Hockey Chat:  The chest protectors that goalies wear are nothing short of phenomenal.  They allow for 100+ miles per hour vulcanized rubber biscuits to bounce off them with no pain to the goaltender.  That keeps him confidently in the game.

Athletes spend hours each week training their bodies. Whether it is with a team, a community group or all by yourself, we all have to practice in order to achieve our athletic goals. Our commitment to training changes the pace of our daily lives. Consider this, how many times have you said “As soon as I’m done with my workout I’ll….” See what I mean? As a distance runner, some workouts have me out on the road for almost 2 hours. With stretching, cool down jogs and cross training, my day can easily become defined by my workout.

No matter where we are in the coaching ranks of our team or sport, there are times when we are called upon to step up to the next level. This call can be both a source of excitement and great fear. Will I succeed in this new challenge? Will I lead the team to a winning season? Will God be glorified if I accept this new position?

Joshua surely asked questions like these and many more besides. He was a faithful man, a type of assistant coach over the Israelites under the direction of Moses. When Moses died, Joshua had to step up and lead God’s people. Needless to say, this was a daunting challenge because the Promised Land was yet to be conquered. So God eased his fears with some encouraging commands.

Hockey Chat: In 1896, George Merritt of the Winnipeg Victorias was the first goalie to sport ordinary crickett pads during the Stanley Cup playoffs to help him stop pucks. Soon after, crickett pads were used by all goalies.

Hockey Chat:  Martian Broduer’s journey started with a small hope to stop pucks that first time he played goal in net.  Through the years it grew and grew and he inscribed his name as one of the greats to ever play in the NHL, winning the Stanley Cup three times, and minding the net for the New Jersey Devils through numerous games. 

Hockey Chat:  I’ve seen hockey players try to argue there way out of penalties saying that it was just a little hook or they just slashed at the puck not the opponent.  They try to minimize the offense.  Fact is, when they are called for penalty, it’s a penalty.  If they say they just barely hit the guy with their stick, they still are called for slashing.  If plead that they just nudged the guy head first into the boards, they still get called for boarding just as if they slammed him.  When the ref sees a penalty, regardless of the degree, he calls it.

After I completed seven marathons, I decided to focus on running shorter distances and lowering my times. I trained hard using a diverse plan and felt ready to get out and test my improved half-marathon run time. However, I became so focused on the run time that I ignored my overall strategy and failed to run in such a way as to prevent injury. I knew the how and what of the race, but my focus became blurred because I was fixing my eyes on the wrong goal. I did not improve my time much and aggravated an old injury in the process. God taught me a valuable lesson.

When most sport seasons end, numbers get crunched. It’s easy for coaches to get caught up in the numbers game, especially as the media highlights our career wins, our titles, and our Coach of the Year awards. However, any true coach knows records are not the important thing; what matters is having the opportunity to work with athletes, to make a difference in their lives. Coaches, like players, make a lot of sacrifices to develop winning teams, but most will tell you those sacrifices and successes are for the athletes, for the joy of watching players mature and grow.

As coaches, we are supposed to teach our players about the game and about life lessons. Sometimes, the reverse happens and our players teach us a valuable lesson. The day before my first home football game of the season, my senior quarterback boldly stood up in front of the entire team and coaches and quoted the above Scripture.