You Go....We Go....

If there is one thing I look for when trying to predict playoff success, it's a goal celebration.  More importantly, it's how the team celebrates when one of their own achieves success.  Not just in the huddle hug.  On the bench.

You can tell a lot about how close knit a team is by how they react to when somebody other than themselves accomplishes something.

You could use a lot of cliches, and there are plenty to choose from, when talking about how a team reacts to success.

"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts..." ~Aristotle

"It's amazing what you can accomplish when you do not care who gets the credit." ~Truman

"There is no "I" in team." ~Unknown

"Individual commitment to a group effort--that is what makes a team work." ~Vince Lombardi

"The Strength of the Wolf is the Pack."  ~Quote in the Syracuse Crunch Team Room.

You see, a team can be as talented as they want to be.  In hockey, the team with the best goal scorers does not always win.  The team with the best goaltender does not always win.  The team that's the best team often does.

One of my first memories in hockey was the 1995 New Jersey Devils Stanley Cup winning team.  They had one of the best young goaltenders in the game in a very young Martin Brodeur.  They had an eventual pair of Hall of Fame defensemen in Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer.  And then they had one of the closest knit team of middling success stories and a sprinkle of spare parts throughout their lineup.  But they came together when it mattered.  When Claude Lemieux won the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP there was a look on his face of humbleness and shock when he accepted the trophy and held it up to the crowd at Brendan Byrne Arena that spoke volumes about how he didn't believe he was worthy of award.  It was a team that could have and should have accepted that trophy.

In 2013 when a first-year Tampa Bay Lightning affiliated squad marched their way towards a Calder Cup Final loss, I sensed the same togetherness in that room.

Many memories of that year come quickly, but a few stand out.  The first is Game Four in Grand Rapids when the team was down 3-0.  I was sitting in a suite with our scratched players that night, when Mark Barberio took a hit in our defensive zone and his helmet came off.  In unison (and I do mean in unison) three of our scratched players said instantaneously "Sick Flow."  In hockey terms, they were referring to Barberio's hair cut. Long and flowy.  Perhaps even a bit luxurious.  But they way they said it, even with the odds this team faced in the biggest of playoff deficits...they were enjoying the moments.  However fleeting and limited they may have been at that point.

The second, sadly, after the game 6 loss was of one of our players in the locker room after the game.  Not just lamenting our loss.  Not sad.  Not dejected.  Not crying.  Openly sobbing of disappointment.  For the loss, I'm sure.  But more than that, of the fact that, win or lose, this was the last game this group of men would play together.

Perhaps it was the way I was raised, perhaps it was my own fun I discovered playing summer hockey when, one season, our team (of 18-and-under kids) after winning only one game in the season before, went on a playoff run I'll always remember.  The team we played in the championship had been undefeated that season.  And beating us to win the trophy was a foregone conclusion.  But yet something happened that game.  Our coach (my dad) put myself and one of our other good players on defense to combat our opponent's speed and skill. Despite us both having played forward all year, we accepted our roles for the good of the team.  Another of our teammates (and I say that word loosely as he was very individual accolade driven) scored on a breakaway and, shortly after, had a 2-on-1 in which everyone thought he would shoot (and he probably did too) yet drew the goalie down and sent a beautiful pass across for a game-tying tap in late in the 3rd period.  The excitement he had setting up that goal was more than any goal he had scored personally all year.

I'd love to say we fought the good fight that game, but their abilities eventually overcame our collective own.  We lost 4-2.  But I remember my dad saying afterward that in the post-game handshake, their coach told him after the tying goal, that his team didn't know what to do.  They had not faced this kind of adversity all season and he thought what our team had done to come together was the most amazing thing he had seen all season.  That was the ultimate compliment to what a team can do when they come together.

Long story not-so-short... I've often wondered why some professional players care more about themselves than the team.

There's a reason Stanley Cup winning teams have trouble in today's salary cap era of staying together.  It's because teams who chase titles want championship caliber players on their team.  And championship caliber players come with a price tag.

I've often said a 10 goal scorer on a non-playoff team is an underachiever.  A 10 goal scorer on a championship team is a quality role player.  Collective achievement breeds individual success.  And that's something that carries with you anywhere you go.  (See: Justin Williams)

So the next time you are watching a hockey team in a non-pressure packed moment, take note of when that team scores a goal.  If you see players jump off the bench with genuine happiness when their teammate scores, remember that when their collective effort surpasses their individual talent, you have the makings of a true team.  Something that can be applied to your current career- be it mailman, salesman, or hockey player.

Preparation Is Opportunity

If you know me, you'll know that I'm a fan of The Walking Dead.  I have been since the 2nd episode.  (I say fan but I've become increasingly frustrated with their bad script writing in recent seasons)

In the season finale a few weeks ago, the lead character, Rick Grimes, and his crew were attempting to take one of their own to seek medical attention at another camp a few miles from theirs to disastrous results.  A rival clan, known as the Saviors, had been ambushed by Rick's band a few episodes prior, and because they underestimated their power/numbers/ability, Rick made a series of very poor decisions that put his people in jeopardy.  They were roadblocked at several junctures, leading them right to a trap set by the Saviors for their capture.  He made poor decisions for a very simple reason: He was not prepared.

This leads me to my latest round of musings on the professional sports world focusing on preparedness.

Last month, I attended a job fair with another professional sports team as we are in the midst of pursuing both interns for the summer/fall and for a full time account executive position.

Several things stuck out at the conclusion of this event that I feel inclined to mention for those seeking a career in the professional sports world.  In no random order...

1)  Look the part.

In sales you generally try to dress the part of who you are meeting as a prospective corporate client.  If you are meeting with a bank, you wear a suit.  If you are meeting with a scrap recycling company, a 3-piece might be overdoing it a bit.  Khakis and a polo are more fitting.  You don't want to make your customer look bad and you also want to relate to them. 

In any profession, first impressions are crucial.  I had students (and a few older more seasoned professionals) approach our table in such ensembles as khakis and an American Eagle t-shirt, a polo shirt fully buttoned to the top, a dress shirt and slacks with the dress shirt untucked and, years ago, I remember a short sleeve polo shirt buttoned up with a tie.

All of these immediately rejected these potential candidates for two reasons.

- This is an ultra competitive field, and often the differences between candidates can be so minor that something as small as the way the present themselves can be the difference.

- Professionalism begins with the way you arrive.  Like it or not, people are judged the moment they approach you.  Beginning your first impression with a mental question as to whether they can meet with a client and represent your organization in the way it should be is paramount in deciding whether they should be a welcome addition to your team.

2)  Build your resume to the position you are applying for.

A quick note before I get to the meat of this element.  If you are meeting with a prospective employer, do not tri-fold your resume and insert it into an empty envelope and/or an envelope with your name crudely written across the front.  I would think logic applies here, but clearly not.  Also, please try to print it on a better stock than standard copy paper.  It just looks (and feels) more professional.

Presentation aside, I can't count the number of multi-page resumes I received from individuals who haven't even received a diploma yet.  If you are applying for an entry level position, the odds of requiring a resume more than one page are directly proportionate to the odds the Toronto Maple Leafs were going to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  I even received a three page resume for an entry level sales position.  Please...just stop.  You are not that qualified.  If you are applying for a position discovered on TheLadders.com, multi-page resumes are a necessity.  $100k talent aside, please keep it to one page and make it count.

In addition, add content to your one page of resume that directly applies towards the industry you are applying for.  Being a clerk at Wegman's doesn't really have an impact on our decision making process for hiring a sales person in professional sports.  However, volunteering for non-profit organizations, sport management club leadership roles, and involvement with other athletic clubs and any applicable sales experience (cold-calling a MAJOR plus) are relevant and attention grabbing.  This is where, if you've done your homework and put in the effort during college, internships and volunteer experiences set you apart from other candidates.

There are two schools of thought on references. Some believe they should be provided if you are fortunate enough to get to the next step in the process.  Others think name dropping should be included.  I believe if you have value to your professional references, they should be included.  A professor would not qualify as value.  A fellow sports professional with an organization you've interned for or know on a personal level adds points towards your candidacy.

3)  Choose your words carefully.

I had one candidate who was interning with a team in our league (of which I knew an employee in that organization) that began our conversation by indicating he went to high school with one of our previous employees.  I thought to myself...ok. There's a connection. Great!  Then proceeded to bad mouth his current organization and boldly proclaimed he could outsell our previous employee by miles all the while had his eyes dart around the room and never made eye contact with me.  He immediately superseded bold and accelerated to brash followed by obnoxious. After giving me his elevator pitch and leaving, I immediately turned his resume over and wrote "no" in the bottom right corner.  Professional sports, and more specifically, professional hockey is a very small world.  Careful those that you attempt to step over on your way to the top.  Your reputation will travel with you at your next destination.

After sifting through countless names and faces, I had a conversation with a young man dressed sharply in a suit with a succinct resume with practical sports world experience.  He grew up just north of New York City, was a very big hockey fan, and spoke very eloquently about his passion for the sport and his knowlege of the game.  He was bright, energetic, engaging, and made a very big impression on me.  I'll admit I was disappointed to learn he was only a freshman. He could have potentially made a great addition to our full-time sales staff. He followed up with me a few days later with an e-mail thanking me for my time that day and added a PS at the conclusion of his e-mail about my favorite NHL team and their playoff pursuit, indicating he remembered our conversation and engaged me again on something of interest to me.  I told my co-worker that this kid was going places someday and, even as a freshman, was the benchmark to any other candidate for internships or our full-time position that day.

In closing, after being in the sports industry for over a decade, I've seen more resumes, and spoken to more professionals (and future professionals) than I can count.  Trying to get your foot in the door (or skate on the ice) begins with a few simple steps of preparation and professionalism. 

At the very least, it should be known that if Rick Grimes is applying for a position in professional sports, he should know that it's unlikely he'll be using a professional reference from any member of the Saviors anytime soon.