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The Making of an Elite Athlete

By Jessi Pierce, Touchpoint Media, 04/27/15, 3:00PM CDT

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What makes a player elite? Is it slick skating ability? Saucer passes through traffic? A booming shot from the point?

Those skills definitely help, but none of them vault an athlete directly into elite status. What separates the Parises and McDonaghs from the rest isn’t just their on-ice ability. It’s the attitude and character they demonstrate on and off the ice.

“Work ethic, competitiveness, a student of the game, mental toughness – the list of elite attributes goes on,” said Minnesota State assistant coach Darren Blue, who has coached his fair share of top-notch players, including St. Louis Blues captain David Backes. “Elite players have a knack for not focusing on becoming elite, but for doing all of the little things to the best of their ability, and they do it all with a huge passion for the game.”

Along with an elite player’s in-game ability comes a specific set of traits:

Not Afraid to Fail

Michael Jordan’s legendary career wasn’t without missed shots and games lost. Those letdowns helped shape him. To quote Jordan: “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Elite athletes aren’t afraid to fail. In fact, it drives them. It’s how you overcome that failure that makes the difference.

“There’s an element of mental toughness in hockey,” said Blue. “It’s a game that’s all about adversity and dealing with it. I think elite players are able to deal with adversity better because they turn it around to help them. They are better because of their mistakes and the things that didn’t go right. They excel at moments when things go wrong and learn from it to become a better player.”

There are plenty of ways to overcome a disappointing blow. The best way is to get back up and try again.

Self-Starters

You won’t hear any moans and groans from an elite player when asked to go through a drill “again” or to be at the rink at 5 a.m. Most of them find it within themselves to get started before the rest do anyway.

“They are self-evaluators,” Blue explains. “They know what they need to work on to become a better player. It’s easy to work on things that you’re the best at. The true elite players continue to work on the things that they struggle at. They can motivate themselves to find areas that need improvement and continue to work on that.”

Elite hockey players and athletes are self-motivators. They push, learn and improve because they have the drive to do so. They don’t fuel themselves solely off what a parent or coach is directing them to do. Instead, they fuel themselves with their own motivation.

Leadership

Elite athletes have a noticeable presence on and off the ice. It’s a reason why many of them have the letter ‘C’ sewed on their sweater. But elite players know that being the captain and taking charge of the team isn’t about them – it’s about everyone else.

“When I talk about leadership, I talk about somebody who continually makes someone better,” said Blue. “Someone who shows up with a team-first attitude and a respect for other guys. True leaders are happy when their teammates are successful. They’re most happy with the success of the team and the success of others.”

A team is only as strong as its leader. Elite players lead by example and do their very best for the good of the team on and off the ice.

For Love of the Game

Elite players love the game, plain and simple. They love it, and they respect it. That passion allows them to reach their potential.

They are never forced to hit the ice. Odds are they are the first ones there and the last ones to leave. For them, the game is still fun, and they remember that every time they step onto the ice.

“If you’re not having fun and you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, it’s not going to be easy to show up to the rink,” said Blue. “An elite player will show up and enjoy what they are doing and bring that energy every single day, every single drill and every single shift.

“They enjoy the little things that other players don’t and have fun with it. They find fun in what they’re doing and enjoyment by just being at the rink. They enjoy trying to be a better hockey player every day.”

Being elite should never remove the most important element of sports: fun. Athletes who compete with a high sense of enjoyment will have unlocked the biggest secret to being elite.

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