Make Yourself a Better Hockey Player

Everyone knows hockey is a game that requires a great deal of skill. It shows pretty clearly in "professionals" such as John Scott, who has many questioning why he is even in the NHL. However, it's difficult to get by strictly on skill alone. 

To make yourself a better player, you have to have guts, determination, smarts, and you must put in the effort.

There have been many players in the history of the NHL that have made careers out of utilizing the above traits. You see many players show pure guts by dropping themselves in front of shots, or by parking themselves in front of the net, unafraid of the shots and beating they may take from opposing defenders, such as this goal.

It’s impossible to rely solely on skill to get you far in hockey, especially if you’re a player that doesn’t have a whole lot of natural talent. For many, their success was a direct result of just working harder than everyone else. That’s what has to be done to make yourself a better player. On the ice and off, the amount of effort you put in will show. Take Sidney Crosby for example. Yes, he is the most talented player in the world. A great deal of it is natural talent, but the rest is a result of his hard work.

It’s impossible to rely solely on skill to get you far in hockey, especially if you’re a player that doesn’t have a whole lot of natural talent. For many, their success was a direct result of just working harder than everyone else. That’s what has to be done to make yourself a better player. On the ice and off, the amount of effort you put in will show. Take Sidney Crosby for example. Yes, he is the most talented player in the world. A great deal of it is natural talent, but the rest is a result of his hard work.

There are many players who have the talent, but struggle succeeding in hockey. Paul Kariya struggled because of his size for a long time as a kid, and he is now a future Hall of Famer. This is where determination helps a great deal. If you are truly determined to succeed, nothing will stop you from becoming a better player.

Finally, if you want to be a better hockey player, you have to be smart. Not book smart, but game smart. You must know the game, and if you don’t, you must learn it. Many of the greatest players in hockey were also the smartest. Patrice Bergeron is a player that many young players idolize due to his smarts. Like Bergeron, if you can be smart and play a solid game in every aspect, as well as knowing where to be or where to go with the puck, you can become a better player.