Picking the berries (from the porridge)

In ice-hockey, there are several types of players. Every one of them are required for the team to succeed and, ultimately, for the owners to make some hard cash. How unfortunate, but that's a fact of life nowadays.

The whole setup could be simplified by that the team succeeds if it makes money. Since money is made, not by decreasing the salaries (that's a short road with only short-term effect) but by increasing the inflow of the money. And, again simplified, the more the team scores goals the more money gets poured in (spectators & sponsors).

I know, that's a very simplified picture of how ice-hockey organization works. Surely even too simplified.

So, back to the team. A succeeding team consists of 4 lines. Normally the first and second lines are filled with stars and those players from whom the organization expects the most. These are the people who know what they are doing - they are there to score goals.

The stars are good in the thing they are being paid for. For example, Ilja Kovalt?uk has been signed a contract of 15 years for one reason: scoring goals. That is, for making the small miracles he is best at. And by being innovative and by given support and responsibility, he will make a lot of them. He, by himself, will make a huge impact on the money inflow.

So, would the coach move Kovalt?uk to the fourth line saying that "we really need you there, as we actually don't have a player who would do all the dirty tricks to our opponents. We'd really appreciate your effort for the team." Would he be pleased? Probably not. We've seen how the stars, once put to the third or fourth line, are changing the team. The goal for the third and the fourth lines are so away from the values and principles of the stars that they don't feel like they are valued. They are losing their motivation game after game.

Yet, the roles of the third and fourth teams are more than important. Without the tough and resistant team members the team would not make the money - other team would totally run over them (or rather skate over them). And thus, yet scoring a lot, the team would be beaten too many times to be successful.

But there are people who are meant for the third and fourth lines. They are motivated by what they do and they do it as well as they can. They are not as good goal scorers as the stars, but they do their job with honor and respect.

The point in all this: "Use the stars where they can make a difference, put them where the money inflow is mostly affected"



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We had one of the best Saturday's for a very long time. We went to house welcoming parties of our friends. And there were lot of our friends. Lovely day.

Thanks mates!