After leaving my playing days in hockey, upon completion of my University Education, and moving to NYC full-time, I went through a pretty intense hiring process with Google. At the final hurdle, I didn’t get the job. I wasn't disappointed — it is what it is — but it got me thinking about my peers in similar positions at the end of their careers, seasons, or lives.

Hockey is a game that not many people know, experience, or understand. But it teaches you lessons that last a lifetime. It shapes, molds, and educates you into who you become. It isn’t just a sport.

Why should anyone hire a hockey player?

They’re just knuckle-dragging Neanderthals playing a white-collar game.

Well...

Courage.
Watch a game of hockey and you’ll see guys and girls diving in front of 100 mph shots. You’ll see them getting drilled into the boards. For what?

Self-pleasure?
Ego?
Money?

No — for the common goal. To lay their body, mind, and well-being on the line for the objective at hand: to win.

Selflessness.
I’ve seen players give up their roster spot for a better teammate. I’ve seen a 2-on-0 breakaway end with a pass for a sure goal. They raise their teammates up. They’d rather see someone else achieve greatness before themselves.

Humility.
TJ Oshie was once labeled a “hero” by the media after his performance in the Olympics. His response: “No, the real heroes are the ones in camo.” Hockey players don’t want the spotlight. They don’t seek attention. They talk about the group — we and us — before ever saying I.

Creativity.
After all the practices and countless repetitions, they react in split seconds during the game. They come up with plays on the fly. Yes, there are systems and set plays, but 99% of what happens on the ice is reactive. You react to the game. You create something out of nothing.

Take a punch.
You’ve seen the fights. You probably love them. But this isn’t a barbaric ritual — it’s a rite of passage. You take the punch for the rest of the group. You answer the bell. You don’t shy away. You deal with whatever the game throws your way. You don’t pass the buck to someone else. You stand up to be counted — and when it’s all said and done, you’re right there the next night.

Mindset.
In a hockey player’s mind, there is nothing else. During those sixty minutes, they fixate and hone in on the task at hand. They don’t deviate.

But the game before the game is where the strong win. They prepare mentally. They go through routines and study their opponents. They get themselves mentally ready for the task at hand.

Work ethic.
They skate until they puke. They spend whole summers training for the season. They miss countless parties, hangouts, and dinners. They travel across the country and leave home behind. They train until midnight and wake up with the rest of the world. They get it — they understand the process. And they’ll work tooth and nail to get better.

Resilience.
They’ve probably been cut. They’ve been benched. Every hockey player has. But they go back to the gym, work harder, and develop to overcome their shortcomings. They don’t dwell. They seek feedback, get right to it, and bounce back.

The ultimate thing they believe:
Every game is our last.

Silently, we all understand that every time you hit the ice, it could be your last. That it can all be taken away. We get it.

So we leave it all out there. We play to play. We give every fiber of our being. We get beat up for the moments the sport provides us.

If you hire a hockey player, you aren’t just hiring a qualified person — you’re hiring a team member loyal beyond reason. They’ll fight through anything. They’ll stand up for the organization. They’ll give you everything they’ve got.

They will lead.

Because this is all they know.