They Played So Well Last Year, What’s Going on this Year?

“They’re having a bad year.” “What’s wrong with them?” “They played so well last year, what’s going on this year?”

The questions are endless when it comes to a player having a bad season. We all assume the player in question knows the answer to all those questions and that they’re responsible for their season. In some cases, they know exactly what’s wrong, in other cases, they’re searching for the same answers the supposed critics are as well.

A bad year can ruin a players’ trajectory. A bad year can temporarily ruin a players’ trajectory. There’s a massive difference between those two statements.

“Do you think they will be the same player again?”

That’s the question that a lot of scouts ask when they see a player struggling.

Can they regain their form? Can they become the same player they were? The search for “their” game can lead a player down a very dark hole. Again, everyone is searching for the “why,” perhaps people should search for “what.”

What happened to the player to experience this downward trend in their game?  Those on the outside looking in will have their synopsis or theories. Perhaps in many cases the root cause for the players struggle starts small and escalates very quickly.

A late season injury which prevents proper preparation or an amazing year and then a letdown. From personal issues off the ice, to mental health issues surrounding pressure or anxiety. Critics or those that are quick to speculate see the product on the ice or the result on the ice, they have no clue what is going on with the player behind the scenes or where their head is. People are quick to place blame. Blame the player, blame the coach, blame the organization or blame the circumstances.

The worse possible scenario that any player could experience is the loss of love and passion for the game. Maybe, they’re not having fun anymore. Maybe, just maybe they hate the game and hate the atmosphere around the team and the game.

At best we can only scratch the surface and try to dissect the cause or explain or justify a player’s bad year, we don’t have all of the answers. If the athlete is a high-profile player rumors surrounding the player will no doubt circulate and spread rapidly.

“They’re playing like they don’t care.”

Sadly, perhaps they don’t. Sadly, perhaps they do and are trying to do way too much or live up to the same standards they set a season ago. Perhaps, they have lost their confidence and are trying to rediscover that aspect of the game. Perhaps they’re seeking all the help they can get, or they feel isolated, criticized and embarrassed. You see we can all assume and criticize and believe our theories are spot on and accurate, but we have no clue, so be careful what you say and how you say it, because we don’t what is really going. We don’t know the full story; we are only seeing the results in a result-oriented business.

We have all struggled, we have all experienced our lowest of lows at one time or another. In that moment we no doubt felt all alone. These young players are experiencing their lowest of lows in front of everyone imaginable, away from home, under immense pressure and expectations. Let’s hope they never feel all alone.

A bad year can affect a lot of things, one can only hope it doesn’t ruin the player, but more importantly the person.