Trinity College School’s student-athletes learned lessons for life and sport during a very special presentation on November 30th, as former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Wendel Clark was interviewed by TSN sportscaster and TCS parent Gord Miller live on stage in the Dick and Jane LeVan Theatre. In addition to his role with the Leafs, Mr. Clark is a former gold medallist with Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships, and was the first overall pick in the 1985 NHL draft. He continues to work with the Leafs as a community ambassador today. Mr. Miller is well-known as a play-by-play announcer for NHL and CFL games on TSN, and was inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame for his dedication to the World Junior Hockey Championships.
Bigside girls hockey coaches Carly Burrows and Jacqueline Priolo shared their reflections after watching the conversation, encouraging their players to think about how what they had learned can be applied to their own careers as student-athletes. An edited version of those reflections follows:
“Mr. Clark mentioned being adaptable. He explained a few times in his career where he had to switch from defence to forward or his coach told him to play a role he didn’t usually play. Sport is ever-changing: lineups are different, referees can make bad calls, coaches can draw up a play you disagree with. Sport and life are going to throw curveballs. It’s important to not get so overwhelmed by the curveball being thrown at you (cue the bad baseball analogy) that you forget to swing the bat.
“This intertwines with another great point Mr. Clark made. He mentioned controlling what you can control and not letting the uncontrollable noise in the background distract you. At the end of the day, you can only control what plays you make, how prepared you feel going into a game and, most importantly, your attitude.
“The biggest takeaway of all: be a good teammate. You will all someday hang your skates up. It’s not the wins and losses that you remember. It’s the people you have met along the way and friendships you’ve found that will stick with you. Mr. Clark mentioned so many small, tangible things you can do that will help you be a good teammate. He talked about showing up on time. It may seem like a trivial concept, but when you are late you are inadvertently saying to your teammates that there are more important places to be than with them working towards a common goal. Mr. Clark also mentioned how it was important to give your respect and time to ALL members of the team and support staff. He referred to some of the greatest hockey players he played with taking time to have good, meaningful conversations with the background staff and the players who were lower in the lineup. Those small things matter to people. Be kind to everyone, not just the people in your closest circle. That’s how a great team is built.”
Thank you to Mr. Miller and Mr. Clark for coming to speak with our players and giving them so much thoughtful advice.
