It's not the gear that makes the player great.

I had planned on talking about equipment. Something based on the “right tool for the job” philosophy. Make sure your gear fits, and that you take care of it with regular maintenance. This often boils down to dry it out so it doesn’t smell horrible and starts to rot away. You really want to avoid growing bacteria, mold, and assorted fungus. This is not the kind of stuff you want to wear around, but players do. Maybe they don’t realize it, or maybe they don’t care. I hear a lot of players who want the latest and greatest gear. Some new gear does hold an advantage to older worn out equipment, but if you’re really just looking for a status boost based on the gear you’re wearing, you may not be focusing on more important things. I don’t really care if you have the latest and greatest gear. I’m interested in how you make the most of what you’ve got. What I really want you to do is bring your best game to the field or ice. It used to be that you had to just about pry equipment out of a player’s hand if he scored a goal using it. I’d see sticks that should have been tossed still propped up against the wall outside the locker room. Now there is a lot of status associated with slick looking gear. If you don’t know how to use it, what good is it? Show up with equipment that fits, is protective, and doesn’t make my eyes water on the bench, and you’ll be all right, but show up ready to play. I want to see players play with the desire to play their best game right up to the final buzzer, have a lot of heart, and play like a team. A team without heart won’t play very well even with slick looking gear. Even if you win every game, you still need to have heart. You may be playing weaker teams. If you want to be a great player, play with desire, skill, good sportsmanship, and lots of effort. That’s what it takes to be a great player, not flashy gear, or easy wins. The ones you have to work for are the ones that mean the most, and you can’t buy those. Better to try and fail, then chalk up an easy victory, but if you work hard you’ll usually do very well. Remember it really is “how you play the game” that matters the most.