Level of Play

I play with a hockey team that has played together for over 8 years, after a length of time they become an extension of your body on the ice. You know what the others are going to do inherently, little communication required, you know your position, anticipate theirs and work together. Others may be faster, but to know what to expect from your team, challenging their assault. Sunday night we were on the ice, winning, all we needed to do was keep the puck away. The other team had an odd man rush on me (goalie), out of nowhere comes one of my on ice heroes, completely disrupting their attempt to score, by stripping the puck from them. He (Jeff) was giving it 110%. This was a game we had in hand, winning strong, it did not require the 110% effort. Jeff did not stop at the efforts to just get by, he sacrificed his body for the play, in fact he broke his leg in 3 places hitting the boards after this play. He has significant impact on the level of play every time he laces up his skates, no matter what is required in effort.

Takeaways are rather convicting for me, so often in life it is easy to find the softer path, just getting by, exhausting a minimum effort. Jeff's efforts are an example of no matter what the score, giving your all. If the battle is being lost, do I fall back on my heels and give in to defeat? If winning handily do I begin to sacrifice the energy required to increase the level of play? Either situation requires an attitude of purpose, conviction and intensity. The turning point of any game (battle) can happen in an instant, the attitude towards the outcome can slip and find myself limited, if I do not maintain the efforts required to fight. I must face every situation with heart, 110% effort and be willing to sacrifice my body for the battle. Raising the level of play in victory and adversity will impact the result, no matter what the outcome.....conviction requires Perseverance and heart, it is not fleeting or momentary.