Famous Hockey Quotes About Hard Work and Team Spirit

These inspirational hockey quotes will motivate you to play hard and win big.

You will also enjoy our article on past quotes.

• Wayne Gretzky Quotes
• Motivational Sports Quotes
• Ice Quotes

According to a survey by the NHL, 96% of players believe that inspirational quotes can positively impact team morale and motivation.

This suggests that hockey quotes can be a powerful tool for coaches and players to use to motivate and inspire their teams to perform at their best.

Hockey is a fun, competitive sport that can be played either on ice, on a roller rink, or in a field.

The key to success in this game is teamwork, talent, and dedication.

These hockey quotes will boost your motivation and encourage you to take home the championship.

Whether you’re a player, coach, parent, or fan, these insightful words will resonate with you.

Are you looking for the perfect sayings and phrases to inspire your team?

These hockey quotes about hard work and perseverance will pump you up for the game.

Playing hockey is a great way to build sportsmanship and strength.

Whether you’re a goalie, a forward, or a defensive player, the key to winning is being a good teammate.

If you want to win the game and become the best hockey player possible, it all starts with changing your mindset.

Read these hockey quotes about teamwork and dedication to improve your overall performance.

Check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily inspiration. 

If you enjoy this collection, check out our inspirational quotes category page.

Hockey quotes to motivate you to play hard and win big

A study by the University of Waterloo found that motivational quotes can be a powerful tool in hockey. 

The study found that players who read hockey quotes before a game reported feeling more motivated and confident, translating into better performance.

1. “To succeed in hockey, you need teamwork.” – Henry Samueli

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2. “Sometimes you do the hard work and set the table and somebody else eats the meal.” – Brian Burke

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3. “Yeah, I’m cocky and I am arrogant. But that doesn’t mean I’m not a nice person.” – Jeremy Roenick

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4. “Every day you guys look worse and worse. And today you played like tomorrow.” – John Mariucci

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5. “Hockey is murder on ice.” – Jim Murray

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6. “Hockey is a tough, physical game, and it always should be.” – Mario Lemieux

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7. “Great moments are born from great opportunities.” – Herb Brooks

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8. “A puck is a hard rubber disc that hockey players strike when they can’t hit one another.” – Jimmy Cannon

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9. “I guarantee we’ll win tonight.” – Mark Messier

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10. “Why is a puck called a puck? Because dirty little bastard was taken.” – Martin Brodeur

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Hockey quotes to boost your motivation

Research conducted by the University of Western Ontario found that hockey players who engage in positive self-talk are more likely to perform well under pressure. 

Positive self-talk, such as repeating affirmations from hockey quotes, can help players stay focused and confident during a game.

11. “How would you like a job where, every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo?” – Jacques Plante

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12. “You find that you have peace of mind and can enjoy yourself, get more sleep, and rest when you know that it was a one hundred percent effort that you gave – win or lose.” – Gordie Howe

13. “You’ve always been ‘The Great One,’ but tonight you’ve become The Greatest.” – Gary Bettman II

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14. “In any other context, ‘icing’ is a great and exciting word: The proverbial icing on the cake, for instance, is a bonus – a wonderful thing on top of another wonderful thing. But in hockey, icing merely results in the referee’s raising his right hand, as if swearing an oath to the deity of downtime.” – Steve Rushin

15. “People don’t know how fantastic women’s ice hockey is. People don’t know how fantastic hockey is in general.” – Hilary Knight

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16. “The top three worst things I’ve seen in hockey? The invention of the trap. The invention of the morning skate. And the invention of the extremely ugly uniform.” – Brett Hull

17. “It’s not necessarily the amount of time you spend at practice that counts; it’s what you put into the practice.” – Eric Lindros

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18. “I often look at the guys who can whistle before a game and shake my head. You’d think they didn’t have a care in the world. Me? I’m just plain miserable before every game.” – Glenn Hall

19. “The day I stop giving is the day I stop receiving. The day I stop learning is the day I stop growing. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky

20. “The playoffs separate the men from the boys, and we found out we have a lot of boys in our dressing room.” – Neil Smith

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Hockey quotes to pump you up for the game

21. “We get nose jobs all the time in the NHL, and we don’t even have to go to the hospital.” – Brad Park

22. “Hockey captures the essence of Canadian experience in the New World. In a land so inescapably and inhospitably cold, hockey is the chance of life, and an affirmation that despite the deathly chill of winter we are alive.” – Stephen Leacock

23. “My dad had this thing – everyone in Canada wants to play hockey; that’s all they want to do. So when I was a kid, whenever we skated my dad would not let us on the ice without hockey sticks, because of this insane fear we would become figure skaters!” – Norm MacDonald

24. “Hockey, honestly, was my first love. The excitement, the fast pace, the intensity of the game… I still love it to this day.” – J. J. Watt

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25. “The biggest thing we get out of it is seeing the kids smile. And hopefully we will also see that the lessons we’re teaching – not only the fundamentals of hockey, but also the life values – are sinking in.” – Bobby Orr

26. “Field hockey is my strongest sport, and if I lose a game, I take a long, hot bath and moan about it.” – Emma Watson

27. “A fast body-contact game played by men with clubs in their hands and knives laced to their feet.” – Paul Gallico

28. “I love those hockey moms. You know what they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull is? Lipstick.” – Sarah Palin

29. “I would be trying to play hockey with my friends, but most of the time, the coach put me on the bench. Because I was too dreamy – I was dreaming all of the time. I was super bad on the ice because I was just thinking about something else.” – Denis Villeneuve

30. “You watch a hockey game, and the hand-eye coordination and the speed is really miraculous; how those guys track the puck alone, just following it with their eyes.” – Liev Schreiber

Hockey quotes about teamwork and dedication

31. “I love hockey. Hockey is my go-to sport. It’s my jam.” – Alexa Bliss

32. “Whether you’re trying to learn in hockey or trying to learn in life, I’ve always tried to be observant and tried to learn more, tried to evolve, whether it’s as a hockey player or as a person. With each year, I try to do that.” – Sidney Crosby

33. “I am addicted to hockey now. I’ve seen it on TV, but to be there? I had no idea that white people were having so much fun without me.” – J. B. Smoove

34. “Whether somebody is really competent – whether he has a good hockey mind, whether he’s a good person to lead a hockey club – is something determined over a long period of time, not one tournament.” – Steve Yzerman

35. “To me, a hockey player has to be every sport rolled into one: ice skater, baseball player, football player, etc. It’s just incredible to watch!” – Vinnie Paul

36. “I have always been interested in finding new ways to play and have looked at handball keepers and ice hockey goal-minders. It helps me.” – Manuel Neuer

37. “As the Olympic torch neared Lake Placid, N.Y., in 1980, signaling the opening of that year’s Winter Olympics, newspapers and magazines throughout the world offered predictions on who would win medals in the major sports. Not a single publication gave the American men’s hockey team a chance against the world powers.” – Don Yaeger

38. “My most visceral childhood memory is getting home from hockey. Much of our family time revolved around hockey, and it rains a lot in Perth, and we’d get home tired and wet in our tracksuits, and the smell I’d hold in my nose is of mother’s vegetable soup.” – Tim Minchin

39. “If you’re a sports fan, it is really cool when you see the best-on-best for hockey at the Olympics.” – Gary Bettman

40. “I think the big thing is you really have one chance to do this… to play hockey for a living, you have one chance at your career, and you have to take full advantage of it.” – Patrick Kane

Hockey quotes to inspire and motivate

41. “I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play hockey, especially when there weren’t equal opportunities as there are now. But at times, it was challenging.” – Hilary Knight

42. “It is so important to me to have my time away from hockey. Obviously, hockey is my passion; I love it. But definitely for me, time away from the rink and time when my mind isn’t thinking about hockey is important.” – Sidney Crosby

43. “I’m not superstitious about anything in my life – except for playoff hockey. I get really kind of sketchy and weird about it. I don’t like talking about it. I don’t like making predictions.” – CM Punk

44. “All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity.” –Gordie Howe

45. “My teeth weren’t that good to begin with, so hopefully I can get some better ones.” – Duncan Keith

46. “By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series.” – Steve Rushin

47. “Sometimes guys need to cry. Some hockey players think they’re too tough to cry.” – Brett Hull

48. “The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I work hard every day, that I never dog it.” – Wayne Gretzky

49. “Half the game is mental; the other half is being mental.” – Jim McKenny

50. “We take the shortest route to the puck and arrive in ill humor.” – Bobby Clarke

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Hockey quotes to inspire you

51. “Hockey is a unique sport in the sense that you need each and every guy helping each other and pulling in the same direction to be successful.” – Wayne Gretzky

52. “There are no environments where you’re only going to win, because life just isn’t like that.” – Bobby Orr

53. “Hockey’s filled with great people, and it’s a great sport, and I encourage a lot of people to play it because of the relationships that you make in hockey.” – P.K. Subban

54. “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” – Wayne Gretzky

55. “Hockey should have some appeal. It’s a good game in that is full of action, very quick, and it can be high-scoring.” – Casey Eastham

56. “Some of us love hockey not just for its ferocity and skill but for its underlying code of civility off the ice.” – George Vecsey

57. “Even when you’re being safe, eight hours of choreography makes you look like you’ve been through a war. It’s hard. It’s like playing hockey for eight hours.” – David Leitch

More hockey quotes and sayings

58. “Sometimes people ask, ‘Are hockey fights real?’ I say, ‘If they weren’t, I’d get in more of them.'” — Wayne Gretzky

59. “When you play hockey, you don’t have any fear. As soon as you step on the ice everything goes away and you’re focusing on the puck and focusing on the play.” – Alexander Ovechkin

60. “Hockey players have fire in their hearts and ice in their veins.” – Unknown

61. “I found out that if you are going to win games, you had better be ready to adapt.” – Scotty Bowman

62. “My goal is to deny yours.” – Unknown

63. “I started playing hockey late and it was unclear until the very last moment if I was talented or not. But it turned out well.” – Alexander Ovechkin

64. “To win the game is great. To play the game is greater. To love the game is greatest of all.”— Bob O’Connor

65. “I wasn’t naturally gifted in terms of size and speed; everything I did in hockey I worked for, and that’s the way I’ll be as a coach.” – Wayne Gretzky

66. “Hockey’s a funny game.You have to prove yourself every shift, every game. It’s not up to anybody else.You have to take pride in yourself.” – Paul Coffey

67. “Nobody’s a natural. You work hard to get good and then work to get better. It’s hard to stay on top.” – Paul Coffey

Hockey quotes that are full of wisdom

68. “Women are playing [hockey] because they love it, not because they’re trying to be a woman in a man’s game.” – Cammi Granato

69. “It’s never been easy. But I’ve always wanted to play hockey. I love hockey. I’d rather play hockey than do anything else. If you have that kind of desire, I think you can achieve what you want to achieve.” – Manon Rheaume

70. “People would say, ‘Girls don’t play hockey. Girls don’t skate.’ I would say, ‘Watch this’.” – Hayley Wickenheiser 

71. “I find that I’ve tried to become a better hockey player every year and not just hold on. At the same time, I’ve also made it a point to increase or grow in some other areas of my life. If I were just playing hockey, I would probably be done with the sport.” – Angela Ruggiero

72. “The one thing I’d always wanted to do in my career is push myself out of my comfort zone – I think I’m really comfortable with being uncomfortable. So that’s why I played pro men’s hockey, that’s why I played softball and hockey at the same time, that’s why I’m not afraid to speak up – that’s just who I am.” – Hayley Wickenheiser

73. “Whether you’re trying to learn in hockey or trying to learn in life, I’ve always tried to be observant and tried to learn more, tried to evolve, whether it’s as a hockey player or as a person. With each year, I try to do that.” – Sidney Crosby

74. “This is your moment. You’re meant to be here.” – Herb Brooks

75. “Some people skate to the puck. I skate to where the puck is going to be.” – Wayne Gretzky

76. “I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out.” – Rodney Dangerfield

77. “Ice hockey is a form of disorderly conduct in which the score is kept.” – Doug Larson

Hockey quotes from famous hockey players

78. “Only one thing is ever guaranteed, that is that you will definitely not achieve the goal if you don’t take the shot. ” – Wayne Gretzky

79. “Hockey is a tough game.” – Bobby Or

80. “I never look at myself as a black player. I think of myself as a hockey player that wants to be the best player in the league.” – P.K. Subban

81. “For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a professional hockey player.” – Mario Lemieux

82. “It’s an amazing honor to be the fourth Black hockey player to go into the Hall of Fame. It’s a huge thrill.” – Jarome Iginla

83. “Since the beginning, I always loved the game. When you grow up in Montreal, one day you want to be a professional hockey player. When I was six or seven, I knew that was what I wanted.” – Mario Lemieux

84. “I am a pretty tough guy. I’m an old hockey player.” – Jim Flaherty

85. “I’m just a hockey player. I want to play every day.” – Martin Brodeur

86. “Since the beginning, I always loved the game. When you grow up in Montreal, one day you want to be a professional hockey player. When I was six or seven, I knew that was what I wanted.” – Mario Lemieux

87. “If you want to do something for the rest of your life, it’s not going to be easy, especially being a pro hockey player, so you need to work at it.” – Connor McDavid

Additional hockey quotes for hockey fans

88. “Every day is a great day for hockey.” – Mario Lemieux

89. “Hockey is the original extreme sport.” – Tom Ward

90. “You see a hockey player, you’d never know he’s a professional athlete. But you put the skates on him, and he becomes a beast.” – Junior Seau

91. “I played hockey until I was 13 or 14 years old.” – Kevin Owens

92. “I never looked at hockey as work. Now that I’d finished playing, I had to go to work.” – Bobby Or

93. “I love hockey, and I don’t love it for any other reason than when I get out there and play, I enjoy it.” – Brendan Fehr

94. “I liked hockey, and I still like hockey.” – Kevin Smith

95. “I love hockey because of the respect for history and for the game itself.” – George Vecsey

96. “If I learned one thing by playing professional hockey for thirty-two years, it’s that you have to love what you do. And that’s not just true for sports.” – Gordie Howe

97.  “Hockey is a difficult and skill-based game.” – Sandeep Singh

Funny Hockey Quotes That Will Put A Smile On Your Face

98. “Hockey players wear numbers because you can’t always identify the body with dental records.” ― Bob Plager

99. “A player must be able to skate, have hockey sense, be able to shoot, but not necessarily be able to score.” ― Pierre Page

100. “I am for hockey. I find I should hit something with a stick.” ― Gemma Doyle Trilogy

101. “You can’t play hockey with a bald spot, so I’m hanging up the skates.” ― Joe Sakic

102. “Hockey taught me to challenge myself and be the best I can be on and off the ice.” ― P. K. Subban

103. “To me, hockey was always tremendously fun. That’s what kept me going for so long. I simply love to play hockey.” ― Gordie Howe

104. “You’re not really a hockey player until you’ve lost a few teeth.” ― Bill Gadsb

105. “Hockey would be a great game… if played in the mud.” ― Jimmy Cannon

106. “I have been practicing since I was 4 or 5 years old, but that wasn’t really practice. I was just having fun…. I just loved to play hockey.” ― Sidney Crosby

107. “When you think of hockey, when you think of Canada, you think of Wayne Gretzky.” ― Joe Sakic

Hockey Quotes From Hockey Fans

108. “I love extreme sports, I like snowboarding and motorcross and rollerblading and hockey.” ― Jeremy London

109. “We can make fun of hockey fans, but someone who enjoys Homer is indulging the same kind of vicarious bloodlust.” ― Steven Pinker

110. “I feel honored and privileged to have represented the USA program over the past 16 years. USA Hockey will always be a part of me and I will cherish the experiences and memories with this team.” ― Angela Ruggiero

111. “In a weird way, [hockey] is like church and therapy and exercise all rolled up into one.” ― Michael Vartan

112. “One of the great rules of hockey is: On the Stanley Cup, all germs are healthy.” ― George Vecsey

113. “Hockey is like a religion in Montreal. You’re either a saint or a sinner; there’s no in-between.” ― Patrick Roy

114. “I love my hockey, but if you can do that and go home and just be a dad and husband, then you have the best of both worlds.” ― Curtis Joseph

115. “Hockey is an amazing sport and it has definitely had a positive impact on my life. But my dad always said school comes first, and if I didn’t do well in school I didn’t get to play hockey.” ― P. K. Subban

116. “I used to play hockey when I was growing up. Everyone sort of learns how to skate and play hockey at an early age.” ― Bob Dylan

117. “The great thing about hockey players is that they are able to separate the on-ice from the off-ice and not let the latter distract them.” ― Stu Grimson

Hockey Quotes for Your Favourite Sport

118. “Hockey is our big sport, and if you fight in hockey you get five minutes for it, that’s it. So in Canada, everyone is fighting.” — Jeremy Hotz

119. “I think the thing you always got to keep in mind, you know, hockey is a game of one-on-one battles.” — Mark Messier

120. “I’m probably the only guy in hockey who can win a scoring title and everybody is saying I had a bad year. I don’t worry about it.” — Wayne Gretzky

121. “He’s a gritty hockey player, he’s got good vision, he’s an intelligent player.” — John Muckler

122. “I played hockey in North Dakota growing up and watch a lot of that.” — Phil Jackson

123. “I knew nothing about hockey when I came to Chicago and then became the biggest fan – went to every playoff game.” — Christian Madsen

124. “I play hockey in a pickup league. I grew up playing, so it’s nice to get on the ice whenever I can.” — Robbie Amell

125. “If I can be half the hockey player that Bobby Orr was, I’ll be happy.” — Ray Bourque

126. “It’s been a good hockey life for me anyway.” — Peter Forsberg

127. “We’re not only hockey players. A lot of guys have families and girlfriends. You can’t just think about hockey 24-7.” — Mike Comrie

Hockey Quotes For a Fair Match

128. “You only reach the hockey goals you aim at. Therefore, you might as well aim at reaching your ultimate hockey goals.” — Felicity Luckey

129. “Hockey is like a disease, you can’t really shake it.” — Ken Wregget

130. “Hockey players are like mules. They have no fear of punishment and no hope of reward.” — Emory Jones

131. “You can’t get big in hockey. You need to be pliable… they’ve even taken fighting out of the game, so there’s no more of those big huge guys who just fight.” — Brett Hull

132. “Believe you can achieve your hockey goals and you’re halfway there.” — Felicity Luckey

133. “Hockey Goals Are Attained Not By Strength But By Perseverance.” — Felicity Luckey

134. “The three important elements of hockey are: forecheck, backcheck and pay check.” — Gil Perreault

135. “If you don’t know how to play hockey, learn. If you quit, get back out there.” — David Walton

136. “Ninety percent of hockey is mental and the other half is physical.” — Wayne Gretzky

137. “Hockey’s the only place where a guy can go nowadays and watch two white guys fight.” — Sydney J. Harris

Which of these famous hockey quotes makes you want to score a goal?

This collection of hockey quotes truly captures the essence of the sport.

Whether you love playing or watching, these famous lines will bring a smile to your face.

If you practice on a regular basis and put in the hard work, you can become a hockey legend.

The key to success is determination, teamwork, and effort.

Whenever you need a boost of motivation, reread your favorite hockey quotes.

The thrilling sport of hockey is filled with intense moments and incredible gameplay.

There’s no better way to get a workout while having fun than to spend the day chasing the puck.

If you try your hardest and play a good game, you can score the winning goal.

Share these hockey quotes with your coaches and teammates to inspire them.

What are your favorite hockey quotes about hard work, sportsmanship, and team spirit?

Let us know in the comment section below.