The Player's Cave

Some great pieces by hockey players, for hockey players

I recently came across the blog “The Player’s Cave” where a number of hockey players share their personal stories. I love what The Player’s Tribune has done and I think these pieces are actually more relevant to the hockey community, tackling complex topics like mental illness, concussions, severe injury and having a family member come out as transgender to somewhat lighter-fare such as discussing the business of hockey or the pragmatics of balancing D-1 hockey with a well-rounded life. Credit to UNLV hockey player Angelos Tsalafos for gathering these stories.

Abby Ellis, former Union hockey player, explains her decision to move on from Division 1 hockey because she felt the time commitment was causing her to miss out on other opportunities.

This is something I’ve always felt is a legitimate complaint, not only at the Division 1 but even at the high school level. Athletes often have immense time constraints hoisted upon them for choosing to play sports, and at what cost? As a scout I love hockey players who don’t specialize early, but as a person I think people shouldn’t specialize into “just sports” either. It’s great that you might play three sports but don’t let that get in the way of developing who you are as a person off the field, rink, or court. The same way continuing one sport can help you improve in another, I suspect those missed extracurriculars often could have helped players improve in the various arenas of life as well, albeit in a somewhat intangible way.

Shane Sellar, who was a great prep hockey talent and is now at Dartmouth, discusses the business of hockey and how his trade to the NAHL ended up being one of the best things that could happen. One thing his piece really highlights is the difference between prep hockey, where someone is very much a high school student but plays against 18-20 year olds, and junior, where the play is at a higher level but you are an asset to be traded or benched at will.

Drew Goldberg writes about the challenges of staying motivated and focused on your purpose throughout the ups-and-downs. Particularly for goalies, I think recognizing your areas of improvement without harping on them can play a critical role mentally.

Brett Dineen wrote a touching open letter to his brother and shares his unique experience of having a family member who is transgender.

Mathieu Gervais shares how his concussion changed him as a hockey player.

Adam McClay also shared his experience with concussions and mental illness.