Feb. 15, 2024

The Ride To The Rink - Don't Be Like Wayne Gretzky: Unlocking A Champion's Edge

Show Notes
Transcript

On this week's episode of The Ride To The Rink with host Lee MJ Elias, we explore Wayne Gretzky's first NHL level encounter with championship grit and what it truly takes to win when it matters most. This episode is a treasure trove for athletes, coaches, and fans, packed with strategies, historical insights, and the mental toughness required for playoff success.

Key Highlights:

Gretzky's Eye-Opening Experience: Discover the impactful moment when Wayne Gretzky learned a vital lesson from the New York Islanders after the 1983 Stanley Cup Finals. It's a deep dive into the sacrifices and dedication behind the Islanders' victory, setting the stage for the Oilers' future success.
The Essence of Winning: Lee unravels the key components that contribute to a team's triumph in the playoffs, blending talent, relentless effort, and mental fortitude. Learn from the experiences of hockey legends and how their lessons apply to today's game.
Building a Championship Mindset: This episode focuses on mental preparation and resilience, offering actionable advice for players to develop a winning mentality, handle playoff pressures, and maintain focus during critical moments.
Strengthening Team Bonds: Emphasizing teamwork and unity, Lee discusses strategies for creating a positive team environment that fosters trust, collaboration, and mutual support, crucial for navigating the challenges of playoff hockey.
Practical Advice for Peak Performance: Listeners will gain valuable insights into effective game preparation, performance optimization, and strategic planning, all aimed at achieving the ultimate goal—winning the championship.
Learning from Legends: Inspired by Gretzky's revelation, this episode also touches on the importance of recognizing and appreciating the roles of support systems within the hockey community, including teammates, coaches, and family.

This episode not only celebrates the journey to championship success but also imparts timeless wisdom from hockey legends like Wayne Gretzky, making it essential listening for those aspiring to leave their mark on the ice.

Catch this episode of The Ride To The Rink with Lee MJ Elias to delve into the heart of championship culture, inspired by the greatest names in hockey. It's your guide to mastering the playoffs with the spirit of a champion.

Text The Our Kids Play Hockey Team!

We're powered by NHL Sense Arena!

NHL Sense Arena, is a virtual reality training game designed specifically to improve hockey sense and IQ for both players and goalies. Experience the next generation of off-ice training in VR with over 100+ drills and training plans curated from top coaches and players.

Use Code "HockeyNeverStops" at Hockey.SenseArena.com to score $50 off an annual plan!

Have A Topic You Want Us To Cover? Let us know!

Please Be Sure To Subscribe & Leave A Review For Us On Apple Podcasts, doing so helps our show grow!

Follow Us On Social Media:

WEBVTT

00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:09.945
your head.

00:00:09.945 --> 00:00:19.149
Hello hockey players in Goli's around the world and welcome to another edition of the ride to the rank.

00:00:19.149 --> 00:00:28.323
Today we're talking about the postseason the playoffs, the big games, the championships, all of the big moments that are coming up in your seasons.

00:00:28.323 --> 00:00:30.161
You might be there year.

00:00:30.161 --> 00:00:32.127
Whenever you're listening to this, it's going to be valuable.

00:00:32.127 --> 00:00:45.423
This might be one of those episodes you want to listen to with your coaches and your entire team, because I'm going to drop some knowledge with you today about what it takes to compete in a championship atmosphere and what gives teams the edge in those environments.

00:00:45.423 --> 00:00:46.707
And it starts with the story.

00:00:46.707 --> 00:00:49.473
The year is 1983.

00:00:49.473 --> 00:00:53.566
The New York Islanders are taking on the Edmonton Oilers and the Stanley Cup Finals.

00:00:53.566 --> 00:00:56.518
The Islanders had just won three cups in a row.

00:00:56.518 --> 00:01:04.855
This is their fourth appearance in a row and they're playing a team with a young player, a few young players one named Wayne Gretzky, one named Marc Messier.

00:01:04.855 --> 00:01:06.441
These are future Hall of Famers.

00:01:06.441 --> 00:01:10.281
One of them is going to be the greatest hockey player of all time in Wayne Gretzky.

00:01:10.281 --> 00:01:21.085
But at this time kind of like where Connor Baudard is at today a lot of hope, a lot of promise, but unproven no cups, no championships, not really any records yet at that point not any crazy ones at least.

00:01:21.085 --> 00:01:32.772
And here they are playing the Islanders in the Stanley Cup Final and the game is being played at Nassau Coliseum, where the Islanders play and the Oilers lose the Stanley Cup to the Islanders in 1983.

00:01:32.772 --> 00:01:38.521
And the way Nassau Coliseum was made at that time, the losing team had to walk by the winning team's locker room.

00:01:38.521 --> 00:01:41.393
And I talk about this all the time when I worked with teams.

00:01:41.393 --> 00:01:48.262
Wayne Gretzky had to get up, marc Messier had to get up that whole team and walk by the Islanders locker room and they went by.

00:01:48.262 --> 00:01:49.986
They couldn't help themselves.

00:01:49.986 --> 00:01:53.061
They looked into the locker room and what way you think that they saw?

00:01:53.061 --> 00:02:00.588
Now the common answer I get here is celebrating champagne, shouting, screaming, people hanging from the ceiling because they won the Stanley Cup.

00:02:00.588 --> 00:02:02.626
Wayne Gretzky looked in the room.

00:02:02.626 --> 00:02:06.143
Stanley Cup was in the middle of the room and all the players were happy.

00:02:06.143 --> 00:02:13.808
But they were in their stalls with ice packs, with doctors, with people looking at them because they had played so hard they could not move.

00:02:13.808 --> 00:02:15.580
They had nothing left.

00:02:15.580 --> 00:02:18.393
They were cup champions for the fourth time in the row.

00:02:18.393 --> 00:02:19.758
Last team to do that.

00:02:19.758 --> 00:02:23.850
No team has done that since the New York Islanders have done that, but they couldn't move.

00:02:23.850 --> 00:02:29.925
And Wayne Gretzky said famously that's when I realized what it would take to win because I could still play three or four more games.

00:02:29.925 --> 00:02:45.881
That's where the start of the message is you have to be able to go through the playoffs and know and look at your teammates and look at your coaches and look at yourself and say at the end I gave everything I could give to try and win this game.

00:02:45.881 --> 00:02:47.723
Look, I hate losing.

00:02:47.723 --> 00:02:48.784
I don't like it.

00:02:48.784 --> 00:02:52.074
It's one of the things I like the least on this planet.

00:02:52.074 --> 00:02:57.336
But the only way I can handle a loss is if I know myself and my team did everything we could to win.

00:02:57.336 --> 00:03:00.671
If a better team comes along and beats us, it's fine.

00:03:00.671 --> 00:03:02.015
As long as I know we did everything we could.

00:03:02.015 --> 00:03:04.931
I have a real hard time when that's not the case.

00:03:04.931 --> 00:03:17.836
That's one of the things I want you to know as you go into the big games really any game you have to have the ability at the end of the game to look around that locker room and know we and I did everything we could to win.

00:03:17.836 --> 00:03:20.509
Today that is the ultimate team.

00:03:20.509 --> 00:03:25.115
The training for that starts at the beginning of the season and it culminates at the end of the season.

00:03:25.115 --> 00:03:29.354
But I'll tell you what it's never too late or never too early to start believing one another.

00:03:29.354 --> 00:03:32.473
You don't have to like each other, but you have to respect each other.

00:03:32.473 --> 00:03:34.068
That respect creates trust.

00:03:34.068 --> 00:03:36.155
Good communication creates results.

00:03:36.155 --> 00:03:37.651
Let's go back to the story.

00:03:37.651 --> 00:03:40.473
We're going to fast forward one more year, 1984.

00:03:40.473 --> 00:03:41.647
Guess who's in the cup?

00:03:41.647 --> 00:03:45.257
Final Oilers, islanders, gretzky against the same team.

00:03:45.257 --> 00:03:49.772
Fifth cup appearance in a row for the Islanders, except for this time they did not win.

00:03:49.772 --> 00:03:53.534
The young Wayne Gretzky led Oilers won their first cup.

00:03:53.534 --> 00:03:58.150
It would be the first of four and five years, and that he said because of that year before.

00:03:58.150 --> 00:04:00.335
That loss taught them how to win.

00:04:00.335 --> 00:04:09.358
Here is my challenge to you I challenge you to not be Wayne Gretzky, to not be the 1983 Oilers.

00:04:09.358 --> 00:04:15.537
I challenge you to learn now that you need to understand what it takes to win.

00:04:15.537 --> 00:04:17.732
You don't have to lose to win.

00:04:17.732 --> 00:04:33.930
If you understand what I'm talking about, even though losing is the greatest teacher, stand up for one another, believe in one another, look each other in the eye and know that that person is going to do everything they can to win and they know you're going to do everything you can to win.

00:04:33.930 --> 00:04:38.632
That is a championship secret and that is this week's ride to the rink.

00:04:38.632 --> 00:04:39.769
I hope you enjoyed it.

00:04:39.769 --> 00:04:42.918
You can hear all of the ride to rink episodes on ourkidsplayhockeycom.

00:04:42.918 --> 00:04:45.649
But obviously, I'm wishing you all the best.

00:04:45.649 --> 00:04:46.471
I don't wish luck.

00:04:46.471 --> 00:04:47.553
I don't believe in luck.

00:04:47.553 --> 00:04:48.336
You make your own luck.

00:04:48.336 --> 00:04:54.350
I'm wishing you all the best here in your post seasons, in your summers, in your regular seasons, whenever you're listening to this.

00:04:54.350 --> 00:04:55.675
This is a key to success.

00:04:55.675 --> 00:04:59.214
I'm Leo Elias and we will see you on the next edition of the ride to the rink.

00:04:59.214 --> 00:05:00.086
Skate on everybody.

00:05:00.086 --> 00:05:04.853
We hope you enjoyed this edition of our Kids Play Hockey.

00:05:04.853 --> 00:05:14.076
Make sure to like and subscribe right now if you found value, wherever you're listening, whether it's a podcast network, a social media network or our website, ourkidsplayhockeycom.

00:05:14.076 --> 00:05:19.096
Also, make sure to check out our children's book when Hockey Stops at whenhockeystopscom.

00:05:19.096 --> 00:05:23.821
It's a book that helps children deal with adversity in the game and in life.

00:05:23.821 --> 00:05:24.884
We're very proud of it.

00:05:24.884 --> 00:05:29.206
But thanks so much for listening to this edition of our Kids Play Hockey and we'll see you on the next episode.