Category Archives: Columns
From the Trainer’s Room: Final phase of the hockey offseason
August 23rd, 2022The beginning of the hockey season is just weeks away. There are many camps going on and the demands for the players to be on the ice are increasing. So, too, must the work we do in the gym change as we enter this final phase of the offseason. To recap, the first phase of…
From the Trainer’s Room: Four ways to fight fatigue, boost recovery
August 19th, 2022With fall sports coming back into season, training intensity and frequency will ramp up for many teams, making recovery a prominent aspect of the game. As physical stress on athletes increases, their bodies are sure to feel the effects. Fatigue, muscle soreness, and dehydration are some major effects that can hinder an athlete’s performance if…
From the Trainer’s Room: Off-ice training to prepare for the season
August 8th, 2022Just like that, the summer offseason for hockey is almost over. I hope everyone spent some quality time off their skates to recover and rehab from last season. In a previous column, I spoke of using the early offseason to build strength in the gym while reducing the amount of time on ice to avoid…
From the Trainer’s Room: Sports performance training not just for improving performance
July 29th, 2022When we think of sports performance training, we think of getting faster, jumping higher and getting stronger so we can be better at our sport. Though it is true, we train to get better at our sport, but what can be forgotten is that we also train to prepare for the demands of the upcoming…
From the Trainer’s Room: Two simple exercises to improve speed on ice
July 19th, 2022Today’s hockey game is faster than ever. Today’s young stars like Trevor Zegras and Jack Hughes are so effective because of their speed. Perennial offensive stars Connor McDavid and Johnny Gaudreau have an unreal ability to accelerate and beat their opponent to the puck, which makes them so successful. Speed is determined by stride length…
From the Trainer’s Room: NHL Draft takeaway
July 11th, 2022It’s that time of year again as the NHL Draft takes place and all hockey fans glue their eyes to the television to see who will be the stars of the future. There were plenty of surprises and transactions that made this year’s draft fun to talk about, but there was one common theme I…
From the Trainer’s Room: Keys to recovery
July 7th, 2022Recovery after training or competition is crucial to continue sport performance at high intensity levels. Exercise-induced fatigue results in a decreased ability to generate adequate muscle force, or power, during activity. When the muscle is fatigued, there are increased levels of blood lactate, which can inhibit the muscle’s ability to contract efficiently and can lead…
From the Trainer’s Room: Availability – the best attribute for an athlete
June 22nd, 2022When we look at what makes an athlete superior, we look at speed, strength, and power. Some will look at how the athlete performs under pressure like scoring an overtime goal or striking out a batter with the bases loaded. Others may look at winning such as an elite player who makes teammates better around…
From the Trainer’s Room: Getting stronger, not bigger
June 13th, 2022All the hype on social media today stresses how cool it is to be huge and lift heavy weights. You can’t look at Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok without seeing some pro athlete or someone trying to be a pro athlete lifting an outrageous amount of weight one time and showing how big or “jacked” they…
San Francisco native, Paralympic standout Lee named USA Hockey Disabled Athlete of the Year
June 6th, 2022USA Hockey has announced that San Francisco native Jen Lee is the organization’s Disabled Athlete of the Year. Lee backstopped Team USA to an unprecedented fourth straight Paralympic gold medal at the 2022 Beijing Paralympic Winter Games and did not allow a single goal in Team USA’s four games in the tournament. Lee, who was…