As tryout season sweeps across rinks and arenas, players, families, and coaches alike are feeling the pressure. Questions loom:
- Will I make the team I want?
- What will the coaches think of me?
- What if I don’t stand out compared to others?
It’s natural to feel these concerns, but I want to give you a hard truth, straight from the Pillars of Greatness—you’re focusing on the wrong thing.
The 90/10 Rule: Mastering What You Can Control
In my book Pillars of Greatness, I talk about the battle between Your Process and The System. Here’s the breakdown:
- Your Process—how you train, how you prepare your body, how you recover, how you react to adversity—accounts for only 10% of your hockey journey.
- The System—coaches, scouts, politics, ice time, team selection, and other people’s opinions—makes up the other 90%.
And here’s the kicker: you don’t control The System.
You can’t decide who the coach plays. You can’t control how tall or skilled the player next to you is. You can’t dictate where you rank on someone else’s depth chart.
But you DO control Your Process.
Your Process is Your Power
Your Process is what will determine how far you go, how fast you grow, and how consistently you perform. It’s the only thing in this journey that belongs entirely to you.
Tryout season is when the swirl of The System gets loud—it’s emotional, uncertain, and often feels unfair. But that swirl will never stop. The System will always swirl around you for as long as you play this incredible game.
The question is: How strong is Your Process?
Will you build one that’s unshakeable, regardless of what jersey you wear or what team you make?
Regardless of the Team, the Process Remains
Whether you make your “dream team” or end up on a different roster, you’ll always need Your Process. Every successful player—whether NHL-bound or playing house league—masters their habits. They train hard, fuel their bodies properly, focus on recovery, and most importantly, they build a mindset that doesn’t crumble when The System delivers adversity.
The Call to Action: Own It
This tryout season, I challenge you:
Stop wasting energy on what you can’t control. Double down on what you can.
- Show up early.
- Train with purpose.
- Recover like a pro.
- Be a leader no matter who’s watching.
- Keep growing your craft, day in and day out.
Your Process is where your true power lies. Build it. Own it. Live it.
About the Author:
Dan Blackburn is a coach, author, and TEDx speaker who has spent more than two decades helping athletes and entrepreneurs unlock their full potential. As founder of NTC Hockey, he has worked with thousands of players, including NHL stars like P.K. Subban and John Tavares. Dan’s mission is simple: teach the principles of resilience, grit, and greatness to those who dare to chase big dreams. His book Pillars of Greatness has impacted athletes across the globe, helping them grow both on and off the ice.
Ready to build your unshakeable Process? Visit NTCHockey.com and learn how we can help you sharpen your game from the inside out.