CBC-Sports

Crosby picked perfect time to go ballistic

January 9, 2009 06:57 PM | Posted by   Kelly Hrudey  

Frustration can be possibly the most negative emotion a pro athlete has to fight, but inevitably, every successful player will somehow learn how to channel this energy into something more positive.

Learning how to play through it is one of the biggest learning experiences a player will go through.

Frustration always leads to poor play, which compounds the situation.

However, frustration shouldn’t be confused with anger, which to most athletes is a positive emotion.

Virtually all great athletes will tell you that being mad or having a temper is a very good thing. Some of the best competitors I ever faced usually had a scowl on their face the entire game, and it wasn’t just for appearances. I could feel they truly disliked me and my teammates.

The occasional outburst of frustration, though, can be a valuable “blowing off some steam” tool.

Take a look at Sidney Crosby last weekend against the Florida Panthers. He clearly was upset with his own play and the overall game of his team and decided - being down 4-1 - that now would be the perfect time to go ballistic.

Like most seasoned players, once he gets it out of his system he can move onto the next game with no lingering effects.

When it’s not healthy is when it continues game after game. That’s when an athlete needs to control his emotions.

When it spills over after the game, it’s unhealthy as well. I know this first hand. Occasionally after a bad performance, if I felt I hadn’t prepared properly, I would be furious with myself for hours after the game.

Looking back, I think I was too heavily involved in the game emotionally.

For hockey players, the easiest way to combat frustration is to break a stick or two (sometimes more), but when you find yourself at this point, you clearly need to recognize it’s time to take a step back. That’s very hard to do though because the best athletes in every sport care the most about performance, that’s why they’re at the top of their profession.

It’s not only Crosby, episodes like this happen all the time now because it’s the point in the season where teams can feel their playoff hopes slipping away.

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