FOSTER DEVELOPMENT OF A GREAT HOCKEY CULTURE In the great cultures of any hockey club, teammates hold themselves and each other accountable for attitudes and actions.

They don’t just preach responsibility, accountability, ownership, and teamwork – they continuously display it. There is little tolerance for things that clearly get in the way of winning and representing the program in a professional manner.

This culture comes from getting everyone on the team to buy in to and act on a set of winning standards that place a premium on both results and relationships. Ideally, it is up to everyone to establish, endorse, and enforce your team’s culture – but realistically, most of it depends on the captains and coaches modeling and maintaining the standards.

Unfortunately, if left unchecked, there are several negative attitudes and actions that can get in the way of winning. Invest the time with the team to identify these harmful factors at the start of the season. Then make a pact with the team that they will not be tolerated in your program. The payoff from getting team leaders to establish and enforce this kind of mentality, the club sets itself up for sustainable, high-level success on and off the ice.

Teammates don’t take shortcuts – Great cultures expect and demand everyone’s best effort on a consistent basis. They know if they let teammates go half speed in practices, skip reps in the weight room, miss off-ice conditioning times, or take plays off, they are actually shortchanging themselves and significantly hurting the entire team’s chances of success. The group has to insist upon teammates consistently bringing their best effort.

No whiners – Great cultures are fueled by and feed off positive energy, excitement, and enthusiasm. They look forward to challenges, enjoy the chance to compete, and value the time they get to spend with each other. Thus, they don’t appreciate, nor tolerate, teammates who continually have negative attitudes, complain, and whine about practices and playing time. Teammates with bad attitudes suck the life out of the team and must be encouraged to get over it quickly – or find another team.

No excuses – Great cultures do not accept excuses for problems or poor performances. They hold each teammate accountable to do their job and perform at or above the necessary standard. They adopt a “No Excuses” mindset.

It’s really not okay when a teammate:

– doesn’t know the systems or misses an assignment because of poor focus

– overslept and was late to a workout

– wasn’t mentally prepared to compete

– can’t maintain their poise and composure when they get bad calls from officials

– blames their lackluster performance on the adverse conditions.

Players in great cultures expect each other to own their performances and successfully deal with adversity, adjust to it, and overcome it. They only accept responsibility – not excuses.

No selfishness – Great cultures insist the team’s success comes first. They don’t take kindly to teammates who look out only for themselves or who prioritize and promote their individual success above the team’s success and well-being. These selfish teammates should always be quickly confronted and corrected – or weeded out if they aren’t committed to being a great teammate. Great hockey cultures value and honor people who selflessly sacrifice for the good of the team. They appreciate everyone’s contributions and generously share and deflect the credit for success to their teammates – rather than trying to hoard it for themselves. They continually emphasize we over me.

No disrespect – Great hockey cultures treat each other with consideration and respect. They abide by the simplest rule – doing unto teammates as they would want done to them. Obviously, teammates won’t always agree with each other but that does not give them any reason or right to belittle, gossip about, or demean them. Great cultures don’t tolerate teammates who talk negatively about or disrespect each other. They constructively deal with the natural and inevitable conflicts between teammates with honesty and respect.

No division – Great cultures do not survive long if they tolerate teammates who divide or destroy the team from within. They live by the saying, “It is better to have 1,000 enemies outside the tent than one inside the tent.” Destructive teammates who try to divide the team by creating corrosive cliques or attacking the coaches are culture killers. Their divisive behavior must be quickly called out and crushed. Great hockey teams consciously look to build and strengthen relationships and bonds between teammates and with the coaching staff. They actively promote a sense of team chemistry and unity.

No trashing the coaches – Great cultures don’t allow teammates to trash the coaches. Sure, there are numerous times when players disagree with their coaches on the line matchups, playing time, roles, practice regimens, game systems, etc. This is normal and natural. However, there is a big difference between disagreeing with the coaches and denigrating the coaches. It is okay not to agree with all the coaches’ decisions, but to totally bash and blame them for all that is wrong in the program is not tolerated within great teams. Instead, players and coaches forge a positive and productive partnership. They realize they are all in this together and must have each other’s backs.

Don’t let teammates embarrass the team – Great teams take immense pride in the program they represent. They are proud of what they have built because of all the blood, sweat, and tears shed by them – and those who went before them. They take pride in wearing the jersey and all it represents. They have high standards and insist upon representing the program with class. They have little tolerance for those who act like a fool and embarrass the program by irresponsible and immature behavior. These antics reflect negatively on the entire team. Teams with great culture deal quickly and firmly with those who dare to bring dishonor to the team.

Never give up or give in – Teams with great culture don’t allow their teammates to give up or give in when the going gets tough or the outlook seems bleak. The unmistakable standard is to keep fighting, persisting, and competing until the very end. Teammates should expect and require each other to finish drills, block shots, finish checks, push through fatigue and frustration, compete relentlessly until the game is over, and invest fully through the last competition of the season. Teams with great cultures may lose games, but they will never lose their pride.

Teammates don’t let teammates down – Ultimately, teammates in great hockey cultures refuse to let each other down. There is such a respect and reverence for fellow teammates that they play for each other, not just for themselves. There is a common understanding and bond that teammates will battle tirelessly out of respect for the brotherhood that has developed. While losses hurt tremendously, the even greater pain is in the thought of letting your teammates down. On great teams, teammates don’t just play with each other, they play FOR each other.