“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.”— Henry Ford
Hockey season is here. Whether you are preparing for a pro camp, early season training with your college team or beginning your club or house league, hockey energy abounds.
As part of this kickoff to the season, the focus in this column will be confidence. Whether you are returning to your old team or joining a new team, it is natural to wonder what role you will play. In fact, all athletes — no matter what sport or level they play — face confidence issues at certain points in their career.
What do Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Denis Potvin, Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux have in common? Aside from being exceptional players and esteemed captains, they possessed common attributes as impressive players. As part of my doctoral work, I researched NHL captains to determine overlapping characteristics they possessed. Confidence — in themselves, their training and their ability — was a primary one.
