No regrets!

Women often put a lot of pressure on ourselves to do everything perfectly (and maybe this is an extension of the pressure we put on ourselves in all areas of our lives). But in a fast-paced game like hockey, perfect performance is impossible. So you have to just let your mistakes go, and let them go right away (which is actually good advice for the rest of your life as well). The worst thing you can do on the ice is the combination of standing still, feeling like a fool, and looking around to see if anyone noticed your mistake. It takes you completely out of the game.

When I started playing shinny with the guys, at first I used to watch them and say to myself, "Oh, they're so good, how will I ever be able to keep up?" But as I watched more carefully I realized that they miss passes all the time. They fan on shots. They miss one-timers. They take slapshots that completely miss the net, just for the joy of sending the puck careening into the air. The defence is full of holes at the blue line and they often fail to keep the puck in. Even the better stickhandlers lose the puck all the time, just not as often as the rest of us. But they don't stand around feeling sorry for themselves, in fact, they barely seem to notice. They take risks that could have valuable payoffs, but they also get over their mistakes almost immediately and just keep going. No regrets!

There are times when you will miss passes, easy ones that somehow slip right under your stick even though your stick is on the ice. No regrets! Don't stare at your stick wondering how it slipped by. Chase it down.

There are times when you don't notice a player who's behind you when you're in the offensive zone. The puck dribbles out to her and she's off with a breakaway, or nearly so. No regrets! Don't look to the bench to see if your coach noticed. Hustle back and at the very least keep her to the outside.

There are times when you are stickhandling and you lose the puck against a weak opponent. No regrets! Get on her, lift her stick, pass it to yourself, get control back.

There are times when you fan on a shot, an easy shot with no one around you for miles. No regrets! Don't stand there feeling like a fool, get the puck back and shoot it for real this time.

There are times when you trip and fall, often for no apparent reason. No regrets! Get up quickly and get moving. You're no use to anyone if you hesitate, waiting to see if a penalty is called.

There are times when you are passing up the ice and you misjudge your teammate's speed, and she can't get the pass in time, and it ends up in the opponent's hands. No regrets! You're still in the neutral zone anyway, right? Depending on what's happening, either cover who's near you, or chase the puck and get it back.

When you make a mistake, whether big or small, let it go and get on with it. No regrets!