Hockey Practice: The Early Bird Gets the Worm!

Those who show up early to hockey practice will do whatever it takes—no matter what the hour

By Steven Callahan

In sports as in life, those who are truly passionate about fulfilling their potential will do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. If you are a young person with dreams of being a pro hockey player, it may mean getting up at 5 a.m. to attend hockey practice. If you’re the parent of an aspiring hockey player, you may need to do the same to make sure that you aren’t an obstacle to your child’s success.

Sorting Out Those Who Are Committed

Anyone will be part of a team when things are good. However, the people whom you truly want on your team are those who are there when the going gets tough. The people who are willing to be at the rink for hockey practice before the sun comes up on a cold winter morning are the ones you can count on to put in the work necessary to be successful.

Early Practice Times Develops Discipline

When you have to wake up early for hockey practice, you have to go to bed early the night before. For a child or teenager, there is nothing worse than not being able to hang out with friends or otherwise stay up late on a Friday night. However, learning how to deal with not getting your way will come in handy when the coach puts you on the bench or the ref makes a call that you disagree with in a game. Those who can handle the challenging times with grace and class are the ones likely to still be playing well into adulthood.

Good for Parents Too

The best way for a parent to lead is by example. If you expect your child to work hard and not quit at the first sign of trouble, you have to be willing to do the same. When your child sees you get up early in the morning ready for work, he or she will understand that there is no point in making excuses. It will make it easier for the child to see that hard work plays a role in being a successful hockey player—or a success in life overall. It also helps a parent to bond with his son or daughter and take this part of life’s journey together.

The Takeaway: No one likes to get up before the sun has risen on a frigid morning. This may be even more true when you are getting up to go to an ice-cold rink in an effort to play a physically and emotionally grueling sport like hockey. However, the good points certainly outweigh the bad ones when it comes to holding a hockey practice so early. If players and parents can overcome that obstacle, they can surely overcome any others thrown their way as well.

Steve Callahan has been a hockey fanatic since lacing up his first pair of skates at the age of five. After getting banged up in a few too many men’s leagues, he hung up his skates. These days he stays involved in the game by coaching a youth team and blogging about all things hockey for a number of websites.