Cartoon of the Week 5/19/25

May 19, 2025

Each Sunday we post some comic relief. Our lives our stressful enough.

The Toronto Maple Leafs lost once again in a game 7 and to a team that has turned into an opposing force they cannot overcome, the Florida Panthers.

As an aspiring scout I have learned an extremely important element to look for is "compete". As hockey parents, you know it when you see and don't need to be a scout to understand it.

When you give up on pucks, lose the battles in the corners, do not give the extra effort in order to "win" the thousands of mini battles during a game (ok maybe "thousands" was an over reaction). That is called "not showing up". I saw "compete" before but now when I watch games I see it everywhere and at a higher level. If you want to separate yourself and stand out, you have to bring your "A" game = compete hard.

This entire blog, the many guides I have written and Facebook Page [Hockey Tips for Parents] are worthless if you won't try and play hard. You wont be seen by the scouts & coaches you want to play for - and at the top of the pyramid - the NHL - it is so evident. I am in shock on how in front of your own crowd, Game 7 - you come out flat. It's not talent, they won 3 games in the series, it was preparation and execution. The Panthers were intercepting the breakout passes (did they put in the extra effort and study how Toronto executes a breakout? Quite possibly).

Last night was a great learning for any hockey player at any level, what compete means, what mental preparation means, and what good execution means.