Former hockey pro shares advice, life lessons for next generation of players

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Former hockey pro shares advice, life lessons for next generation of players image

These questions originally appeared on Quorathe knowledge-sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. They were answered on Monday, Feb. 22.

Answers by Bill Keenan, who played professional hockey in Europe and is the author of "Odd Man Rush," on Quora.

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Q: What's the best advice for young children aspiring to be pro hockey players?

A: Play with the oldest, toughest, most skilled players you can. I realize this isn't easy depending on where you live, league regulations, or what rinks you have access to. But a great time to get exposure to older, better players is in the spring and summer time when there is open ice. I remember as a 15-year-old, driving to the New York Islanders' practice facility and weaseling my way onto the ice for informal practices during the offseason when some of the Islanders and some college guys would skate. Just being on the ice with guys who play at such a high level forces you to keep up, make quicker decisions, and elevate your play.

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The flip side is that if you're a dominant player at your own age level, you're used to handling the puck a lot and controlling the play. This will change when you get on the ice with better players; therefore, it's important to keep working on your skills — puckhandling, shooting, puck protection — on your own. The main benefit of playing with better players is adjusting to the speed. Once that happens, you'll be more confident making plays.

Q: What life lessons can be learned from playing pro hockey?

A: You're not as great as you think you are. It's incredible how quickly your fortunes can turn. There's almost an eerie feeling I used to have after a good game, knowing that something was coming soon to knock me down a peg or two. The key takeaway I got was the importance of maintaining a level head and being even-keeled. What makes this really hard is that emotions are a big part of playing well. Coaches always preach the importance of playing "desperate." Well, to be desperate you have to play with intense emotion, which doesn't help much with the whole even-keel routine.

Another great part of playing pro hockey in Europe was playing with teammates who came from places I barely knew existed. There's something really cool about making a great play with a teammate who doesn't even speak English. It was almost like this unspoken secret you two could have with each other. While verbal communication might be damn near impossible, the communication you two could have on the ice was something to be valued.

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