lesson, but it definitely wasn’t the only one. I learned how to be committed and show up for a team. I learned the importance of communication and loyalty. I learned how to be a successful leader and push my peers to be the best they could be. And I learned the special feeling of having that camaraderie for shared successes. I work every day to show these traits and I owe it to hockey for all of them. 

It’s so fun to have something you are passionate about – Anyone who knows me knows I am a hockey girl through and through. It’s just in my blood! I would prefer to watch a hockey game over any other TV show, I loved listening to the post-game radio driving home from Sharks games, and my family plays a very competitive season of Fantasy Hockey Each Year. Hockey has given me something to be proud of and it makes me tick. It makes me proud to talk about my family and our connections through hockey, and I love sharing about something that means so much to me individually as well. 

Womens hockey has come so far – When I started playing, we could hardly scrape a team of girls together to participate in games or tournaments. We had to get exceptions to get a wide range of ages to be able to play on a single team, and we wouldn’t even fill up a locker room. When it came time for me to take off the skates, we had four full teams of girls who were just as passionate about the game as I was. Seeing this growth in my organization was inspiring and made me proud to see how far it had come. Beyond just my organization, we see this growth across the country and on a professional level. I look forward to seeing how far Women’s Hockey goes in the future, knowing that 10 year old me would be amazed by it all. 

Is there Hockey in my Future?

Of course there is! This summer I will be continuing following my passion for hockey while working as a community relations intern for the Nashville Predators. I simply could not have found a more perfect position and I look forward to the opportunity that I face! I hope to translate not only my love for the game but also the leadership, hard work, and communication skills I have taken from the game into this position and beyond. 

It’s been an honor to talk all about Women’s hockey for the past 10 weeks and I look forward to seeing all that comes from the continuous growth of the game!