The 22 Hour Rule: The Hidden Edge in Player Development

As coaches, we get players for about two hours a day.

That’s it.

And we can accomplish a lot in those two hours.

But the other 22 hours decide everything.

Where Development Really Happens

Development is not built in isolation.

It’s reinforced. Or it’s undone.

What players hear at home matters. What they are told in the car ride home matters. What gets discussed at the dinner table matters.

Because when the message at home becomes about ice time, lines, and opinions, the player stops focusing on development and starts focusing on validation.

And once that shift happens, everything being built in those two hours starts to erode.

Not because the player is unwilling.

Because the message is conflicted.

What I Was Taught

Growing up, my parents always backed the coach.

Always.

Whether it was minor hockey or later in junior, when I would go to my mom frustrated about my hard-ass coach, who also happened to be my dad, she spent a fair amount of time playing referee in some pretty heated postgame “discussions.”

She was a steady, neutral voice. Not picking sides. Not fueling the fire. Just focused on helping both of us succeed.

And her message never really changed.

Communicate. Figure it out. Find a way.

I remember coming home convinced I deserved more. More ice time. A different role. Something.

They didn’t tear the coach down.

They told me to go talk to him.

Not complain. Communicate.

Learning It the Hard Way

That lesson followed me as I moved on in my career.

When I got to pro, and especially when I went to Europe, communication was not always easy. Sometimes it wasn’t even in English.

You either figured it out or you didn’t.

It forced me to listen more. To be open. To try things a different way, even when it wasn’t how I would have drawn it up.

Did I like it every time? No.

But I found something important.

When I did what was asked of me, when I leaned into the role instead of fighting it, my role started to grow.

Opportunities followed.

The Reality of Roles

We all want to be the first line center. We want to score the goals, have the puck all the time, and play with the freedom to try things without hearing about it when it doesn’t work.

That reality exists for a select few.

For everyone else, the game asks something different.

It asks for accountability. It asks for detail. It asks for a willingness to play a role and do it well.

And the skills built through that carry far beyond the rink.

Taking ownership of your game shows maturity. It shows a desire to grow. It shows that you want to be part of where the team is going, not just where you think you should be.

That is where real development happens.

The Role of Parents and Leaders at Home

Parents play a bigger role in development than they may realize.

Not in systems. Not in line combinations.

But in perspective.

The question is not what your player is hearing at the rink.

It’s what they are hearing the other 22 hours.

Supporting your child does not mean agreeing with everything they feel.

It means helping them navigate it.

It means reinforcing effort, accountability, and growth.

It means guiding them toward solutions, not away from responsibility.

The 22 Hour Opportunity

Those 22 hours are not a gap.

They are the opportunity.

An opportunity to reinforce what is being taught. To build confidence the right way. To develop resilience and ownership.

When those 22 hours align with the two hours at the rink, players grow faster.

They become more coachable. More aware. More invested in their own development.

What the Greats Show Us

Even now, when you hear stories about Wayne Gretzky’s dad, Sidney Crosby’s parents, or Macklin Celebrini’s father, it is never about them butting heads with a coach.

It is about them owning the role of a parent.

Supporting. Guiding. Teaching their kids how to be their best within the situation they are in.

If you listen to the greats, the ones lifting Lord Stanley’s 35-pound Cup at the end of it all, one of the first things they talk about is their parents.

How they supported them. How they loved them. How they helped them through the journey.

You never hear a player say, “My parents made sure I got more power play time, and that’s what got me here.”

That is not the path.

The path is built on support, accountability, and alignment.

Final Thought

Every player wants more.

More ice time. More opportunity. More responsibility.

The ones who get it are usually the ones who take ownership of their development.

And that starts with the environment around them.

Two hours can teach it.

The other 22 decide if it matters. 🏒

About the Author

Darrell grew up in a home where the 22 hours supported the 2. His parents backed the coach, encouraged communication, and pushed him to be a problem solver, not a passenger.

Now, his wife holds that same role, stepping in as the referee between their sons and their father, the coach. Turns out, the 22 hours still matter just as much.