From the Founder, Brian Mazza 2/23

The Crest is NOT DECORATION

This week I found myself studying something outside my usual lane.

Youth hockey (I played hockey from 6-14)

And what struck me had very little to do with skating.

When Team USA beat Canada, the win was special. But what stayed with me were the interviews after. The way those young men spoke about wearing the jersey. The way they spoke about representing America. There was conviction in their voice. There was gratitude. There was pride.

In a time where our country feels loud, fractured, and divided, watching a group of young athletes unified under one flag felt powerful.

Not because we are perfect.

But because we are free.

And there is a difference.

If you study youth hockey closely, you realize something important.

These kids are not just taught how to play a game.

They are taught how to carry themselves.

They are taught discipline.

They are taught brotherhood.

They are taught commitment.

They are taught pride.

And that matters.

First, discipline is not optional.

Hockey is unforgiving. Short shifts. High speed. Physical contact. Constant transition. If you float for five seconds, everyone sees it. If you do not backcheck, you get exposed.

There is nowhere to hide.

Ice time is earned.

Line assignments are earned.

Letters on the chest are earned.

Nothing is handed out.

That environment builds accountability. You want more minutes. Earn them. You want more trust. Show it. You want a bigger role. Prove you can carry it.

This is a high performance principle.

The world does not reward potential. It rewards execution under pressure.

Youth hockey understands this early. Standards are clear. Standards are enforced. Not emotionally. Not politically. Structurally.

Standards create growth.

Standards create pride.

Standards create leaders.

Second, brotherhood is engineered.

The hockey locker room is sacred. Players sit shoulder to shoulder lacing skates. They travel together. They fight together. They recover together.

Five players move as one.

The defense trusts the goalie.

The goalie trusts the defense.

The forwards trust the system.

You cannot win alone.

You can score alone. You cannot sustain alone.

That lesson applies to business, to leadership, to family. High performance is not solo domination. It is coordinated execution. If one piece breaks discipline, the entire unit suffers.

That culture builds loyalty. And loyalty builds leaders.

Third, the crest means something.

In hockey culture, the crest is not decoration. It is responsibility.

When you wear USA across your chest, you are not representing a political party. You are representing sacrifice. You are representing opportunity. You are representing the idea that freedom allows you to pursue something bigger than your current circumstances.

Our country is flawed. Every country is flawed. But there has never been a country that has created more opportunity from nothing. A place where reinvention is possible. Where builders can rise. Where dreamers can execute.

When those players speak about America, they are not speaking in perfection language. They are speaking in gratitude language.

And gratitude is strength.

Gratitude fuels discipline.

Gratitude fuels effort.

Gratitude fuels pride.

You do not waste opportunity when you understand how rare it is.

We live in a time where pride can be misunderstood.

There is arrogant pride.

And there is earned pride.

Earned pride comes from sacrifice. From structure. From standards. From showing up when no one is watching.

That is what youth hockey gets right.

And here is the deeper lesson.

Every one of us wears a crest.

It might say USA.

It might say your company name.

It might say your family name.

It might say your club or community.

The question is not what the crest says.

The question is how you carry it.

When you walk into a room, you represent something.

When you lead a meeting, you represent something.

When you coach your child, you represent something.

When you show up in your marriage, you represent something.

That is covenant.

You bind yourself to a higher level of behavior because you understand that your actions do not just affect you. They affect the name on your chest.

The crest is not decoration.

It is a contract.

It is a reminder that you are part of something bigger than yourself.

If we want to build high performers in sport, business, and family, we must stop focusing only on skill development and start focusing on identity development.

Clear standards.

Earned roles.

Shared identity.

Gratitude for opportunity.

Pride in representation.

That is how you build resilient men and women.

That is how you build teams that last.

That is how you build a country that stays strong even when it is imperfect.

When you put the jersey on, act like it matters.

Because it does.

Carry the crest with discipline.

Carry it with gratitude.