Bloomington Jefferson Hockey

You dream of playing college hockey? Maybe, even the NHL? Of course, you don’t tell anyone, because deep down you know you lack the speed of a Bure, the quickness and creativity of a St. Louis, the size and skills of a Lemieux or Jagr.

Heck, your coach doesn’t even put you on the ice late in the third period when the game’s on the line, and you play on a C team rather than the A team you hoped for. Given where you are right now, how could you realistically dream of hockey at the highest levels?

One thing is certain: if you don’t dream, you’ll never make it.

Oh — there’s another rather important thing that is just as certain: the NHL is full of dreamers — players who, in the scouting reports, “… lacked the skills, the size, the strength, or the talent to play at the highest level.”

I’ve heard it many times from college and professional scouts, but in more cases than I can count, they were wrong.

Not that they aren’t good scouts. Not that they can’t judge talent. But, what no scout can see is the passion burning inside. Certainly, they see passion — or lack of it — when you compete. But remember, their total exposure to you is limited to a handful of games in which they have to watch 30 other players at the same time.

They didn’t see you run sprints last summer — then finish with a killer leg workout in the weight room. They didn’t see the marks on your garage walls from thousands of pucks you shot. They weren’t at the local arena or the outside pond, where you practice skating and stickhandling at hours when no one else uses them. The scouts might assume you just go ride Jet Skis all summer with your friends.

On every NHL, college, or Olympic team, there are players who have incredible talent. In a practice or game — even in a dryland workout — these guys can do things so easily it’s hard to believe they’re human. But there are always those players who make it to that same level, because they wanted it so much they’d do anything to make it happen.

Jeff Halpern is the captain of the Washington Capitals — an impact player every shift of every game. One of the first clues to his success comes in practice. There is never a comfortable, easy moment. In every drill, Halpern is so intense — so focused — that he learns something new each day.

Trying hard is one thing — very important of course. But, skating hard in practice isn’t enough if you’re brain dead part of the time. There is just too much to learn in this game. I don’t mean just the things your coach is teaching — the systems and other technical points.

These are important, of course, but I’m talking about rink sense. Learning in a competitive practice drill or a game what works and what doesn’t. Knowing when you should pass the puck quickly and when it’s better to hang on and spin away from pressure. Knowing when you should shoot a one-timer, and when you should hold it and deke. Knowing when you should forecheck hard, and when it’s smarter to coast.

Hockey is a game of experience, anticipation and creativity. Someone who doesn’t learn new things — outside of the coaching points — every day, will never be a brilliant player.

Andre Beaulieu is an NHL scout who has also coached at every level. He often says, “The game itself, teaches you how to play.”

That’s true, provided you’re at the rink eager to learn — and that’s Halpern.

“When I was young,” he recalls, “I wasn’t as big and strong, or as fast as many others. So I had to play harder and smarter to be competitive.”

This is a good lesson to understand. Some apparent disadvantages can actually become huge assets in development. On the other hand, bigger, stronger, faster players at the youth level may not ever learn they have to compete hard and smart. Early success comes so easily for them if they’re more mature than others.

Weaker, smaller, slower kids have to learn how to compete in order to be successful. Those with enough passion find a way to get the job done — usually with their mind. Then, when they mature and apply that passion to their training, they add strength and speed to their game and enjoy the best of both worlds.

Halpern played Junior B hockey — hardly a place where kids are declaring publicly, “I’m going to make it to the NHL.”

He had only one goal: to improve enough to play college hockey. It wasn’t until his junior year at Princeton University that anyone — including himself — thought he might someday make it to the NHL.

Growing up in the Washington, D.C. area, if you wanted to be a player, you had to travel long distances to find good competition.

“Our local Beltway league was OK, but my parents were willing to drive to Boston and all over to make sure we played a great schedule,” he said.

But many parents drive long distances. Many kids try hard in practices and games. What separates those who make it from those who don’t are three things: you must compete relentlessly. You must be a smart player. And most important, there must be passion — in your style of play, in your training, and in your quest for improvement.

This is how youthful dreams become a reality. The dreams are an important ingredient in this process, because without them there would likely not be much passion. And without uncommon passion there is no chance.Heck, your coach doesn’t even put you on the ice late in the third period when the game’s on the line, and you play on a C team rather than the A team you hoped for. Given where you are right now, how could you realistically dream of hockey at the highest levels?

Reprinted with permission from "Let's Play Hockey"