It’s about relationships.

We have an exciting growth company in a cool industry but at the end of the day what makes me happy is the relationships I get to make with co-workers, customers, stakeholders and suppliers. It is easy to get busy and stay stuck behind a desk, head down and working hard. But it is important to make the time to grow relationships when the opportunity arises. I feel it is one of the key measures of success in business.

Well this blog post is about one of those times.

I am Canadian, and grew up playing hockey. It has been a passion of mine for over three decades. One thing I was always jealous of growing up in the Vancouver area of Western Canada was that we very rarely had the chance in the winter to play hockey outside like you can in other regions of Canada. Pond hockey was something that seemed to happen in most areas of Canada, but not in the Vancouver area. I can remember skating outside only a few times. As it wasn’t a regular occurrence, a competitive game outside was extremely rare.

So when supplier of ours, who has since become a friend, suggested a visit to his hardwood flooring mill in Quebec, my mind started racing. When he mentioned he had a cabin in a rural village and that they keep the surrounding property cleared for playing regular pond hockey games, I was hooked!

Fellow BuildDirect’er Rob Jones and I set up a video schedule to shoot the process of making a sustainable hardwood floor from start to finish. We arranged a visit to the forest where hardwood trees are responsibly grown and harvested, we spent time at all stages of the milling process and then the finishing line. We spent quality time with the great staff at the mill and learned so much about the process of this beautiful, sustainable type of flooring. My personal favorite is a Canadian Hard Maple. It’s durable, stable and beautiful.

But below is a video of my true passion; hockey!

Playing competitive pond hockey with friends outside (and finishing with cold beers) was nothing short of brilliant. With about -4C (24F) and no wind, it was perfect conditions. I’m glad no wildlife came down and joined the action. We walked around the area before the game and the amount of wildlife tracks was incredible.

Watch and enjoy…

The rules: we played for approx 1.5 hours of 4 on 4 hockey, no goalies. But you had to be inside the crease area to score, so it was a tight-checking game that ended 10-9. Our team snuck out the victory. The mill owner, JP, put up $80 to the winning team. Does that make me a professionally paid hockey player?

Anyway, I was happy I survived as a few of the guys were in their early 20’s and really knew how to play. Frankly, I’m the guy at 1:40 of the video that gets rocked! My elbow was black and blue for 2 weeks (mental note: wear elbow pads next time… and keep your head up!)

Cheers.

Related posts:

1. Business Travel: What You See In the Middle of Nowhere, Part 2