The 3 Most Important Rules I Learned In Youth Hockey

If hockey has taught me anything it is the simple fact that life is always more complex than it seems. I may have quit hockey a few years ago but that doesn't mean that my thirteen years of experience mean any less.

1. Kill or Be Fast.

Do not underestimate your opponent. No matter how small, fat, slow or meak they may seem technique tends to trump power. Watch out for everyone and be aggressive on the ice. The real world is just like the high speed scenario of a hockey game. If you can't fight them then run circles around them until they're tired. I developed the speed to outrank everyone in my league. Instead of strength and power I adapted to speed and endurance. I could stay out for multiple shifts, take hits like no other and avoid them just the same. Kill or be fast enough not to get caught.

2. Pass the Puck.

I can assure you that hockey is not a one-man sport. If you do not pass the puck you die. If you skate down you risk your life. If you hog the puck you risk the safety of the team. If you make the wrong move you risk a point. Pass. It is your most powerful option because passing the puck teaches you that you are not alone. You don't have to think of getting out of a situation by yourself because there are four other people that are your eyes and ears. You are a unit, a hive mind. Hockey has taught me to rely on others and support them in their endeavors because even that one kid on your team that looked like the weakest link can shine just as bright as the lights on the scoreboard.

3. Don't Stop Skating.

If you stop moving it means you've given up. Through hell or highwater you do not stop moving your feet. You do not get tired. You do not give up. I was hit, fought, tripped, knocked out and left to spit up blood and vomit and I got up. I had to get up because the only words that could swim through my head were: "Don't stop skating." This has kept me together. It has kept me alive. It has kept me from slipping into comas and it has kept me from negating pain. If I never stop skating then I can't fail. If I never stop skating it means I've done the best that I can possibly do. Failure is only failure when you don't try.