Hockey is a great sport. It is rough, it's fast, and it's exciting. Growing up in a household where we all played the sport and loved the sport was truly an experience I wouldn't trade for the world. The game of hockey has taught me more about life than I could have ever imagined. Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates," but to me life is more like a hockey game.

16 teams, four rounds, one victor. Playoff hockey if the most exciting time of the year and we are reminded of all that hockey has taught us.

1. Always be ready for what comes at you in life.

Hockey is a fast paced sport. You have to be ready to jump the boards whenever your coach yells your name to go in as a player on the ice approaches the bench. Attention and timing is vital. In hockey and in life, there is not a lot of time to over-think things; it is all about reacting to what comes your way.

2. Work together.

There are six players on the ice and a bunch on the bench. A game is never won or lost by one line alone. You can ask any player and they will tell you there's no way you can win a game playing by yourself. It is always a team effort. Whether you are working on a group project or working with people at your job, nothing you do is a solo effort. It's win together and lose together, grow together and learn together.

3. Sometimes the odds are against you.

You are down a man and fighting with all you have to kill that penalty. What matters is that you keep putting all your effort in to succeed. Knowing that you played your hardest and smartest under the gun, and against the clock, makes your victory just that much sweeter.

4. You can't skip steps—they all matter.

In hockey, when a player shoots the puck down the ice to the other end, without gaining the red line first, a whistle is blown and the game restarts in the team's defensive zone, putting your victory at risk. This is what happens in the real world when you skip steps to get ahead. You will most likely be set further back, so it is worth your while to do the right thing in the first place.

5. Time and effort are what help you succeed.

The most important thing that hockey has taught me about life is that nothing comes easy. If anything is worth having you will have to work for it, and the more time and energy you put into something, the more likely it is to pay off.

Although my days of high school hockey are over, I have taken so many great life lessons from this sport on and off the ice. I learned to play well with others, to anticipate all angles of a situation, to take it on the chin while holding my head up, to trust and count on others. Life is like a face off, so make sure you are ready when “the puck" drops.