Effort During the Game

Effort During the Game

                Imagine that a graph has a straight 100% effort line extending from what represents the beginning of a game to its conclusion. Simply stated, if all players were being truthfully plotted, their effort in all situations throughout the entire contest should always place them solidly on that line. If ever any athlete deserved to be marked at any point below that line, such a person would be guilty of betraying himself, his teammates, and the game of hockey itself.

                There never is any justifiable reason why a player should descend from the critically important “100% effort line.” I am not talking about performance because physical errors are always part of everyone’s game. Nobody can ever play a perfect game, but everybody can always try to do his best! If one’s rationalization is that he was injured or too tired to do something, my response would be to instruct the individual to leave the ice or to do everything possible despite your physical problems.

                If an athlete is not prepared to devote and always expend his full mental and physical potential during practices and games with his team, I suggest that he transfer to an individual sport (tennis, bowling, golf, skiing, etc.) where his unacceptable effort will negatively impact only himself. One’s attitude should always be to devote his entire being to the squad during all team activities. It is no coincidence that, if each letter of the alphabet were assigned a numerical value in order with “A” as #1, the sum of all letters in the word “attitude” would equal exactly 100%. What is your attitude, and how would you truthfully be plotted in relation to the “100% effort line?”