Category Archives: Columns
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 times stride frequency. Obviously, DNA has a lot…
Avalanche sled hockey star Roman announces retirement from U.S. national team
July 18th, 2022After a decorated 11-year career with the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team that was highlighted by six gold medals, including three in the Paralympic Winter Games, Rico Roman announced his retirement this week. “It has been nothing but fun all these years with the boys,” said Roman. “I wouldn’t be here without my teammates. I’ve…
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…
From the Trainer’s Room: How to work core stability in a standing position
June 2nd, 2022The term “core stability” has been around for decades. There are many different aspects of core stability, but to me, we are speaking about the muscles that allow your trunk to flex, extend, rotate, and side bend. They are also the muscles that resist these movements and the muscles that provide support to the pelvis…
From the Trainer’s Room: Planning with purpose, how to attack the offseason
May 26th, 2022The offseason for a hockey player seems to get shorter and shorter every year. Every athlete I see in our facilities wants to get bigger and stronger or rehabilitate a nagging injury from the previous season. When are we supposed to find the time to achieve these goals when we never stop getting on the…
From the Trainer’s Room: How to stay injury-free during summer ice, inline tournaments
May 19th, 2022It is the time of year when hockey tournaments are dominating the schedule. Whether it’s a NARCh event, State Wars, or a fun offseason ice tournament, the hockey athlete still needs to take care of their body. Tournament play brings about several variables that are not considered during a “normal” season where schedules are planned…
From the Trainer’s Room: The basics of sports injury rehab
May 12th, 2022Injuries unfortunately are a part of sports. How an athlete recovers and returns from the injury depends on each athlete and each injury. There are different severities of injury and different demands on the injured area depending on the sport being played and how each individual responds to injury and pain. In other words, an ankle…