So You Want to Be an NHL Hockey Player?
Talk from Andrew
Brewer, Assistant Coach, Toronto Maple Leafs
This
past summer, the 2016/2017 Markham
Waxers Minor Atom Select team participated in the every hockey players dream –
to train at the Air Canada Centre with the coaching and training staff of the
Toronto Maple Leafs!
As part of their exciting Grand Prize package, they were very fortunate to hear from Andrew Brewer who is one of the Assistant Coaches for the Toronto Maple Leafs. One of our team parents – Jen Green – took the time to take some notes from that talk.
Here’s what Coach Brewer taught us:
1. Coaches look for good people. Key qualities include:
- Volunteer work
- A good work ethic – that’s what takes you from good to great
- Attitude, attentiveness, good listener
- Hockey skills
2. Behaviors off the ice are very important too
- Play other sports too so you don't burn out on hockey
- First you're a person then you're a hockey player
3. Dealing with adversity
- How you deal with tough stuff matters
4. Drive
- Do you keep going through bumps in the road?
- Find out what you're lacking and work hard at that
- You can achieve more
5. Common characteristics of great hockey players
- Good people
- Good friend
- Good teammate
- Skill - skating and thinking/hockey sense
6. Community involvement!!!
- Caring for and helping other people
- This can create opportunities for you
- Never turn down an opportunity to do and learn new things
To end his talk, he also quoted from Zack Hyman children's books. Words of wisdom for all players who want to be great:
“Be an ‘everydayer’. Do it right every day.”
Thank you to Jen Green for talking these notes and thank you Andrew Brewer for these excellent words of advice!
Go Waxers Go!