If you ever meet a hockey player.

One thing you'll often notice are the imperfections on his/her face.

You may see a couple of missing teeth, a crooked nose and probably a scar around their lip.

It's part of the game.

Now this may sound bizzare to a lot of people. Like bat shit crazy but

I used to wish for scars.

Like I would imagine myself with a black eye. A couple of stitches here and there. A bruise on the cheek.

It's kinda fucked up to think that way. You are probably thinking: "You wished for pain on yourself".

The truth is they are like a badge of honour. I used to and still think that the best part of hockey that you will go through walls for the other guys in the locker room. You will physically lay your body on the line for a common goal. Winning.

I'm missing a couple of teeth and have a nice scar that comes out in the summer from a stick to the face. But, relatively I'm unscathed.

However, I wear them like a badge of honour. I'm proud to have a reason for it.

Transition your thinking to business, life and all of the above. You get fired. You fail a test. You get sick. You lose a family member. These are all scars. We all have them.

I'm not saying you should carrying them the same way as I do. But, they shape us who we are. They have moulded us to being in this exact moment.

You learn from them. You build and you develop.

I'm not much of centre ice bone crunching hitter. But, I love a shot block.

The rush of diving in front of the puck and taking it. Yes, it hurts and it's dangerous but you do it for the other twenty guys/gals. You do it because it's part of the game. It's part of life.

And the best part.

You come back to the bench, hurting and needing ice. When you get a tap.

Just a tap. Nothing more.

But, that tap from the guy next to you magnifies it.

You've laid it all out there and you are picked right back up.