"Effort is worth twice as much as talent."

• Angela Duckworth

Cara Morey was recently named the General Manager of Vancouver's PWHL team. When she presented at TCS Live in 2022, Morey was in her eighth year leading the Princeton women's hockey program. Since her appointment as Head Coach in June 2017, the program achieved numerous milestones: its first ECAC tournament title, an Ivy League championship, two NCAA quarterfinal appearances, a program wins record, and consistent ranking in the national top 10.

The transformation under Morey was remarkable. In the 19 seasons before her arrival, Princeton advanced past the conference tournament quarterfinals only three times. Under Morey's leadership, the Tigers achieved that feat in three of four seasons, highlighted by their dramatic overtime victory against top-ranked Cornell for the 2019-20 ECAC tournament title.

What's behind this incredible turnaround? At TCS Live, Morey offered insights in her presentation:

"When I was first hired to coach at Princeton 11 years ago, the head coach said to me: 'Cara, I remember you as a player. You were always the toughest kid on the ice and your teams were so hard to play against. I need you to bring that mentality here. We're soft. I need you to make the Tigers tougher.'"

Mission accepted.

Morey, who served as an assistant at Princeton from 2012 to 2017, emphasizes one crucial word throughout her 23-minute presentation: grit. What is grit? Why does it matter? How can coaches develop it in their athletes? Watch Morey's talk to discover how she built a championship culture and created an environment that fosters excellence.

More on Morey, from her Princeton Tigers bio:

In addition to her Princeton duties, Morey has coached with Team Canada at the 2016-17 U-18 World Championships, earning a silver medal. Her international experience is extensive: she won gold as a player with Team Canada at the 2000 Nations Cup, spent two years in the national program, and secured gold as an assistant coach with Canada's National Women's Development Team at the 2015 Nations Cup in Germany. She has also coached at National Development Team Camps (2012, 2014, 2019), the 2014 National Women's Team Fall Festival, and the 2016 National Women's Under 18 three-game series against the U.S.

A 2001 graduate of Brown University, Morey (née Gardner) excelled as a two-sport athlete in hockey and field hockey. As an All-ECAC and All-Ivy League defender, she helped lead the Bears to three AWCHA National Championship tournament appearances, including two runner-up finishes.

Noteworthy Timestamps:

• 0:10 Championship Grit at Princeton
• 5:50 What is Grit?
• 7:50 Talent if overrated
• 10:45 Gratitude and optimism
• 12:45 Facing adversity/failure
• 15:30 Training that develops Grit
• 17:50 Measuring and rewarding Grit
• 21:50 Purpose and connection