PGHA (Peterborough Girls' Hockey Association) Awards Banquet ============================================================ Location: Peterborough, Ontario Date: April 30, 1994 INTRODUCTION: ------------ First, I have to warn you ... I'm a much better hockey player than I am a public speaker!!! :-) Well, it's great to be here today. It's special to be back in my hometown again and it's great to see so many enthusiastic young hockey players. I think I recognize a few of you from Lake Placid. I heard that there was quite a truck-load of Peterborough fans at Lake Placid cheering us on to the Gold! You know we're really lucky live in Peterborough where there's such a well-developed girls' hockey program. When I was a kid, I never thought twice about playing girls' hockey. But actually, there are a lot of places throughout Canada that don't have organized girls' hockey at all! Who knows, if I had grown up somewhere else, I might have never even started playing hockey! I'm really glad to have grown up in Peterborough. I have a number of things that I'd like to talk to you about today. I'll try to keep it short because I know you want to get to these awards... o First, I'll talk a little about my hockey career. o Then, I'll talk about some of the qualities that I think are important if you want to excel as a hockey player. Not everyone is born with the genetics to be a good athlete, but I think there's more to being a good athlete than just natural talent. o Lastly, I'll talk a little about what I think made Team Canada such a strong team at the World Championships. These are things which could help any team to be be successful. MY HOCKEY CAREER: ---------------- Okay, so first a little about my hockey career. I think the important thing to remember is that I'm not any different than any of you. The first hockey league that I played in, was ALSO the Peterborough house league! I grew up on a farm just East of Peterborough and the first skating that I did was on our pond when I was 4 years old. In grade 1, I joined the Peterborough Figure Skating Club, and then in grade 4 I started playing hockey in the Peterborough house league. I played in Peterborough for 4 years and then I played for Otonabee in the United Counties League until the end of high school. I also played for Thomas A Stewart high school for 5 years. I'm sure a lot of you have probably heard of, or even played in, the Brampton Canadettes Tournament. In my last year of high school I was playing in this tournament, and the coach of the University of New Hampshire happened to be there scouting. It had always been my dream to play for a University team, so you can imagine how excited I was when he offered me a hockey scholarship! Needless to say, I jumped on his offer! I was REALLY fortunate to get my University education for free and what a deal, I got to play hockey ... *something I absolutely love* ... in exchange. Heck, I would have paid them to LET me play! :-) Since graduating from the University of New Hampshire, I have been at the University of Toronto working on a Masters degree in Computer Science. I play for the Women's Varsity team there, and I also play for a team in the Senior AA women's league ... and I understand that next year Peterborough may have a team in the AA league too! That's great! Last year I did something a little bit different. I put my school on hold and went to Switzerland to play hockey for a team women's team there. It was a great experience to go to another country. I got to live in a different culture, to meet new people, and to learn a new language. But, by far, the highlight of my career, was having the opportunity to play for my country. I played for Team Canada at the WCs in Finland in 1992, and then again this year in Lake Placid. Playing for Team Canada was a real honour and a dream come true for me. It's one thing to play for your city or your University, but it's quite another to put on that Red and White Jersey and to play for your country. Yes, it really is quite amazing how many opportunities are opening up in women's hockey now! When I first started playing, I would have never dreamed that hockey would give me so many incredible experiences! WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A GOOD HOCKEY PLAYER: ---------------------------------------- Now I'd like to talk a little about what it takes to excel as a hockey player. I'll also talk about some of the qualities that the Team Canada coaches look for when they select the team. Well, I think if you are to be a successful hockey player, the bottom line is that you must love the sport. It must be something that that you REALLY enjoy doing. I have always played hockey because it's fun. Things change through the years, but one thing that has always been the same for me, is the enjoy- ment that I get from playing. You hear about parents who want their kids to play so badly, ... even more so than the kids want to play. These are the kids who often don't continue to play so long ... and don't go as far. It's like homework, if you're forced to do it, then you won't ... at least that's how I was! :-) I think you have to play because you want to play and because you really enjoy playing, if you are to reach your potential for success. Some of you may be interested in knowing what it takes to make the Canadian team. Who knows, some of you here may even be playing in the Olympics some day!! :-) So, just what does it take to make the Canadian team? Well, obviously, a certain amount of natural talent is QUITE helpful. Your hockey skill level is ALSO very important. However, I think there is much more to it than that. ... I think some of the intangibles, like, attitude and work ethic can also greatly influence whether or not you are selected. Things like your willingness to learn and to listen to the coaches are more important than you might imagine. Making the Canadian team wasn't easy for ANY of the players. There's guaranteed to be lots of ups and downs as you prepare yourself for the tryouts, but the secret is to never give up. You have to be very dedicated and to always work hard if you really want to make the team. All the players on Team Canada had one thing in common ... they all worked very hard, and were willing to give that extra effort and to make that sacrifice for the team. One of my favourite quotes is, "NO ONE CAN STOP YOU FROM WORKING HARD." There are also a number of other things that the coaches look for when they select a team. Sometimes it depends on where the WC are being held. Two years ago when the WCs were in Finland, the coaches stressed that they wanted to select players who they thought would be able to adapt to playing in a new environment. They were concerned with things such as the 6-hour time change, the different food, and the international-sized ice surfaces that we would have. Since the WCs were held in Lake Placid this time, the coaches told us that they wanted to choose a mature team that would be able to handle the increased media attention that goes along with having a WC in the States. When the coaches select the team, they take notice of players who have good leadership skills, players who would make good role models, and players who always have a positive attitude. If the coaches are having a hard time deciding between two players, you can be guaranteed that they'll choose the player who has more of these qualities. One of the most important qualities that the coaches look for, is the willingness of a player to put the team ahead of herself! TEAM CANADA'S SUCCESS: --------------------- ... and this leads nicely to the last thing that I'd like to talk to you about today ... just why was the Canadian Team so successful? I think that the players being willing to put the team's goals ahead of personal goals, was really important for our success. Our coaching staff made it clear that we were there for one reason and one reason only - to bring back the gold medal to Canada. Both the players and the coaching staff were dedicated to achieving this goal and were willing to do anything to help win the gold. In the short span of just 2 weeks, we were able to come together as a team. Team Canada was very TEAM-oriented. This was constantly emphasized by our coaches. We did a lot of activities that helped to bring us together and to trust one another, and I think this was crucial to our success. I'd have to say that our ability to come together as a team was our most important asset. The one thing that was really reinforced by our coaches on TC, is how much more important the team was than any individual. The players had to keep in mind that the team's success was all that really mattered. It didn't matter who scored the goals, as long as TC won the gold. All the players on the team were willing to accept whatever role was given to us. It was important that we all trusted the coaching staff and realized that no role was too small to play. Before our final game, the coaches told us that they were really confident because they thought we had 2 big advantages over the other teams. First, our mental preparation. As well as training physically, we spent a lot of time preparing ourselves mentally. We worked on being able to focus on the task at hand, and putting aside negative thoughts and other distractions. For example, if you worry about a goal you miss or a bad play, or if you're distracted by a noisy crowd, you won't be able to play your best. The second advantage that our coaches said we had, was our big Canadian Hearts! We all drew a big red heart on our shoulder pad before the final game - you may have seen them on TSN. It has always been a trait of Canadian teams to play with intensity and emotion and to rise to the occasion. I think we showed a lot of heart in that final game, and it was a great feeling to have that gold medal put around our necks. For me, the most memorable thing about playing for Team Canada was the feeling I'd get after winning a game ... you'd see that Canadian flag slowly being raised to the top of the arena, you'd hear that Canadian anthem echoing throughout the building, and you'd feel so proud to be wearing that red and white jersey. It was just a wonderful, undescribable feeling to know that I was a part of it. CONCLUSION: ---------- I'd like to leave you with a few thoughts about what I feel is important in terms of both sports and life in general. I think it's important to take advantage of your opportunities. I'm really glad that I didn't pass up the opportunity to play University hockey, and to go to Switzerland to play hockey. And the sacrifices I made to make TC, were more than worth it. Another thing that I feel is quite important, is leading a balanced life. It's great to be a keen athlete, but I think you're missing out, if all you have in your life is sports. I think it's important to find a suitable balance between the various elements of your life, such as your school or work, your sports and hobbies, and your socializing. Also, not enough can be said about HARD WORK and DETERMINATION. You can have all the natural talent in the world, but if you don't have the desire and motivation to go along with it, you'll never be a top-notch hockey player. One of the most frustrating things for me, is to see someone not trying ... especially if they have the natural talent and the potential to do well. It's those who give that extra effort who will excel ... and this isn't only true for sports ---> Working hard and giving your best effort are important for success in all areas of life! Thank you.