--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm just an average Canadian kid playing…" description: "\"I'm just an average Canadian kid playing hockey.\" — Joe Thornton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/joe-thornton-5006_average_i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing_1265692.png" --- # I'm just an average Canadian kid playing hockey. ![“I'm just an average Canadian kid playing hockey.” quote by Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/joe-thornton-5006_average_i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing_1265692.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/joe-thornton-5006_average_i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing_1265692.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/joe-thornton-5006_average_i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing_1265692.png) > “I'm just an average Canadian kid playing hockey.” [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A modest self‑description hides the dedication and skill behind a seemingly ordinary life. **In simple terms:** Average label masks hard work and talent. Key Takeaway Value effort over simple labels. Themes sports humility identity Mood inspirational reflective Type sports personal development When to use this quote - coaching - player development - community events - personal branding Key Concepts performance teamwork dedication Questions to Reflect On - How does humility affect performance? - What does “average” mean in a competitive field? A Different Perspective Self‑deprecation may limit confidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hockey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hockey/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Kids playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids-playing/) [Playing hockey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/playing-hockey/) ## Related quotes > [Really, who thinks of living in California as a Canadian kid? You just don't. Now when I go home to Canada to play a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/really-who-thinks-of-living-in-california-as-a-canadian-kid-you-just/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [Most Americans have so much crap, that you could lose most of it and still have way more stuff than the average Canadian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/most-americans-have-so-much-crap-that-you-could-lose-most-of-it-and/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [There are more kids playing hockey, and the game has become more diverse from a cultural, ethnic and geographic point of view, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/there-are-more-kids-playing-hockey-and-the-game-has-become-more/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [I'd ice-skated before, because I'm Canadian and that's what you do as a kid, but I'd never, ever been on quad skates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/i-d-ice-skated-before-because-i-m-canadian-and-that-s-what-you-do-as/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) > [The Canadian kid who wants to grow up to be Prime Minister isn't thinking big, he is setting a limit to his ambitions rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordecai-richler/the-canadian-kid-who-wants-to-grow-up-to-be-prime-minister-isn-t/) [Mordecai Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordecai-richler/) > [It seems like my whole life I've been this little Canadian kid dreaming somebody would give me a chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/it-seems-like-my-whole-life-i-ve-been-this-little-canadian-kid/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [I've been playing hockey games since the Sega Genesis way back when.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/i-ve-been-playing-hockey-games-since-the-sega-genesis-way-back-when/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [Playing goal is like being shot at.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-plante/playing-goal-is-like-being-shot-at/) [Jacques Plante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-plante/) > [I started playing hockey late and it was unclear until the very last moment if I was talented or not. But it turned out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-ovechkin/i-started-playing-hockey-late-and-it-was-unclear-until-the-very-last/) [Alexander Ovechkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-ovechkin/) > [I think the game has gotten better. (The two-ref system) keeps players from taking cheap shots behind the play. I never thought I'd like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skrudland/i-think-the-game-has-gotten-better-the-two-ref-system-keeps-players/) Brian Skrudland > [It's more fun to be playing hockey than doing anything else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connor-mcdavid/it-s-more-fun-to-be-playing-hockey-than-doing-anything-else/) [Connor McDavid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connor-mcdavid/) > [I think it's fairly clear that playing hockey isn't the same as playing football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bettman/i-think-it-s-fairly-clear-that-playing-hockey-isn-t-the-same-as/) [Gary Bettman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bettman/) > [Playing hockey, there were a lot of guys bigger than me, so I knew I was going to get hit and have to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-weir/playing-hockey-there-were-a-lot-of-guys-bigger-than-me-so-i-knew-i/) [Mike Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-weir/) > [ Women are playing \[hockey\] because they love it, not because they’re trying to be a woman in a man’s game. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cammi-granato/women-are-playing-hockey-because-they-love-it-not-because-they-re/) Cammi Granato > [Hockey would be a great game... if played in the mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-cannon/hockey-would-be-a-great-game-if-played-in-the-mud/) [Jimmy Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-cannon/) ## More by Joe Thornton > [Obviously, when you don't win, things have to change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/obviously-when-you-don-t-win-things-have-to-change/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [You need somebody to be firm with you and hard on you and watch you progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/you-need-somebody-to-be-firm-with-you-and-hard-on-you-and-watch-you/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [As I get older, I think I'm going to continue to be a better player and a better captain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/as-i-get-older-i-think-i-m-going-to-continue-to-be-a-better-player/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [Growing up, I wanted to play with the bigger kids, so having two brothers, you had to stick your nose in there and try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/growing-up-i-wanted-to-play-with-the-bigger-kids-so-having-two/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [I really do enjoy coming to the rink and working hard, putting the time in as you need when you get older. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/i-really-do-enjoy-coming-to-the-rink-and-working-hard-putting-the/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [I hate when people litter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/i-hate-when-people-litter/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [Every day, just enjoy it. It goes by so fast. But put the work in and you'll be rewarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/every-day-just-enjoy-it-it-goes-by-so-fast-but-put-the-work-in-and/) [Joe Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/) > [Being in hockey shape is totally different than any other kind of fitness. 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Heritage Foundation political scientist Robert Rector has worked up figures showing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/in-comparative-terms-there-s-no-poverty-in-america-by-a-long-shot/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [The average well-being of our societies is not dependent any longer on national income and economic growth. ... But the differences between us and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-g-wilkinson/the-average-well-being-of-our-societies-is-not-dependent-any-longer/) [Richard G. Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-g-wilkinson/) > [I really focus more to hit for average, just try to put the ball in play as much as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-soto/i-really-focus-more-to-hit-for-average-just-try-to-put-the-ball-in/) [Juan Soto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-soto/) > [You give me enough shots, I'll average 20. You give me a particular system where I stick close to the basket, I'll average 10 rebounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bosh/you-give-me-enough-shots-i-ll-average-20-you-give-me-a-particular/) [Chris Bosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bosh/) > [The average ordinary citizen can do a lot of different things when it comes to the climate crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/the-average-ordinary-citizen-can-do-a-lot-of-different-things-when-it/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [The average American expends more time becoming informed about choosing a car than choosing a candidate. But, then, the consequences of the former choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/the-average-american-expends-more-time-becoming-informed-about/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [My phone rings, they call me up and say, 'Chael, your testosterone level is too high.' 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O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [I feel like what motivates me is what would motivate the regular average person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rico-nasty/i-feel-like-what-motivates-me-is-what-would-motivate-the-regular/) [Rico Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rico-nasty/) > [We're trying to do something so that when the average person uses Pinterest, it has to make the service better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-silbermann/we-re-trying-to-do-something-so-that-when-the-average-person-uses/) [Ben Silbermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-silbermann/) > [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) Browse all 2,816 Average quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm just an average Canadian kid playing hockey.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Thornton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing-hockey/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Average" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing-hockey/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/joe-thornton-5006_average_i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing_1265692.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/joe-thornton-5006_average_i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing_1265692.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/joe-thornton-5006_average_i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing_1265692.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm just an average Canadian kid playing hockey.” — Joe Thornton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Joe Thornton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-thornton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm just an average Canadian kid...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing-hockey/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-thornton/i-m-just-an-average-canadian-kid-playing-hockey/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```