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Did you play on a TRUE team this year?

02/18/2019, 10:30am CST
By Josh Levine

A true team requires that all players buy into the team’s vision and goals.


Let’s Play Hockey photo by Mike Thill

A wise coach once told me that a true team is so difficult to attain that most play on very few, if any, throughout their hockey careers. He was right. My own experience showed me that while I had played with many different jerseys, I had only been on a few true teams. 

What is a true team? It is a group that puts the individual interests beneath those of the team, that stays humble in its triumphs, that strengthens its bonds during adversity, and that develops relationships that will often last for a lifetime. Not an easy task to accomplish. 

It is so difficult to be on a true team because it requires that all players, not just a majority, buy into the team’s vision and goals. This alone stops most groups from forming into a team. 

A true team also requires parental encouragement, support, and leadership. When the chips are down, do the parents encourage their players to help the team come together, or do they too begin to point blame? 

A true team also isn’t just a team that wins well together. There is so much more to it. What does a teammate do when another player is bullied at school? Does he stand up for his teammate or let it slide? When a player is facing challenges outside of the rink, do players recognize the signs and look to help their friend? What happens when the team loses a game and one player was clearly at fault for the deciding goal? 

One of the teams I coached in the past never became a true team, but there were some players who poured everything they had out on the ice for each other. There was a mini-team within the whole. One day after a devastating loss (we had many of these), two of my players were crying and yelling at each other. It wasn’t prideful yelling – they weren’t saying “I’m better.” They weren’t blaming each other for the loss. They were just frustrated and were expressing that with each other. 

At first glance, it might have seemed like a negative situation. I couldn’t have been happier! These players were family, and losing a lot hurts. It would have been worse (in my opinion) to have come into the locker room and seen everyone perfectly happy about the situation. Like a close-knit family, these players would forgive each other’s angry tone (which they did about 20 minutes later!). I knew they were passionate about the game and would show up the next day to fight just as hard or harder to improve.

Did you play on a true team this past season? If you didn’t, add it to your list of goals. It is the most special of experiences in this game and unlike wins and losses, the relationships you make while playing on a team will continue to grow the rest of your life. 

 

Josh Levine is the Assistant Coach of the Bloomington Jefferson Girls Varsity Hockey team and owner of The Fortis Academy. Fortis works with youth associations to implement skill development programs with all teams, from Mites to Bantams. The program includes parent education seminars, coaching clinics and Fortis skill-based practices. If you’re interested in learning more, shoot Josh an email at joshletsplayhockey@gmail.com. Follow Fortis on Facebook and Instagram.

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Tag(s): State Of Hockey  News  Josh Levine