Page 24 - Washington Little Capitals Season Program 2016-17

THE BY-WORD OF

SWEDISH HOCKEY:

TÅLAMOD

I coached in Sweden for five years in Junior A
and the Swedish Elite League, and was
fortunate to have assisted in the development
of seven first round NHL draft picks. One of the
by-words of Swedish hockey development is
?tålamod? ? which means ?patience.? That is
the by-word of the Little Caps as well.
Tålamod means not getting overly excited
about star players at the youngest ages, but
focusing on producing the kid who is getting
better each year and developing every player
the right way. We don?t have a crystal ball to
tell us which players will ultimately succeed.
But we want to make sure that the kids who
are working hard at each birth year have the
opportunity to advance and excel.
Success doesn?t just happen. You have to work
at it every single day. Every day is not going to
be a victory. Some teams will have down
seasons, but those can be opportunities to
learn and grow as well. You just have to keep
plugging along and make sure you learn from
your mistakes and use them to get better. You
have to work at it. We are teaching our kids
that hard work is a good thing, that it is the key
to their success ? on the ice and in life.
We will continue to reward players who work
hard ? and show patience as they develop in
their hockey careers.
DAN JABLONIC

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