Advantages and Disadvantages of Extroverted Hockey Players: What You Need to Know

One of the attributes which initially attracted me to wife is her outgoing personality.

I am quiet. She is outgoing.

I am a wallflower. She is the life of the party.

I get energized being by myself. She gets energized being around people.

We are complete opposites, yet our marriage works because we balance each other. We fit the defintion of opposites attract for a reason.

I calm her down. She lifts me up.

It is this delicate back and forth dance which keeps us happy and healthy. It works for marriages, and it also works for hockey teams. You need both introverts and extroverts to balance out a team for peak performance.

A few days ago I unpacked the advantages and disadvantages of being an introverted hockey player. Today, I want to explore the world of extroverts. Just like introverts, extroverts bring their fair share of positive and negative attributes to the ice. We will start this conversation off by highlighting some of those advantages.

Advantages

Team Building

If you think about your typical extrovert, they are stereotypically outgoing and social. They get energized by others and enjoy being around people. This makes extroverted hockey players great at team building and bonding with their teammates.

Practical Application Examples

Off-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players keep a locker room vibrant and lively through conversation, jokes, and stories. This improves morale and promotes a positive team culture.

On-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players carry that same level of positivity and enthusiasm onto the bench and the ice where teammates can continue to stay motivated.

Action-Oriented

Extroverted hockey players are stimulus seeking so you will find them in the action. As Saul Miller describes in his book, Hockey Tough, an extroverted goalie will be more prone to "mix it up with with opposiong forwards who invade the crease or crash the net." These same goalies are also happy to come out to play the puck in dangerous situations.

Practical Application Examples

Off-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players desire a sense of inclusion and belonging and will find ways to insert themselves into conversations and team events.

On-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players will continue to seek out this sense of inclusion on the ice by being involved in every play and every strategy.

Expressive

Extroverted hockey players are also great at expressing their thoughts and opinions in the moment. Please note that I am not saying they are great communicators since that unwraps an entire new dimension of clarity, follow-up, and responsiveness which introverts and extroverts equally excel at or struggle with at times. Instead, we will focus on expression. Extroverted hockey players are not afraid to speak up and voice their opinions, which can be important when it comes to strategy and game planning.

Practical Application Examples

Off-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players will tell you their teammates how they feel about a certain topic, area of conflict, or strategy.

On-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players will continue to take that level of emotional investment on the ice where there will be no gray or fogginess on where they stand. If they are frustrated with a referree or the opposing team, you will know exactly how they feel. No guesswork will be required.

At this point, we have unpacked the advantages of extroverted hockey players. Let's now shift our focus on the disadvantages.

Disadvantages

Extra Stimulus

Extroverted hockey players are going to require more stimulus. This will either be sought out from the coach, their fellow extroverted teammates, or action on the ice. This requirement of extra stimulus can also translate into some players even requiring aggressive, challenging, or confrontational comments to get them game ready.

Practical Application Examples

Off-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players might require aggressive motivational dialogue and comments to fire them up.

On-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players will seek out intense action or confrontation on the ice to keep their motivation and focus dialed in, and that is a great transition into our next point.

Too Confrontational

The hunt for stimulus in a game can often leave extroverted hockey players in situations where they are too confrontational which can result in hurting or damaging the team. This can result in fights, penalty minutes, and directing focus on external conflicts rather than focusing on scoring goals.

Practical Application Examples

Off-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players might find themselves seeking too much adventure off the ice whether that is being too social when should be resting, sleeping, or mentally preparing for the game.

On-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players stimulus seeking can result in unncessary penalities which hurts their teammates.

Attention Seeking

Extroverted hockey players may sometimes crave attention and recognition in unhealthy ways. This can lead to a focus on individual performance rather than team success, which can be detrimental to the team's overall performance.

Practical Application Examples

Off-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players might find themselves losing sight on how their words, actions, or behaviors impact the larger whole.

On-the-ice: Extroverted hockey players can be prone to letting their emotions cloud their thinking in intense on ice situations which hurts the team.

Parting Advice

Every hockey team needs both Introverts and extroverts to truly succeed. The advantages and disadvantages offered by both personality groups is what makes every team so unique and dynamic. It is now your responsibility as a hockey player and teammate to acknowledge your strengths and mitigate your weaknesses to help set up you team for the best possibility of success.