In hockey, having an infinite mindset means players are focused on becoming better both as individuals and as a team. It is about being invested in the long term and striving for growth every day, every week, every season, and every year.

I recently finished Steven Pressfield's book, The Warrior Ethos, and I found it be to incredibly insightful. It is an excellent read if you are looking for motivation from ancient and even modern history. Virtues like courage, honor, and loyalty are discussed in amazing detail.

Finding and generating intrinsic motivation is not always easy. You have to be intentional about finding ways to the light the fire in your belly. However, if you can follow these four recommendations they will provide you with a solid starting point, or a fuel of sorts, to ignite you and propel you forward.

Hockey players are willing to endure hell. Leon Draisaitl played with a sprained ankle in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. Erik Karlsson played with two fractured feet and damaged ankle tendons in the 2017 playoffs and Jonathan Quick played with a herniated disk in the 2012 playoffs. The list goes on and on.

Understanding the dynamics of being the predator versus the prey is essential to success in hockey. With all that being said, it is always going to be in a team and player's best interest to activate a predator mindset because aggression and proactiveness wins in hockey. Is it okay to have a prey mindset? Yes, but only in certain scenarios where you need the agility of a bunny or alertness of a gazelle to avoid trouble.

Americans are stressed out. According to the American Insitute of Stress, 55% of the U.S. population feels stress on a daily basis. In addition, 63% of the American workforce is ready to quit their jobs because of stress. In other words, stress is showing up at people's doors every single day. It is a constant.

Giving up should never be considered as an option. There is always a workaround. You just have to be more aware of your feelings and attitude and then be be proactive with implementing the above solutions. You can change. You can preservere. You can succeed at this game.

The science of motivation is a powerful tool for coaches and players in hockey. By understanding the drivers of motivation and applying insights from experts like Dan Pink, players can stay motivated, work towards their goals, and perform at their best on the ice. By fostering autonomy, mastery, and purpose, coaches can create a culture of motivation and success which can end losing streaks and drive their team towards greatness.

Freedom from discipline is a powerful philosophy which can be applied to many areas of life, including the sport of hockey. It requires a proactive spirit and when followed it can produce amazing results. Take inspiration from the Navy SEALs and let discipline create freedom in hockey and your life.

Finding your purpose in hockey in a valuable component of a healthy hockey mindset. It can serve as your compass and guide when you feel like you are starting to lose your way. Think of it as the foundation in your thinking and planning, and let it serve as your homebase and guiding star with as you make decisions on and off the ice.

I have quit many things in my life. This includes three start-ups, one salaried position, and one sport which I competed in competitively. I ached over each decision and some were easier to walk away from than others. All were still painful.

Anger can have a significant impact on your hockey performance, leading to poor decision-making, lack of focus, and unsportsmanlike behavior. None of these outcomes are good for you or your teammates.

Here is a sad reality: you will fail. You will makes mistakes. You will let down yourself. You will let down your teammates. You will let down your coach. What matters in the end is how you emerge from those failures. Do you use those setbacks to learn lessons or do you them to send you several steps back in your athletic and emotional development? The choice is yours.

The sport of hockey offers the same challenges. You question your skills. You question your talent. You question the health of your mindset. The inner critic can be a formidable obstacle that can hold you back from achieving your full potential on the ice. But, here is the good news. It does not have to be this way. You can have control.

Finding your "flow" in hockey can be a game-changer for your performance and enjoyment of the sport. You will feel faster. You will feel more efficient. You will block more shots. You will score more goals. The game will feel as if it were in a slow motion where you can read and see where the puck will be.

Burnout is very real and when not managed properly it can undo any player. It can turn the greatest to good and those who are good to bad. The goal moving forward is to be self-aware and take breaks, set new goals, and change up your routines if needed. If you can approach everything with a proactive spirit, burnout can be avoided and if you are in it, these recommendations can also help you get out of it.

Conscious breathing is the simple act of being more mindful with your breathing. Take a proactive stance this week and plan a time to practice the technique. You only need to set aside a few minutes to get familiar with the process. Do it enough times and it will become second nature and hopefully a part of your pre-game planning procedure. The result will be a more confident and calmer you.

Paul Kariya was a prolific hockey player. He was fast. He was highly skilled. He was an amazing goal scorer for 15 seasons in the NHL. The reason he was so profound is because he never allowed himself to get rattled by the other team. He knew his purpose was to score goals so he always focused on that outcome. In tense situations, he was great at managing his feelings and emotions which him calm under pressure.

Grit is defined as a person's ability to persevere and maintain passion and effort towards long-term goals. In the terms of hockey, it is a battling through a tough shift or a long season. Talent refers to a natural ability or aptitude for a particular skill or activity. Again, in relation to hockey, think about one's ability to stickhandle or skate well.

Developing and maintaining confidence is a challenging component of every hockey player's mental game. It requires you to step back, pause, reset, and be intentional about the feelings and thoughts which exist in your head. It is the mental game of turning off and tuning out at the garbage and keeping the positive and energy giving thoughts and statements. The good news is with some practice and deliberate effort, you can begin to automate these processes which will result in a more confident you.