What "I Just Gotta Play My Game" Reveals About a Player

How often, during a post-game interview after a loss, do you hear a reporter ask a player what seems like a simple question: “What do you have to do to get on the winning track?” One typical answer goes something like this: “I’ve just got to get back to playing my game.”

On the surface, it sounds like a simple exchange, the kind players toss off when they’re tired and bruised. But that sentence reveals a window into how a player thinks about success, failure, and growth. And, to go deep quickly, the seven-word phrase “I just have to play my game” reveals how they see themselves in the game. Are they a fixed amount of talent, or are they still learning and growing as a hockey player? In academic terms, do they have a “fixed mindset” or a “growth mindset?”

From Classrooms to Locker Rooms

Those of us who are educators first discovered the concept of fixed and growth mindsets as it applied in school, not on a sheet of hockey ice among players making a pretty financially lucrative career as a professional athlete. But it applies in the NHL as seamlessly as it applies in schools.

But let’s take a deeper dive into the ideas involved. Carolyn Dweck and her colleagues were studying children who faced challenges in math or reading. Some would crumble under difficulty, convinced they just “weren’t smart enough.” Others leaned in, asked questions, and kept trying, convinced effort mattered. That simple distinction—fixed versus growth—has a surprising echo in the world of hockey.

Because let’s face it: a lot of hockey players start every interview with this exact phrase: “I just gotta play my game.” It sounds calm, confident, steady. And in a way, it’s supposed to. But if you listen carefully, it can tell you a lot about the player behind the words.

What Is the Fixed Mindset Version in Hockey?

For some players, “play my game” is a shield. It means: “This is all I’ve got. I’m not changing.” Mistakes are proof that they might not measure up. Struggle is a threat, not a signal. So they double down, do what they know just a little harder, and hope it’s enough.

In interviews, these players will often say something like: “That’s just my game. I need to stick with it.” It’s tidy. It’s safe. But the deep problem is that it’s also a ceiling. These are the players who plateau because they see skill as fixed and effort as only mattering until it risks exposing a flaw.

What Is the Growth Mindset Version in Hockey?

Other players use almost the exact seven words, with one tweak. Instead of saying, I 'just' need to play my game,” they’d say something like “I’m working on improving my game.” The meaning is entirely different. For them, the idea of “my game” is not a finished product. It’s a living thing, constantly shaped by practice, coaching, and experience.

A growth-mindset player might add something like: “I’m leaning into my strengths, but I’m also working to build the parts that aren’t there yet. Every game is a chance to figure out what works at this level. I’ll learn from this and try to get better.” It’s not nearly as tidy, but it’s also not a dead end.

Notice the difference? When players have growth mindsets, mistakes aren’t threats—they’re feedback. Challenges aren’t barriers—they’re chances. The focus is on learning, adjusting, and evolving, not defending. A player with a growth mindset does just that - “grows” his game as opposed to just (as in the only action he needs to take) playing it.

A Canadian Growth Mindset Example (Quinn Hughes of the Vancouver Canucks)

Quinn Hughes is one of the clearest examples of a growth-mindset player in the NHL. When he broke into the NHL, he was seen mostly as an elite puck-moving defenseman with some defensive gaps. Instead of accepting that label, he rebuilt his game layer by layer. He concentrated on strength work, perfecting his angles, stick detail, and defensive reads under pressure.

Each offseason, he talks about adding something new rather than protecting what he already does well. That’s why he’s gone from a gifted young skater to one of the most complete defensemen in hockey. Hughes doesn’t “just play his game.” He keeps expanding it.

As Hughes noted in a 2023 TSN interview, “We want to try to be as good as we can. … My motivation was to push myself and be as good as I can as a player. This summer, I have a lot of ideas in my head on things I want to get better at. Hopefully, that will continue to get me to be a better player next year.” The very next season, Hughes won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman.

Why This Matters for Successful NHL Hockey Players

Hockey moves too fast for a player to stay frozen in place. The best players, the ones who survive injuries, lineup changes, and playoff pressure, are constantly learning. They’re absorbing feedback, tweaking details, and stretching their game beyond what feels comfortable.

And it’s exactly the same mindset that teachers try to nurture in classrooms. The student who struggles with long division but keeps asking questions and practicing doesn’t just get better at math; they get better at life. They build resilience, confidence, and curiosity. A growth-mindset hockey player is doing the same thing on ice, every shift, every drill, every post-game scrum.

In the end, hockey—like life—isn’t about staying the same. It’s about how you grow, adapt, and keep showing up to be better than yesterday. And the players who understand that and consider mistakes as lessons to learn from and improve? They’re the ones who really grow their game to the next level.