Step by Step

I've been playing well lately. But I still know I can play better. Coach told me after the last game that I played well, that he thinks I've taken a step, and I will continue to move forward in the next few weeks. We only have 6 games left before playoffs. I have to soak in everything I can before then and continue to get better every time I step on the ice, and focus on getting better for myself and for the team. Coach told me for the team to be successful in playoffs, he needs me to play better. He said I've been playing well, and he also knows that I can play better, but I have to be intense mentally and never take a shift or a play off. I think I need to get tougher as well. I'm 6'4", 220. I don't think anyone should be able to push me around or get around me. I want to be a shut down defenseman, but also be a quarterback and make plays to get us out of the zone. I think I have the tools to be an all-around defenseman, but I still make some stupid mistakes in the course of a game. I know everyone makes mistakes. No one ever has a perfect game, but I want to have a perfect effort, and sometimes I miss plays that I know I should make.

I'm watching the Avs game right now, and I see them making some of the same mistakes I do; it makes me feel better even though I know it's at a much higher level. Coach told me the other day that he's seen kids like me throughout his coaching career, who continue to grow and get better long after other kids have reached their potential at age 15 or 16. I'm still growing into my body and learning what it takes to be a hockey player. It was good to hear. And I know I want to be perfect; I'm a perfectionist. But I have to realize this is a process, and I'm really only at the beginning, only 21 games into my hockey career. This is my first year of focusing on hockey alone; I think I'm the only one on this team who came out of high school hockey, who never played AAA or tiered Midget hockey, who played soccer, ran track, did musicals, water skied, and snow skied when it wasn't hockey season. People still look at me with weird looks on their faces when they find out I never played AAA. I might not be perfect right now, but I think I will only get better with time because I'm smart enough and athletic enough to be a stalwart defenseman if I put my mind to it. I need to start playing with some pride, some toughness, and mostly just have fun. Because when you get past all the uncertainty and stress, it's really all about having fun. I even imagined I was playing in Vail at Dobson this past weekend. Sometimes it helps to picture the other team in Lewis-Palmer jerseys (one of Battle Mountain's biggest rivals) because those were the games I felt the most comfortable in, and I think those were the games I played at my best. It's time for me to take a step here and really show what kind of player I can be.