Memories of an NHL Hockey Player and Digital Entrepreneur

Chapter 2
He Shoots he Scores - Memories of an NHL Hockey Player
Developing a Skill - School and Minor Hockey in Peterborough
My brothers and I were blessed to have the opportunity to play minor hockey in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Around age 7 or 8 I was introduced to minor hockey. In Peterborough there were 2 leagues, a Church League and City League which became a bitter rivalry over the years. The Church League could be described as league of upper middle class kids and the City League were the tough kids that were not quite so economically fortunate.
Every year our All Star teams would battle to determine who would represent the city in the Provincial playoffs. As mentioned the City League guys were the tough guys who gave us a battle we looked forward to every year.
Church League All Star Hockey Team:

In the above picture:
Mickey Redmond - our Captain, (3rd from the right)
Played for: Peterborough Petes, Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings and currently the Colour Analyst for the Detroit Red Wings
Paul Curtis - tallest player in the back row
Played for: Peterborough Petes, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, St Louis Blues
Bob Murray - 2nd from the left
Played for: Peterborough Petes, Atlanta Flames, Vancouver Canucks
Old School
A story I can remember while playing for the Pee Wee All Star team when I was in grade 5, Miss Stenton was my teacher. Miss Stenton was the disciplinarian of all disciplinarians. Practice started at 4:30 pm and school finished at 3:30, which you think would be enough time. Miss Stenton had different priorities, we had a penmanship class that demanded perfection. We would have to copy what seemed like an extremely long article perfectly with our very best penmanship. If we made a mistake we would have to start again and if we didn’t finish in the allotted time we would have to stay after school to complete. I crumbled under the penmanship pressure, I often had to stay after class which would make me late for practice. To make it even worse, if we held our pen incorrectly Miss Stenton would wrap our knuckles with a ruler. Finally free, I would race across the school yard to where my Mom was waiting anxiously to drive me to practice.
It Takes a Village to Raise a Child
Minor hockey was a wonderful outlet for me as I struggled in school with a minor case of dyslexia. The dyslexia challenged me and I was a solid C type student. My mother was instrumental in helping me through grade school and pushed me to be a hard worker, committed to getting the school work done to the best of my ability. In those days school teachers were just learning about kids who needed extra help.
My hockey helped me develop personal confidence when I struggled at school. I learned I could succeed at school if I worked harder than everyone else. My parents also encouraged my brothers and me to respect the importance of an education . We knew school came before hockey.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention how lucky I was to have great coaches who volunteered hours of their time to help us grow as young men and become better hockey players.
What a wonderful experience I had with both our parents. They were always there to get my brothers and me back and forth from practice, and attend almost every game. Our Mom was a great vocal cheerleader and our Dad was the quiet analytical observer who would always be supportive and when asked, willing to share his thoughts on how we could improve our game. My Mom and Dad were always supportive and never put any pressure on us to work towards becoming an NHL hockey player.
As I reflect back we were blessed to have the opportunity to play baseball in the spring and summer and hockey in the winter. The break from hockey was so important for renewed enthusiasm in the fall. A memorable moment was my red Pee Wee All Star jacket which we received when we made the team in early October. I remember wearing my winter jacket when it was 70 degrees outside because I was so proud to have made the team.
Playing hockey on our outdoor rink and playing minor hockey in Peterborough was pivotal to who I am today.
When I have fun I excel. Playing hockey was always fun and I began to develop passion for training and developing my skills. Perhaps that was the inspiration to Wake the Fun Up!
Success usually doesn't happen overnight. Learning the value of patience, perseverance and hard work has given me the tools to be the best I can be. Striving to play with the best players and be on the All Star team at every minor hockey level set the tone for wanting be a good teammate, play on the best teams and associate with winners.
Whenever asked I recommend kids work hard in school, play more than one sport to develop as well rounded athletes. Like most things in life the determining factor between success and failure is often passion and hard work.
Hockey to Digital Marketing
Being passionate and associating with people like us, we are involved in an educational program and community called Six Figure Mentors (SFM). SFM is an a global group of like minded digital entrepreneurs who work collaboratively together and support one another by sharing ideas and experiences.
Learning to appreciate the importance of passion, training, patience and perseverance has paved the way for my personal success. Even when the going got tough I would not allow myself to quit. As Digital Entrepreneurs, it's the same, we embrace the challenge and keep moving forward, with the help of the community if we need it
As an SFM Digital marketer we embrace a lifestyle of personal freedom and an opportunity to work when we want, wherever we want in the world.
All we need is the internet and our laptops, the willingness to learn new skills and we are in business!

Adrienne & Bob
We are digital entrepreneurs who took a courageous leap to start our online business. We have owned an executive recruitment company for over twenty years. The industry is being rapidly disrupted by technology. As a result of the skills we have learned our recruitment business is 100% virtual. Both of our businesses allow us flexibility to work when and where we want and do the things we enjoy.