{"id":9677,"date":"2026-03-01T10:03:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T16:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/?p=9677"},"modified":"2026-03-10T11:36:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T16:36:49","slug":"what-the-2026-u-s-hockey-gold-teams-teach-us-about-enthusiasm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/what-the-2026-u-s-hockey-gold-teams-teach-us-about-enthusiasm\/","title":{"rendered":"What the 2026 U.S. Hockey Gold Teams Teach Us About Enthusiasm"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The 2026 U.S. hockey gold teams show how enthusiasm is the single trait for success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Jack-Hughes-and-USA-2026-Hockey-Team-1024x819.jpg\" alt=\"2026 U.S. Hockey Gold\" class=\"wp-image-18643\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Jack-Hughes-and-USA-2026-Hockey-Team-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Jack-Hughes-and-USA-2026-Hockey-Team-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Jack-Hughes-and-USA-2026-Hockey-Team-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Jack-Hughes-and-USA-2026-Hockey-Team.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">U.S. men\u2019s hockey celebrates gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Photo by Jamie Squire\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The U.S. men\u2019s and women\u2019s hockey teams sparked contagious enthusiasm on Olympic ice when it mattered most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Captains Auston Matthews and Hilary Knight, along with veterans, young guns, and role players alike, captured something more than gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Together, the 2026 U.S. Hockey Gold Teams captured the same three great laws of enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-law-1-enthusiasm-follows-direction\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Law #1: <\/mark><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Enthusiasm follows direction<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I don&#8217;t know how many hours, days, weeks, months, and years these folks practiced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But they were clear on the dream: one goal, one team, one gold medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shift after shift. Period after period. Overtime if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearly, these fellas spent years competing against themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven&#8217;s sake.&#8221;<br><\/em>Kurt Vonnegut<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We compete every day against our potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes, we don&#8217;t because we blame others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As John Paul Sartre said, &#8220;Hell is other people.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But enthusiasm ignores distractions and <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/blow-out-of-your-hole-through-these-escape-hatches\/\">skates to the dream<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-law-2-enthusiasm-is-power\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Law #2: <\/mark><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Enthusiasm is power<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter the circumstance, enthusiasm lifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Olympic hockey players are super competitors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They love what they do, and they live what they love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"819\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2026-Gold-USA-womens-hocky-champs-1024x819.jpg\" alt=\"2026 U.S. gold teams\" class=\"wp-image-18656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2026-Gold-USA-womens-hocky-champs-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2026-Gold-USA-womens-hocky-champs-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2026-Gold-USA-womens-hocky-champs-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/2026-Gold-USA-womens-hocky-champs.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Joy on ice \u2014 the 2026 U.S. women\u2019s hockey team celebrates Olympic gold. Sarah Stier \/ Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>How?  The power inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">The ancient Greeks called an inspired person&nbsp;<em>en,<\/em>&nbsp;meaning <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">&#8216;in,&#8217; and&nbsp;<em>theos,<\/em>&nbsp;meaning &#8216;god&#8217;<\/span>.<\/span> They saw enthusiasm as a mark of an indwelling god.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m convinced they made the right choice because no other trait contributes more to happiness and success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Live your truth. Express your love. Share your enthusiasm. Take action toward your dreams. Walk your talk. Dance and sing to your music. Embrace your blessings. Make today worth remembering.&#8221;<\/em><br>Steve Maraboli<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Christians stake their identity on an indwelling deity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Christ in you, the hope of glory.&#8221;<br>Colossians 1:27<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How does this work in tough times?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"h-law-3-practice-is-the-play\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">Law 3: <\/mark><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color\">Practice is the play<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Never quit. Never lose faith. Never drop the practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s not about performing perfectly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s about playing every day.  Play is the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I see this with kids at Highland Park Presbyterian Church on Wednesday nights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They delight in creative work. They care more about coloring the Valentine than the results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead.&#8221;<\/em><br>Julia Cameron<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another example of practicing the play was my grandmother, the happiest person I knew, who was making and giving away jewelry at 96.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And my <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/crack-the-code-to-invisible-wealth-and-live-your-dream-life\/\">mother-in-law<\/a>, Trudy, painted this at 93.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trudy-Williamson-art-at-93-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Painting created at 93\" class=\"wp-image-18660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trudy-Williamson-art-at-93-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trudy-Williamson-art-at-93-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trudy-Williamson-art-at-93-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blog.steveblaising.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Trudy-Williamson-art-at-93.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>&#8220;The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.&#8221;<\/em><br>Julua Cameron<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enthusiasm sparks practice. Practice sustains enthusiasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.&#8221;<br>Aldous Huxley<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Gold medals fade.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paintings age.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jewelry is given away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>But the spirit that keeps showing up is the real victory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Congratulations to the 2026 U.S. Hockey Gold Teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What are you still practicing, not for applause, but for joy?<\/p>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2026 U.S. hockey gold teams show how enthusiasm is the single trait for success. The U.S. men\u2019s and women\u2019s hockey teams sparked contagious enthusiasm on Olympic ice when it mattered most. Captains Auston Matthews and Hilary Knight, along with veterans, young guns, and role players alike, captured something more than gold. Together, the 2026 [&hellip;]<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cos_headline_score":0,"cos_seo_score":0,"cos_headline_text":"What the 2026 U.S. Hockey Gold Teams Teach Us About Enthusiasm","cos_headline_has_been_analyzed":false,"cos_last_analyzed_headline":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3679,10],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-9677","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-enthusiasm","category-success","tag-success"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What the 2026 U.S. Hockey Gold Teams Teach Us About Enthusiasm - Steve Blaising<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How enthusiasm makes the hardest goals and impossible dreams come true. 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