The Healing Process

It is likely by now you have heard of the most recent Stanley Cup Playoff injury that Alex Kilhorn tried to play through. He broke his leg, had surgery, and was anticipating playing on it just a week later. To the rest of the world, this is pure insanity, but to a hockey player, this seems typical. Over the last decade, players have played with torn ligaments, broken bones, and through difficult family issues. What we all need to remember, is that these players are a different breed, and we cannot try to emulate their braveness.

As an amateur hockey player, to grow and develop properly as a human, we all need to take the proper time to heal. As an athlete and a competitor, having one of your favorite pastimes taken from you for days, weeks, or possibly months may be extremely difficult. Every team, every season, has a player who goes through a bit more adversity than others, and always likely tries to return faster than the original prescribed timetable. This can be very damaging to their maturation process, and may transition from a temporary issue, to a permanent one. Trying to play through the initial pain of an injury can and will likely cause the issue to become more severe. Trying to play through grief can hinder a team as a player’s focus may not be entirely on the task at hand.

The healing process is difficult in many ways, but to take the appropriate time to do so may be a lot better in the long run than one may think while going through hardship. Even just taking some time off during the slower seasons just to allow some miniscule aches and pains to go away after a tumultuous season is good for the body, and the mind. We would hate to see anyone miss one of our youth hockey tournaments due to an injury, so please take the proper time to heal after any issue that life brings your way. Be sure to take a peek at our 2021-22 list of tournaments, and we wish everyone a great rest of the summer. Fall (and hockey season) will be here before you know it!