Work

Work

“I always love the feel of sweat on my shirt, Stand back son and let a man work.
Let a man work is that so wrong, I woke up this morning shackled and drawn…..”
Shackled and Drawn
Bruce Springsteen

Well, it is one week after Labor Day weekend. There is talk of an upcoming work stoppage in the world of hockey. Two national political conventions are now over and the focal point of both was work (or the lack thereof). A friend of mine emailed me asking about my break from writing my blog. He told me to get back to work. So what better theme to ramble on about than work?

Believe me, doing my blog does not feel like work. It is far from it!
But as we get older the lines get a little blurred between what is work and what we are doing that makes us feel good and proud of ourselves. The whole definition of work seems to change as time marches on.
I have had good jobs, I have had bad jobs.  I have worked with some good companies, worked with some not so good companies.  Sometimes it felt like I was working, sometimes it didn’t. There were times when I wasn’t working that it seemed like I was working my ass off to find work.  Recently in a mild mid- life crisis, I decided I would run a marathon this coming November. I was told the training was going to be a lot of work. An incredible amount of work. I am now working up to over 20 mile runs. But guess what? The work has morphed into love and passion. I can’t wait to workat it most mornings.

So then what really is work? Well I am sure everyone is entitled to feel any way they want about it or describe it as they choose.
I kind of look at it like this.

I work in order to be, not simply exist. To work is human. Work opens the door to the meaning of life and stops it from being boring and dull. Work is being creative.
I used to think work was a burden. Something I had to get through. Something I had to do for money or security.
If you feel that way you are missing the creative dynamic of work and how it can enable you to feel good about yourself. If we’re lucky enough, we try to shape our work to fit our lives……
Ok, that is deep enough. This is supposed to be a fun hockey blog. So how does all this relate to hockey? I’ll give it a try.

There was always times when I played during the season when the game felt like work. Boy was I wrong. It was challenging for sure but age has taught me that something you love doing that much should never be called work. I hope as parents and coaches we pass that along to our young players. They have their whole lives to figure out what they are going to do for work, AFTER they are done PLAYING.

Players are described as having incredible work ethics. Is it work ethic or do they just love being good, the feeling of getting better, and are willing to endure challenging times to achieve that feeling?

How many times after a hockey game have you seen a team win and the coach gets up in front of a microphone and blurts, “We deserved to win tonight, we outworked them…..” If you ask any pro player they will tell you it always feels more like fun than work when you win. The work feels like it comes during losing streaks…..
So here’s something for the young coaches out there, just a suggestion. Try encouraging your players “to out funthe other team tonight!” It’s worth a shot. It seemed to work with our mite team at times last year….

And one more thing on the topic…..

Let’s all pray that there won’t be a work….I mean a funstoppage in the NHL again this year…….

Hockey Father's Day

This is obviously one of the greatest weekends of the year. It is Father’s Day weekend and the U.S. Open is on. There is not a whole lot of hockey going on with the end of the NHL season just wrapping up. There are only a few showcase events being played around the country right now but it is unquestionably the best weekend of the year to think about hockey dads everywhere. Some are still with us. Some are not. But they are all loved and I know it is because many of them share or shared some amazing qualities that I am sure you will recognize and agree with.

So please take a break from golf this weekend and join me in taking a moment to say, "Thanks Dad……

-for introducing me to the greatest game on the planet. (and golf too.)
-for getting up with me in the freezing cold to go to practice before schoolwhen the car would only start if you plugged it in overnight.
-for having the patience to watch me learn.
-for taking me to Maple Leaf Gardens and allowing me to dream.
-for letting me pick my own team to cheer for.
-for encouraging me when I played well.
-for encouraging me when I played bad.
-for making me work as hard at school as I did on the ice.
-for informing me that Tim Horton was a whole lot more than a donut store owner.
-for keeping Mom calm when I got hurt.
-for keeping Mom calm when I played well.
-for keeping Mom calm when I played bad.
-for keeping Mom calm when I left home.
-for just keeping Mom calm……
-For teaching me how to be a teammate.
-for not yelling at the refs.
-for teaching me that it only hurts for a little while.
-for being tough when it was right.
-for being right when it was tough…..
-for tying my skates when I know your back killed you….
-for rubbing my frozen toes when you took my skates off.
-for making me carry my own hockey bag.
-for buying me that new stick when you probably couldn’t afford it but also…
-for teaching me that sticks don’t score goals, players do…
-for driving all weekend to get to tournaments on some pretty slick roads.
-for teaching me that the game is important.
-for teaching me the game is not the most important.
-for being there for me when I couldn’t play anymore….
-for reminiscing about all the good times we had at the rink.
-for not remembering the tough ones…..

and most importantly…..

-for making sure I introduced his grandson to the greatest game on the planet. (and golf too……)"

Thanks Dads.
Have a great weekend!

School's Out.....Now what? Ask Barney.

It's that special time of year when the school year is coming to an end and young hockey players everywhere are thinking, "Great! Time to sit back for a while and do nothing....."
Well that's not the advice we give those who are anxious to achieve scholarships or financial aid packages in the future. In fact it's just the opposite. It's time to plan, get organized and be ready to seek more information. Yes, that's right, learning even when not in school.
Last week this flog focused on some recruiting advice and we got some great feedback. People had some great questions so I thought we would build on that and get into the academic issues even deeper.
When I wrote "ask Barney" in the title, I did not mean the purple Dinosaur. I wanted to get some expert feedback from someone so I asked Craig Barnett, (Barney)who is the Director of Player Placement for our company to help out. Craig's vast experience and knowledge pertaining to the process allows him to give valuable advice.

1985-1989 - Student-athlete at Plattsburgh State (NCAA III) - NCAA Champions

1989-1991 - Player in NY Ranger system (Flint IHL, Binghamton AHL, and Erie ECHL)
1991-1993 - Assistant Coach, Mercyhurst College (NCAA II)
1993-1994 - Assistant Coach, Kent State University(NCAA I)
1995-2002 - Head Hockey Coach, University of Findlay (NCAA I and III)
2002-2004 - Hockey Director / Assistant Athletic Director, Lake Forest Academy(Prep)
2004-2006 - Director of Athletics / Head Hockey Coach, Becker College(NCAA III)
2006-2009 - Director of Athletics, Mercyhurst College (NCAA II, NCAA I hockey)


I asked Craig for 7 bullet points relating to the academic process and issues potential college bound players and families should be thinking about and addressing. Here is his advice. Hope you can use some of it.

"Academically speaking, some questions families should be thinking of and asking colleges/coaches especially during visits:"

1. What type of academic support services are offered? For example, tutoring, extended time for test, academic advisors for student-athletes, resource rooms availability, extra assistance for students with diagnosed learning challenges, etc, etc. 

 2. Does the athletic department offer any of these services (mentioned above) specifically for student-athletes or is it all provided through the general student body?

 3. Does the college offer priority registration for classes for student-athletes - thus, give them more flexibility to take tougher classes in "off-season" and also allows to build their academic calendar around team practice and meeting times.

 

4. What is the colleges retention rate? What is the colleges APR score (NCAA Academic Progress Report)?  Are there any teams falling under the NCAA minimum standard?

 

5. What about summer classes - are those costs included in my athletic scholarship/financial aid package?

 6. Are there any other expenses above and beyond tuition, fees, room and board that are not covered by scholarships? For example, books, health insurance, travel home at breaks, etc.

7. Do High School AP classes transfer into this particular schools curriculum for college credit?

You can contact Barney at:
cbarnett@cardinalsportsgroup.com
 (814) 449.9868

Or If you see him at the rink over the summer at the many showcase events, make sure you say hello or ask him any questions you might have. You'll recognize him. He will be the one in purple. :)

Thanks Craig! Great job.

Everyone have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend and remember who our real heroes are. The men and women of our armed forces that give us the freedom to enjoy our great game. Try to say thank you to one of them if you can.
Kerry Huffman Platinum Hockey Group/Cardinal Sports 609-339-5156
Khuffman5@gmail.com
www.khhockey.com
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