Marty Rubin is a hockey director for Seattle Junior, a Tier 2 organization out West. We’ve done a lot of collaboration with Marty over the past few years and think the world of him as a hockey director. Here’s a note he sent his families a few weeks ago – it was so good I wanted to share it with all of you to highlight some of the good that’s happening in the hockey world.
Hello Seattle Junior Families,
Happy hockey season! This a philosophical pump up for all parents, coaches, and families in our hockey community:
Seattle Junior’s mission is to create transformational experiences for players, coaches, and families through hockey. Our development plans, education programs, communication, and season structure are all designed with that mission in mind—to create as many opportunities for growth and transformation as possible.
That mission also requires us to think beyond the immediate outcomes of hockey.
The results of games—particularly early in a season—are not the measure of whether our process is working. Wins are exciting. Losses are disappointing. Competition matters, and we should absolutely care about performing well. But the scoreboard captures only what happened on one particular day. Our vision is much longer.
We are interested in what happens to a player over months and years of practices, games, successes, failures, relationships, challenges, and opportunities. We believe that when those experiences are guided by a thoughtful development process and a genuine passion for hockey, they can transform a young person.
And we don’t always do well enough recognizing and naming the many small—and sometimes profound—ways that transformation is already happening.
What is transformation through hockey?
Hockey is a daily challenge. It demands skill, creativity, toughness, resilience, and grit—qualities that are not given to us, but built over time through effort, failure, reflection, and persistence. Progress looks different for every player, and in a competitive environment, comparison can make that progress difficult to see.
But the challenge is precisely where transformation happens.
Players build resilience by getting up and trying again. They learn to adapt when something doesn’t work. They learn to communicate with new teammates and adults, advocate for themselves, manage disappointment and frustration, accept feedback, and balance achievement with growth and fun.
The lessons are bigger than hockey because the challenges are bigger than hockey.
What does transformation look like at Seattle Junior?
We have watched our players:
- Learn to communicate their needs with words instead of fists
- Find the confidence to ask a coach for what they need
- Lead meaningful community service efforts
- Accept feedback and use it to become more dynamic players
- Step into leadership roles beyond their comfort zones
- Earn postsecondary opportunities through hockey
- Gain jobs because of the work ethic and communication skills they developed
- Build lifelong friendships and support systems
These moments may look very different from one another, but they share the same foundation: challenge, support, growth, and another opportunity to try.
That is transformation through hockey.
It is also why we cannot judge the success of a season by what happens in September, October, or even by the final standings. We have to keep asking a bigger question: Who are our players becoming because of their experience in hockey?
We are proud to share that journey with every player, coach, and family at Seattle Junior, and we take that responsibility seriously. No one in our community has to navigate those challenges alone. If you or your player needs perspective, guidance, encouragement, or simply a place to talk, please reach out.
What is your transformation going to be?
Many of these transformations are already unfolding. Some will be obvious this season. Others may not reveal themselves for years. But every practice, game, conversation, setback, and breakthrough is another opportunity to grow.
The scoreboard will tell us how we did today. Transformation tells us what all of this was for.
Go Mets and Red Hawks!
See you all around the rink!
Marty & Annie
