For Banfield Controller Jeff Steele, hockey is all about the skills – not puck or shooting skills – rather teamwork, respect, and passion.
With this month’s creative output, we got a little creative ourselves and had Jeff talk about his love of the Toronto Maple Leafs, street hockey in London Ontario, and what the game can teach us about working in a team environment.
What is your personal creative output?
I love sports and more specifically hockey. As a child growing up in the 60’s, the Toronto Maple Leafs were my favourite team. At least I can say I personally saw them win the Stanley Cup in my lifetime. Although it would be nice if they could win one during my adulthood. Growing up I could not get enough of playing street hockey.
What do you like about it?
While living in London ,Ontario, in my neighbourhood each street formed a team to play one another. This brought out the competitiveness and creativity of all the kids because everyone wanted to win so badly to have bragging rights. I also coached my own children through the minor hockey system here in Ottawa and the main thing that I wanted to teach the children was to have fun. You did not need to win to have fun. If the children learnt the many skills of the game of hockey such as, teamwork, respect for the players on both teams, passion and of course learning to skate, they can carry these skills into their adult life and even continue playing the game for many years.
How does working on this help you in the rest of your life (Banfield work, outside obligations, etc)?
Team sports show the importance of working as a team to achieve your goals. Yes, you can do things individually, but collectively you can achieve more. Although you do not always win the championships, it is more about the journey getting there, than it is about the destination.