For a little perspective on “the Moose,” he played 1,752 NHL games. If you do anything close to 2,000 times it can be repetitive and boring. Plus the travel, little nagging injuries, up and downs of a marathon season and non-hockey life can make for big distractions. For the most part, elite players have a passion for the game. If not, they would have been weeded out a long time ago. But the greatest players take that passion and have a laser-like focus that allows them to play great consistently. Good players, meanwhile, play great every three games or so—a big difference over a season and career. Here are two simplistic ways to approach the game: Average vs. Greatness.

Average Approach

If you go into a game thinking “it’s just another game” or “we beat this team 8–0 last time” or look past this game to a “bigger” game coming up, then you’re not giving your best. There was a game yesterday and there will be a game tomorrow. So you take the present game and basically go through the motions. The problem with this, as Seth Godin points out in a recent blog post on business, is that there is competition. As you take the skills you have worked so hard to achieve and average them out to just get through the game, the competition is giving it their all with a take-no-prisoners attitude. At least the good teams are. Who’s going to win?

Greatness Approach

If you think this might be the last time you enjoy the great privilege of strapping on skates as Messier did, then most likely it won’t be. Plus you get the added benefit of playing great hockey. Get hungry out there on the ice. It’s the difference today of two points in the standings. It’s a difference tomorrow of making the most out of the skills you have and achieving consistent greatness.

Good luck this weekend.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Brett Henning of Score100Goals.com for this story. Henning is the author of 7 Pre-Game Habits of Pro Hockey Players, and was a member of the Inaugural National Team Development Program and 2000 World Junior Team with USA Hockey. He played Junior Hockey in Canada and at the collegiate level for the University of Notre Dame. He was drafted by the New York Islanders before a back injury ended his on-ice career.

Most physicians firmly believe that baseline testing is the real key to the sports concussion issue. And, the recent updates on regulations for players’ return to play qualifications are a start in the right direction. If people want to know exactly how much damage a single concussion (or even multiple concussions) may have on an individual person, then you must first know the starting point. Biologically everyone’s brain is different. After a concussion is sustained, one person may see the damage repaired where another does not.

On all player levels, the number of concussions that occur in hockey is steadily on the rise. The largest and most detailed analysis of concussions in the National Hockey League was published May 2011, in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, and evaluated seven regular seasons from 1997 to 2004. It was based on physician reports from every team in the league and found a total of 559 concussions during regular season games, working out to a concussion rate of 5.8 for every 100 players, or an estimated 1.8 concussions per 1,000 player hours. During the 1990s, head injuries or concussions in ice hockey increased by an incredible 269 percent. According to the NCAA, the top two sports responsible for the largest number of concussions are women’s and men’s ice hockey. They are followed by rugby, football and soccer.

These increases are what have leaders of all professional sports, and in particular hockey, concerned with the growing concussion issues. CereScan has pushed for baseline testing for years in all levels of athletic competition, because the amount of knowledge that can be obtained in doing so can make all difference for an individual player. The scans are used to assess whether they decide to return to play if symptoms have subsided, sit out for an extended period of time or even potentially discontinue playing the sport altogether. These are decisions that face every parent and player anytime they sustain a concussion. This is where baseline testing becomes so advantageous. Instead of making decisions based on passion for the sport and whether one feels as though they still feel symptoms, they are provided clear information as to whether the damage sustained from a concussion is permanent or not.

The brain imaging scans performed at CereScan have the capacity to show perfusion (blood flow) levels in up to 140 regions of the brain. This allows doctors to focus on damaged areas so they can discover even the smallest representation of an injury. Brain function can change over time, and having a baseline test of a particular person will allow changes in that function to be identified by a physician. Whether those changes come over time through the aging process, or if there is an actual traumatic event, everyone knows more about the injury if there is a baseline scan.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Kathy Smith, an athlete, chef and mother of four children, for this story.

Think your kids are too busy with hockey and homework to help out around the house? Plenty of time for that later in life? A former NHL player shares how helping out around the house helped him succeed.

Discipline and a sense of responsibility are vital to anything you do in life. Kids need responsibilities outside of hockey that will help them throughout their lives. There was not a day growing up that I didn’t have at least a half-hour of chores to do around my house. It wasn’t an option—whether it was stacking a cord of wood, cooking dinner, washing the dishes, cleaning my room or sweeping out the garage. My parents both worked. If I wanted to play the game I loved, I had to carry my share of the family load. I also worked full time in the summers from age 14. My dad always taught me to look in the mirror at the end of the day, knowing I did everything I could do to improve, both as a person, and as an athlete.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Jeff Serowik of Pro Ambitons Hockey for this story.

1. Great knee bend.
2. Grip the stick with one hand on top of the shaft and the other hand really low on the shaft for leverage.
3. Watch the referee’s hand and try to bat the puck out of the air as he’s dropping it.
4. If you’re having trouble winning faceoffs in a particular game, at least neutralize your opponent by tying his stick up and having your winger come get the puck.
5. Believe you can win every faceoff and take tremendous pride in it.
6. All forwards should be aware of how to take faceoffs in case the center gets bumped out.
7. Develop hand and wrist strength and quickness. Purchase a wrist gripper and use it in the car. Also practicing dribbling a golf ball and work on hand-eye coordination drills.
8. Communicate with your linemates to make sure you’re all on the same page.
9. Read and react to the situation of the game. Are you down a goal? Up a goal? Short-handed, Power play? Last minute of game?
10. Practice taking faceoffs on the pond, at the end of practice or in your garage.
11. Prepare! Many coaches implement trick plays in all three zones. These are fun—and sometimes a lot of work! Coaches should practice faceoff alignment on a routine basis so that, at crunch time, all players know what to do whether the team is down a goal, up a goal or has pulled the goalie. Preparation is very important and can be the difference between winning and losing.
12. Make sure you and your linemates are ready for the hurry-up puck drop referees are instituting now.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Jeff Serowik of Pro Ambitons Hockey for this story.

“While the origin of the object known as a puck is well documented, the origin of the word ‘puck’ is unknown. Some scholars believe that since the earliest players of organized hockey were university students, the flat disk was named after Puck, the mischievous Shakespearean character in A Midsummer Night’s Dream who appears and disappears seemingly at will,” says James Duplacey in The Official Rules of Hockey: An Anecdotal Look at the Rules of Hockey and How They Came to Be.

The crowdsourced Wikipedia agrees that the origin of the word “puck” is obscure, but posits a less-romanticized source: “The Oxford English Dictionary suggests the name is related to the verb ‘to puck’ (a cognate of ‘poke’) used in the game of hurling for striking or pushing the ball, from the Scottish Gaelic puc or the Irish poc, meaning to poke, punch or deliver a blow.”

Editor’s Note: Thank you to reader Michael Anton for finding this definition in his weekly hockey reading.

My career was ended by a concussion during a home game in January. I never played professional hockey again. It took me a long time to recover from the post-concussive syndrome. As a result, I have an up-close and personal understanding of the importance of paying attention to concussions. I have three children who play sports and hundreds of thousands of campers have gone through my Pro Ambitions Hockey camps over the past 20 years. The Battle Camp curriculum I developed is notable for its emphasis on safely winning battles all over the ice.

Some fast facts on concussions:

• A concussion is a brain injury and all are serious.
• Most concussions occur without loss of consciousness.
• Recognition and proper response to concussions when they first occur can help prevent further injury.

During the last decade, Emergency Room visits for sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, among children and adolescents has increased by 60 percent. A traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head changes the way your brain normally works. Concussions can also occur from a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Even a “ding,” “getting your bell rung” or what seems to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious.

Concussions can occur in any sport or recreation activity. All coaches, parents and athletes need to learn the signs and symptoms of concussion and what to do if a concussion occurs. Young players’ brains can be more susceptible to injuries, which become more serious as players suffer repeated incidents. Typical symptoms include nausea, vomiting, loss of memory, sensitivity to sound and light, headaches and changes in personality for days or weeks. The injuries cannot be diagnosed by X-ray or MRI, but doctors can diagnose the problem by its symptoms.

Baseline concussion testing is mandatory in many hockey, football and other sports programs, for elementary-school age players to the pros. Such testing provides a baseline score of an athlete’s attention span, working memory, reaction time, etc. If the athlete suffers a concussion, he or she retakes the test. If there is a large decrease in the post-concussion score, the athlete typically is benched until the score increases, the symptoms are gone and he or she is cleared by a doctor.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Jeff Serowik of Pro Ambitons Hockey for this story.

1. Off-ice shooting: Last summer, I improved my slapshot by 20 mph by simply shooting 100 pucks every day (with some days off, of course) with a radar gun and making note of what improved my power and what didn’t.
2. Off-ice stickhandling: Stickhandling is easy to practice at home as long as you have something smooth to stickhandle on, and some ideas what to do.
3. Leg training: It’s not easy to improve your skating technique during the summer without ice time, but it is easy to improve your leg power and acceleration.
4. Get some ice time: One of the most important skills in hockey is skating, so take a few seconds to check times at a rink near you.
5. Play other sports: Playing sports that keep your muscles working will help you maintain fast reflexes and good overall strength and speed.
6. Attend a hockey camp: Hockey camp is a great way for kids and adults to learn a few new skills and work on sharpening the skills they already have. My hockey adventure camp in Ontario features NHL legend Dennis Maruk, plenty of on- and off-ice training, and water sports, hiking, rock climbing and much more.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Jeremy Rupke with HowToHockey.com for this story.

At the same time, coaches should also be asking for feedback from the players (or their parents) as to specific coaching skills and methods. This will help you improve your approach to the game and could offer some valuable advice, ideas and teaching methods for next season. Receiving honest feedback from parents or players—both positive and negative—is a very important development tool for coaching improvement and growth. Try the following questions or develop your own based on the age and skill level of your players.

Scoring system: 1 = low, 5 = average, 10 = excellent

1. Coach’s knowledge of hockey skills, systems and strategy____
2. Ability to teach basic hockey skills and correct errors____
3. Discipline and control of players during games and practices____
4. Attitude toward players____
5. Conduct during games____
6. Communication skills____
7. Ran organized and up tempo practices____
8. Explained game plan for opposing team____
9. Fairness and equal ice time to all players____
10. Motivational skills____
11. Individual skill development of players over course of the season____
12. Team skill development over the course of the season____
13. Team improvement over the course of the season____
14. Team building skills____
15. Rate your child’s improvement over the course of the season____
16. Rate your child’s fun/enjoyment level over the course of the season____
17. Program was: Too competitive • Well balanced • Not competitive enough
18. Suggestions for next season:

The Hockey Made Easy Instruction Manual contains additional tools for skill development, evaluating players skills and coaching methods. Today’s a great time to start learning and improving your hockey skills for next season.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Hockey Made Easy for these evaluation tips.

Fast-forward to Keelan’s first swim meet at age 6. She raced in a slower heat for the 25-yard freestyle event, but the event filled me with the same anticipatory dread and excitement of 20 years ago when I was on the block racing. I think I may have supplemented those feelings with living vicariously. Dangerous.

She raced and immediately came proudly up to the stands to meet her dad, brother and me. Being the mother and coach wannabe, I congratulated her and said, “Gosh sweetie, great job, but if you would just bring your elbow up a little higher on your breathing side. you’ll cut some seconds off of your time.” She looked at me like I was an idiot and said, “Mom, my coach said I did great and I had a perfect stroke.” OK…

Fortunately, that little statement sunk in quickly. I went home and realized I haven’t been in the sport for 20 years and things change. I need to back off.

For the following five years, I sat in the stands cheering and encouraging her. She eventually became an exceptional backstroker and a skilled butterfly swimmer. She was tiny, so accomplishing butterfly was amazing. It required strength, form and technique. She got that from her coaches.

We moved to Phoenix when she was 10, which is one of the nation’s swimming and diving centers. She joined an über-competitive team and swam for a few months. The Cactus Aquatic Center was incredible with an Olympic-size, 50-meter pool that could be set up in both long and short courses. And, the pool has three 1-meter and two 3-meter diving boards.

She backstroked her way through practice, and one day she came home and announced she would no longer be a swimmer, but she was going to be a springboard diver. Parenting versus coaching again.

I wanted to say, “You can’t stop swimming. You’re getting really good.” But, I didn’t. I told her to go ahead and join the diving team. My heart sunk.

She had never done anything but swim. Diving is known for the plethora of former gymnastics in the sport, maybe because nailing the landing is less painful in water.

Keelan’s first diving meet entailed a forward and back jump straight, and heck, maybe even a modified cannonball, for all I remember. All I knew was this girl had taken a serious lazy turn in athletics, thinking, “Wow, we are in for a really long journey.” I knew nothing of this sport.

It was a blessing that our family was knew nothing of the sport. We caught on as quickly as possible, berating judges’ scores and learning the language, but I had no clue how to coach. I just knew how to encourage. It paid off.

In the Arizona and Colorado state high school meets, she placed in the top five and she shattered a record at DU.

Even if you played the sport, excelled in it, and even coached, don’t fall prey to the inclination to teach your child techniques. Both your child and coach will be appreciative.

Our roles as parents are manifold, but one of them is not to coach. Be a cheerleader, yes. Be a shoulder to lean on, of course. Leave the instruction and improvement work to their immediate coach. Don’t put yourself in the penalty box.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Kathy Smith, an athlete, chef and mother of four children, for this story.

For this Italian feast, I’m pulling together recipes that are delicious served room temperature or hot, and all of the dishes are perfectly suited for buffet presentation. Whenever you make a dried pasta dish, remember the rule: if the pasta is thin, the sauce should be delicate, and conversely, if the pasta is thick, the sauce should be heavy.

Even though bread pudding isn’t Italian, it is a perfect dessert because it is easy to make and serves so many. Cake pops also work well and you can customize them with your team colors.

Party Serving Tips:

• Always use heavy duty cutlery and paper or plastic plates
• Have a refreshment area separate from the food to avoid spillage
• If you’re going to have party favors, purchase something usable like hockey stick pencils or NHL pennants or pucks
• Use place cards to label dishes on the serving table

Bruschetta Bar with Three Toppings
Serves 20

2 baguettes, sliced diagonally
Extra virgin olive oil

Classic Tomato Basil
3 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and pepper
6 large tomatoes, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 package basil, finely chopped

Kalamata Olives and Arugula
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup Arugula, coarsely chopped
25 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Salt and pepper

Basil Pesto
2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
6 ounces Parmesan cheese
3 ounces Romano cheese

Place all ingredients, but the cheeses in the bowl of a food processor. Purée until a smooth paste develops. You may need more olive oil to keep the consistency smooth but not thick. Add the cheeses and pulse five or six times to mix.

Mascarpone and Olive Tapenade
3 ounces Mascarpone cheese
1 lemon, juiced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
12 ounces Mascarpone cheese

For the olive tapenade:
2 cups kalamata olives, pitted
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup capers, rinsed
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons, juiced
6 mint leaves
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450º. Brush the baguette slices with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place on a baking sheet. Bake until golden, about five minutes. Ovens vary in temperature, so check often for doneness. The bread is done when the top is golden and the center of the slice is still soft.

Prepare the topping by mixing together the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Place in a serving dish for guests to spoon a small amount of the tomato mixture on to the baguette slice.

For the kalamata and arugula topping, mix all ingredients together and place in a serving bowl.

For the mascarpone, mix the lemon juice, garlic and mascarpone together and spoon into a serving dish. Place all of the olive tapenade ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and pulse 15 to 20 times until the mixture is blended well but still coarse.

Panzanella Mediterranean Bread Salad

This is a great buffet salad, because even after it is dressed, it never gets watery as there is no lettuce. Garnish the salad with any seasonal crisp vegetables.

1 loaf Italian bread, cut into cubes
extra virgin olive oil
1 cup pine nuts, toasted
6 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped (optional)
1 each red and yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 cups mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 package basil, chiffonade
2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 cup capers, rinsed

For the dressing:

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups extra virgin olive oil, or citrus olive oil

Toast the bread cubes with enough olive oil that all of the cubes are covered. Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden, about eight minutes. Remove and place in a large serving bowl.

Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing together the Dijon, salt, wine vinegar and garlic. Gradually whisk in the olive oil to form a cohesive emulsion.

In the serving bowl, add the chopped vegetables, cheese, basil and bread cubes and toss well. Drizzle on the salad dressing and mix until the bread cubes are well coated.

Garnish the salad with capers or any additional seasonal vegetables like zucchini, beans or eggplant.

Italian Sausage Pasta

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 pound Italian Sausage, ground
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 large (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper
1 pound rotini pasta
1/2 cup Pecorino Romano, freshly grated

In a large skillet, heat the oil to smoking stage and add the onion and cook until translucent.

Add in the sausage and cook thoroughly. Toward the end of the sausage cooking add in the garlic, pepper flakes and tomatoes.  Cook for 10 minutes or until thickened.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to the sauce. Add about a cup of the pasta cooking liquid to the sauce and cook an additional minute.

Garnish with the grated cheese.

Angel Hair Pasta with Tomato Sauce

1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
15 basil leaves, finely chopped
8 ounces Parmesan or Romano Cheese, freshly grated
1 pound dried vermicelli pasta
Salt

In a large skillet, sauté the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until the onion is translucent, about five minutes. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Take a cup of the pasta liquid and add to the sauce, Drain the pasta and toss into the sauce. Add in the basil and cheese and serve.

Multi-layered Mocha Parfait

Robin Becky, who is a former Arapahoe Ice Warrior hockey mom and fabulous dessert cook, swears by this dessert for hockey parties. It is a make ahead, fast preparation and feeds a crowd.

For the crust:

1 cup flour
1 cup butter
1 cup pecans, crushed
2 Tablespoons sugar

For the cream cheese filling:

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 12-ounce container of cool whip

For the pudding layer:

1 3.9-ounce package of instant chocolate pudding
1 3.9-ounce package instant vanilla pudding
3 cups whole milk
1 large Hershey Chocolate bar or other favorite chocolate for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the ingredients together using a stand or hand mixer and press into a 9 x 13 ungreased baking dish. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool.

Combine the ingredients for the cream cheese filling and blend until smooth. When the crust is cool, spread the cream cheese filling on top.

Combine the two pudding powders in a bowl and stir in the milk. Blend until smooth and let rest for five minutes. Pour the pudding mixture over the cream cheese.

Top with the remaining half container of cool whip and grate the chocolate over the top.

Chill dessert for six hours.

Editor’s Note: Thank you to Kathy Smith for this story and recipes. Kathy is a chef and freelance writer who specializes in writing about food and fitness.