Let’s put some additional perspective in here:
@SnowblindNYR I specifically remember a Mika backhander last night where he didn’t get much on it and you said something to the effect of way to fan on a wide open chance. Mika has fanned, whiffed, shanked a lot of shots. This season. Last season. In his career. More than he’s scored. And he’s also one of the most prolific goal scorers in the world in the most competitive league in the world. Because it isn’t as simple as it looks. Because as wide open as he looks, there’s a million variables outside of the ones he controls - the quality of the ice, the speed of the pass, whether the puck is flat, rolling or on edge, whether someone juuust gets a stick on his, or in the lane. And he’s one of THE best in the world. If goals were girls, he’d be Casanova. And he still misses ALL the time.
Dating is like that too. It’s not always about you. It’s not as simple as it feels like it should be. You can be open, in position, the opportunity was there, you did everything right with your windup and follow through… but it wasn’t a goal. The puck hit a rut in the ice and hopped. It was spinning awkwardly when it landed on your tape. A defender just got a millimeter of his stick in the lane and changed the direction entirely. Or a teammate’s skate was in the lane. If Mika, or Panarin as an even better example, let these current streaks where they’re just awful and not connecting on anything determine their worth and confidence they’d have too much anxiety to step on the ice by game 10 and be out of the league in a year or two. Obviously, that won’t be happening and I know, you’ll probably say something to the effect of it’s easier to remain confident when you’ve had success in the past. Sure. True. But everyone starts somewhere. Panarin was never drafted because he was a late bloomer who was too small. If he gave up at 21 where would he be? Brandon Tanev, for example, was like 5’2 and under 100lbs when he was 15. He got cut from his hockey team and gave up the sport for three years. His brother got him back on the ice when he was 18, he played some college, signed as an undrafted free agent and now he’s a fan favorite carving out a good role for himself.
I know it’s an abstract analogy, but the point - I think - is that getting down on yourself, like in hockey, will only make you worse. Gripping the stick too tight. You get demoted to the third line, then the fourth, then the press box, confidence is worse, attitude is worse, then you’re on waivers or assigned to the AHL, then you’re signing a deal in the DEL for pennies on the dollar, all because you let hitting a few posts and fanning on a few one timers get in your head. Good players will focus on the rest of their game when they’re cold. Get physical, play a 200ft game, etc. so hit the gym, read some books, find a hobby that isn’t designed for the purpose of meeting people, but just for making you happy. Work on the rest of your game and let the puck find you, so to speak.
I know it’s cheesy as f***, but it’s also true. There are genuinely thousands of people in the world where I’ve seen them and said how tf did they ever find someone and many times it’s been how tf did he land her? You’re not one of those people. Which means the odds ARE in your favor. Stop trying to force it. And honestly, getting a dog isn’t a bad idea. It will give you companionship, which is part of what you crave, teach you patience (which you could use, goalie hater) and it’s the ultimate ice breaker and attraction magnet. Take your dog to a park and you can talk to anyone. Dog does the work for you. Ask Loki.
@SnowblindNYR I specifically remember a Mika backhander last night where he didn’t get much on it and you said something to the effect of way to fan on a wide open chance. Mika has fanned, whiffed, shanked a lot of shots. This season. Last season. In his career. More than he’s scored. And he’s also one of the most prolific goal scorers in the world in the most competitive league in the world. Because it isn’t as simple as it looks. Because as wide open as he looks, there’s a million variables outside of the ones he controls - the quality of the ice, the speed of the pass, whether the puck is flat, rolling or on edge, whether someone juuust gets a stick on his, or in the lane. And he’s one of THE best in the world. If goals were girls, he’d be Casanova. And he still misses ALL the time.
Dating is like that too. It’s not always about you. It’s not as simple as it feels like it should be. You can be open, in position, the opportunity was there, you did everything right with your windup and follow through… but it wasn’t a goal. The puck hit a rut in the ice and hopped. It was spinning awkwardly when it landed on your tape. A defender just got a millimeter of his stick in the lane and changed the direction entirely. Or a teammate’s skate was in the lane. If Mika, or Panarin as an even better example, let these current streaks where they’re just awful and not connecting on anything determine their worth and confidence they’d have too much anxiety to step on the ice by game 10 and be out of the league in a year or two. Obviously, that won’t be happening and I know, you’ll probably say something to the effect of it’s easier to remain confident when you’ve had success in the past. Sure. True. But everyone starts somewhere. Panarin was never drafted because he was a late bloomer who was too small. If he gave up at 21 where would he be? Brandon Tanev, for example, was like 5’2 and under 100lbs when he was 15. He got cut from his hockey team and gave up the sport for three years. His brother got him back on the ice when he was 18, he played some college, signed as an undrafted free agent and now he’s a fan favorite carving out a good role for himself.
I know it’s an abstract analogy, but the point - I think - is that getting down on yourself, like in hockey, will only make you worse. Gripping the stick too tight. You get demoted to the third line, then the fourth, then the press box, confidence is worse, attitude is worse, then you’re on waivers or assigned to the AHL, then you’re signing a deal in the DEL for pennies on the dollar, all because you let hitting a few posts and fanning on a few one timers get in your head. Good players will focus on the rest of their game when they’re cold. Get physical, play a 200ft game, etc. so hit the gym, read some books, find a hobby that isn’t designed for the purpose of meeting people, but just for making you happy. Work on the rest of your game and let the puck find you, so to speak.
I know it’s cheesy as f***, but it’s also true. There are genuinely thousands of people in the world where I’ve seen them and said how tf did they ever find someone and many times it’s been how tf did he land her? You’re not one of those people. Which means the odds ARE in your favor. Stop trying to force it. And honestly, getting a dog isn’t a bad idea. It will give you companionship, which is part of what you crave, teach you patience (which you could use, goalie hater) and it’s the ultimate ice breaker and attraction magnet. Take your dog to a park and you can talk to anyone. Dog does the work for you. Ask Loki.
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