You might not think of hockey players as the type to practice Yoga, but it can be very beneficial to improving on-ice performance. Many professional hockey players do yoga on a regular basis, often as a supplemental workout to their standard routine.
Yoga has benefited many people by helping them to relax, improving their breathing, and increasing their overall mobility. These are all things that can be advantageous to hockey players, so it’s easy to see why a regular yoga routine can be desirable for professional athletes. Here are some of the key benefits that hockey players can receive from doing yoga.
Stress Relief
Hockey players of all backgrounds experience stress in their everyday life, just like any other person. This is true whether they are a star professional on a winning team or a rec-league player with a regular 9 to 5 job. Yoga is proven to reduce stress hormones, and this is a major benefit for anybody who plays hockey. Getting rid of everyday stress can allow you to focus more on your game and put in a better performance without worrying about external distractions when you are playing.
It is helpful to have less stress even when you are not on the ice. The stress relief that yoga provides means that you won’t beat yourself up over a poor performance and that you won’t dwell on the losses. This will ensure that you are more prepared for your next game.
Improved Breathing
Regular yoga practice can improve your overall breathing techniques, allowing you to have larger lung capacity and more efficient delivery of oxygen to your organs. Hockey is a high-intensity sport that requires some long bursts of action, so it makes sense that players should want to improve their breathing techniques. By taking advantage of the training that yoga provides, players can have more endurance and will be ready to take on longer shifts. They’ll also be ready to get back on the ice more quickly between shifts thanks to increased lung capacity.
Reduced Inflammation
Inflammation is a detriment to anybody but can especially affect hockey players who are looking to optimize their performance. Reduced inflammation means that you experience shorter recovery times between workouts and will have a more highly functioning body in multiple aspects. This translates to the ice rink as players without inflammation will have higher energy levels and will show more strength in their play.
Better Balance
The poses in yoga often focus on standing on one leg or holding certain postures for a long amount of time. Being that hockey is played on skates, balance is an essential part of the game. While most hockey players have developed a strong sense of balance already, yoga can improve upon this and allow them more room to make quick pivots, explosive crossovers and enhance your shot. Balance is not often a major part of practice, so supplementing with yoga can have great results on the ice.
Improved Muscle Function
This is related to inflammation and breathing, as oxygen levels will be higher and more consistent throughout the musculoskeletal system of a hockey player who practices yoga. Again, this allows for shorter rest periods between shifts but also means that the player is becoming more efficient as they don’t have to exert themselves as much to show their strength.
As you continue to build your muscles and increase their efficiency, you will also benefit from shorter recovery times. Your body won’t need to compensate as much when you are playing, making it less likely that you’ll suffer from injury. Even if you do sustain a minor injury, you will be back up and running in less time thanks to your yoga training.
Increased Overall Mobility
Mobility is important for any athlete, and hockey players are no different. Yoga has many moves that help to open up certain muscles and give people higher levels of agility and mobility. This is clearly helpful to hockey players who need to skate, shoot, block shots and pass while avoiding big hits from rival players. In addition to more mobility on the ice, this will result to better recovery times after games and means that players will be more prepared for their next game as opposed to someone who doesn’t do yoga.
Keep in mind that mobility is not just flexibility, although it does play a big role. This flexibility will lead to increased power and speed, meaning you’ll be a tougher opponent no matter who you are going up against.
Greater Levels of Focus
The mental aspect of both yoga and hockey are very real, and it is vital to be as focused as possible when taking the ice. Yoga cultivates higher focus in several ways. Breathing is one way that has already been covered, as getting more oxygen to your brain will provide more clarity and focus. However, the moves themselves also require intense concentration, and learning and improving on them will improve focus in the long run.
The more focused you are on the ice, the more you will be able to make quick decisions and outperform your opponents. Physical strength and speed are important, but strong mental fortitude and focus are just as big of a part of the game. The player with stronger focus has a major edge in competition.
Overall Mental and Physical Improvement
As we’ve discussed, yoga is a fantastic instrument for improving both your mental and physical abilities. Hockey players can get a lot of benefits from practicing yoga on a regular basis – whether on their own or in a class. From improved focus and decreased stress to better recovery and more strength, there are plenty of reasons for hockey players to pick up a yoga mat and learn some new poses. It may not carry the tough-guy persona that being a hockey player does, but in the long run, you’ll be a lot tougher – both mentally and physically – if you take up the great habit of doing yoga.
Everyone loves a good rivalry. Whether it is between teams or players, the stakes are raised when a fierce rivalry hits the ice. Do these players hate each other? Sometimes. There are times where a rivalry can spill over into something more. But most of the time rivalries are built on respect and a mutual admiration for the other player. A lot of times they can be built between divisional rivals, playoff matchups, or even two players that have been drafted together. Comparisons are inevitable, and sometimes these players feed off of these comparisons to raise their game to another level. Let’s take a look at some of the best player feuds in the NHL!
Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin
Ever since both players were drafted first overall in 2005 and 2004 respectively, they’ve been pitted against each other by the media and NHL fans. In another rarity, both players have spent their entire careers with the same teams, making it extra special every time the Penguins and Capitals square off. We’ve seen classic playoff series and we’ve seen both players raise a Stanley Cup.
Both Crosby and Ovechkin are first ballot hall of famers and Ovechkin could potentially be the all-time leading goal scorer when all is said and done. The two have both stated that while they aren’t best friends, there is a mutual respect both on and off the ice. As two of the faces of the league, the Crosby-Ovechkin era of the NHL is starting to come to a close. It will no doubt go down in history as one of the greatest rivalries we’ve ever seen.
Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux
Does it get any better than Gretzky and Lemieux? Arguably the two best players to ever lace them up, the two legends dominated the league during the 80’s and 90’s. While NHL fans have always been left to wonder about Lemieux’s full potential due to a series of injuries and a year off due to non-hodgkins lymphoma, it’s probably a good bet that he wouldn’t have caught Gretzky’s all time point total.
The two rarely played against each other due to Lemieux spending his entire career in Pittsburgh and Gretzky playing most of his time in the Western Conference. But when they teamed up for Team Canada at the 1987 Canada Cup, Lemieux described it as the best time of his career. The two had a natural chemistry with each other, and teamed for several important goals.
Sean Avery and Martin Brodeur
Those of us who are old enough to remember the super pest, Sean Avery, will likely chuckle when we think of his brief playoff feud with New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur. In the playoff series between the Rangers and the Devils in 2008, the Blueshirts did everything they could to rattle the hall of fame goalie. This included Sean Avery taking things into his own hands. During a power play, rather than screening Brodeur in the traditional fashion, Avery turned around to meet Brodeur face to face. He then started to wave his stick in Brodeur’s face trying to obstruct his view.
Apparently it worked, as the Rangers managed to win the series 4-1. Broduer was noticeably bothered by it, and refused to shake Avery’s hand after the series was over. The NHL did implement a rule that is now known as the ‘Sean Avery Rule’ where players cannot wave their sticks in the faces of goaltenders. Although it’s been fourteen years since the infamous game, Brodeur and Avery remain bitter rivals, and I think it’s safe to say neither of them send each other Christmas cards.
Kris Draper and Claude Lemieux
There have been few team rivalries that were as bitter as the great rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche of the late 90’s. Not only were both teams at the top of the Western Conference, but both were stacked with future hall of fame players. Their games were highlighted by bench clearing brawls and even goalie fights between the likes of Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon. But no hit defined this rivalry more than the dirty check from behind from Claude Lemieux on Kris Draper.
The hit came in Game 6 of the 1996 Western Conference finals, a series that the Avs would go on to win en route to a Stanley Cup victory over the Florida Panthers. Draper suffered a broken jaw, a broken nose, and a fractured orbital bone. The next year, Draper’s teammate Darren McCarty took matters into his own hands and pounded on Lemieux in the infamous turtling incident. The hit remains one of the dirtiest in league history, and even now, there’s a little extra spice when Colorado and Detroit face off against each other.
Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews
Is this the next greatest rivalry in the NHL? The modern day Gretzky and Lemieux, McDavid and Matthews have also been dominating the league since they entered it. It also makes it extra special for Canadian hockey fans since McDavid plays for the Oilers and Matthews plays for the Leafs. The only problem? The two are actually good friends off the ice. Toronto and Edmonton also barely play against each other since they are in different conferences, but it’s not out of the question to one day see them face off in a Stanley Cup finals.
The all-Canadian division that was put into place during the COVID-19 bubble was our best opportunity to see McDavid and Matthews playing against each other. But for now, the rivalry just hasn’t reached the same level as Crosby and Ovechkin. The two have trained together in the off season and have been learning from each other too, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the league. Until we see a playoff matchup between the two, this rivalry will likely be more of a Gretzky and Lemieux type relationship. Still, they can expect to be compared to each other for the rest of their careers and at least as hockey fans, we know the future of the league is in good hands!
In the world of professional sports, scouts are one of the most important people in an organization. They are a fundamental part of talent evaluation for the future of the franchise, and they see more games and videos of players than anyone else in hockey. A hockey scout operates in the background. Think about all 32 NHL teams, can you name their scouts? More likely, you’ll be able to name some general managers, coaches, and of course the players. But scouts? Only the most avid hockey fans would know their organization that well!
What is the Role of the Hockey Scout?
So what is the role of the scout? The goal of their work is a forward-looking process. Think about where the franchise is at right now, and where they will be in two, five, or ten years. What kind of talent will they need? Are major contracts coming up where the organization can fill those roster spots with youth? Does the free agent class for goaltenders look particularly shallow in a few years? If that is the case, the organization may want to draft a goalie in the draft and develop the talent from within.
Proper talent evaluation and planning can set the franchise up for years. But there is more to a scout than just going to watch hockey games. Some scouts will focus on junior or college players and who is coming down the pipe for the NHL draft. Others will keep an eye on other professional leagues around the world, where NHL teams may be able to work on signing an unknown player, or at the very least drafting them.
The Detroit Red Wings come to mind here. The team sent their head of European Scouting Hakan Andersson to Russia to scout defenseman Dmitri Kalinin. After watching the game Andersson noticed Datsyuk more than Kalinin. Andersson made the effort to go to watch Datsyuk again, a process that required obtaining a travel visa each time he entered the country. When Andersson made his case to the Red Wings front office, they trusted his judgment and selected Datsyuk.
The rest is history: Datsyuk helped the Wings to two Stanley Cups, he won four consecutive Lady Byng trophies for the best sportsmanship in the NHL, and three consecutive Selke trophies for the best defensive forward. If Andersson hadn’t traveled to the far reaches of Russia to watch the games in the minor leagues, Datsyuk may have never been discovered. Andersson’s is an example of a scout gaining complete trust at all levels of the organization. He also went on to scout former captain Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, and Tomas Holstrom all from his native Sweden.
Who Are Hockey Scouts?
Generally, hockey scouts are people who have been around the game, and have some experience both playing and coaching. Talent evaluation is a major part of the job, so it definitely helps to have been a player at some high level. A lot of scouts around the NHL are ex-players, and having that eye for what intangibles a player possesses at such a young age, is key to their development into professional players.
What do Scouts Look For?
After a certain level, most players are highly skilled, so scouts definitely need to watch for what sets these players apart from the pack. Of course, hockey scouts look for what the player can do on the ice: skating, shooting, hockey sense, finishing checks, and effort are all things that can help a scout take notice of a specific player. We know for Andersson, he noticed that Datsyuk was incredibly skilled at anticipating the moves of his opponents, and breaking up plays with his stick. That kind of hockey sense is not always teachable, so if a player can come with that inherent skill, it’s less work for the organization in the long run.
Another side to player evaluation is how that player acts and carries himself off the ice. Andersson was intrigued by Datsyuk after he brought a Russian translator with him to speak with Datsyuk following the game, but Datsyuk refused. For some scouts that could have been a red flag that the player has some personality issues off the ice, or just isn’t interested in playing in the NHL. Luckily for Red Wings fans, Andersson persisted and went back to watch Datsyuk again.
Scouts also need to see if the player’s game is transferable to the NHL. Hockey in Europe is so different from hockey in North America, with larger rink sizes, less physicality, and less dumping and chasing. Andersson had to determine if Datsyuk’s skill set translated to the NHL game. He noted that Datsyuk was small, but that he was strong on his skates, even though his skating technique was unorthodox. Remember, players in these remote minor Russian leagues are not really comparable to NHL opponents, so success in Europe does not necessarily mean success in the NHL.
How do you become a Hockey Scout?
Being a hockey scout sounds like a fun job, but there’s a lot of hard work that goes into it as well. First, you’ll definitely have to put your time in with an organization and get the front office and executives to trust your judgment.. For as many success stories of players like Datsyuk come out of the NHL draft, there are likely ten or twenty times as many stories of draft picks being failures. We’ve seen entire scouting groups be relieved from their positions if a team struggles for an extended period of time.
So for those who want to become hockey scouts, just don’t expect to be hired in the NHL from off the streets. Being an NHL level scout takes years of recognition and trust, and it certainly helps to have played the game at the highest level. You need a great eye for talent and that extra ability to recognize true talent in an environment completely different from the NHL. Andersson most likely had many failures as a scout, but for these few successes he had, the Red Wings won multiple Stanley Cups and dominated the NHL for more than a decade.
It is a great divide that we are still trying to cross in our everyday world, let alone sports. The gender gap is a real social dilemma and whether it is about opportunities or the differences in how much men and women are paid, the fact is, in many ways our society is still a male-dominated world. Leagues like the WNBA and the NWSL are breaking down barriers for female athletes around the world, and hockey isn’t too far behind. Recently the PWHPA (Professional Women’s Hockey Player’s Association) continued its Dream Gap Tour for a second season, as the organization pushes for a North American professional women’s league. The PWHPA played its first official women’s hockey game at Madison Square Garden, a historic event for women’s hockey everywhere.
We all remember the legends of the game that paved the way for young female hockey players around the world. Manon Rheaume stood tall as the first woman to ever play a professional sport in North America. Hayley Wickenheiser and Cammi Granato led the first generation of women’s hockey stars and are rightfully considered to be two of the best to ever suit up. But there are often women behind the scenes, working for NHL front offices and helping the league function on a day to day basis. Recently the NBA and NFL have both embraced hiring female coaches and executives, something that was unheard of until the last few years. Let’s take a look at some of the most powerful women in the NHL and how they are changing the game for the better.
Dawn Braid
Braid was the first woman to ever be hired into a full-time coaching position when she became the skating coach for the Arizona Coyotes in 2016. She has also worked with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks, and the Calgary Flames in various capacities. Braid worked with the Coyotes for two years before leaving the organization to return to consultant work.
Kim Davis
Davis was hired in December of 2017 as the new Executive Vice President of Social Impact, Growth Initiatives, and Legislative Affairs for the NHL. She works tirelessly with grassroots hockey across North America to ensure that a strong and diverse culture is enforced from a young age. As the NHL becomes more diverse both in terms of gender and culture, Davis is the one leading the charge, creating a league where all individuals are welcomed and celebrated.
Heidi Browning
Browning is the current Chief Marketing Officer for the NHL and has the task of drawing interest to hockey at a time where the internet and social media rule. She has started numerous programs including NHL Power Players, which empowers teenagers to help provide feedback and suggestions on how the NHL can better relate to the youth of today. Browning also helps the NHL players market themselves, whether it is building their own brand online or helping them find a platform to help the community.
Cassie Campbell-Pascal
Another legend as a former player, Campbell-Pascal is now trailblazing in the announce booth too as one of the new hosts of Hockey Night in Canada. She has become a mainstay on broadcasts and has provided poignant insights and demonstrated a vast knowledge for the game. She has paved the way for more women broadcasters around the league, and joins a growing contingency of female broadcasters in nearly every professional sport.
Susan Cohig
Cohig is the Executive Vice President of Club Business Affairs, which is a fancy way of saying she ensures NHL teams have their ducks in a row. Cohig is instrumental in things such as the recent expansion team in Las Vegas as well as the upcoming debut of the Seattle Kraken. She has also played a large role in getting female players involved in the NHL all star festivities as well as the extremely popular women’s hockey rivalry series between Canada and the U.S.A.
Cammi Granato
We already mentioned Granato once earlier, but she definitely deserves her own spot as she was recently named the first ever NHL pro scout by the Seattle Kraken. She was hired by another powerful woman, the Director of Hockey Operations in Seattle, Alexandra Mandrycky. There have been female amateur scouts in the past, but Granato is raising the bar, showing that when it comes to identifying talent on the ice, women are just as impactful.
Hayley Wickenheiser
Often called the Wayne Gretzky of women’s hockey, Wickenheiser is now the Assistant Director of Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. She is actively in charge of monitoring the progress and performance of Toronto’s farm system and prospects. Wickenheiser continues to work hard in growing the popularity of women’s hockey with initiatives like her WickFest girl’s hockey tournament.
Katie Million
Million is the USA Hockey Director of Women’s National Team Programs, so she is directly responsible for the recent success of the U.S. Women’s hockey program. She took over the position in 2019, after the U.S. Women’s team won Olympic Gold, and one of her main goals is to repeat in 2022. She is now one of the most powerful figures in the U.S. women’s hockey program, and is tasked with continuing the mounting success that the country has come to enjoy.
Lindsay Artkin
Did you know there is an NHL Coach’s Association? Well Lindsay Artkin is the president of it and is ensuring that the path is cleared for women who want to get involved in coaching at the professional level. Do not be surprised if we see some bigger names in the world of women’s hockey behind the benches of NHL teams at some point in the near future, especially as the role of coach in the NHL continues to evolve!
Des Di Santo has been a ground breaker in yoga for athletes for over 10 years. The former pro hockey player followed her passion of playing ice hockey to North America at age 18. Yoga was first introduced to her as part of cross training for hockey, while playing on an international level.
As a student of yoga, she has learned that the best advice comes from your body’s inner wisdom, despite having spent the greater part of her athletic career following the advice of others in terms of training for competition. A pattern she finds in many pro athletes she has been working with to this day. She believes that reaching your full potential as an athlete requires a balanced approach to training. An approach that pushes and nurtures your body and your mind.
Des uses her extensive background in elite athletics and movement to guide athletes out of pain and into their own bodies.
To have longevity in a league like the NHL, playing a game as physically tasking as hockey at the highest level, is truly a remarkable thing. Think about how sore you feel after a beer league hockey game or a game of shinny with your friends. Now imagine that 82 times against the best hockey players in the world, who only get younger and more athletic, the older you get. While it’s always flashy goal scorers and top point getters like Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby who get all of the accolades, true greatness comes with surviving the war of attrition that comes with the grind of each NHL season.
So for once we are going to take a look at some of the great examples of longevity in the NHL. It is truly an indication of toughness, grit, and maybe a little bit of luck as well. To survive in the league for as long as some of these players have, you need to avoid serious injury as well as have the ability to continue to produce in one way or another. Here are five of the most impressive careers in the history of the NHL:
Patrick Marleau
We couldn’t make this list without having the new all-time leader in NHL games played at the top. Patrick Marleau was drafted second overall in 1997 by the San Jose Sharks, and since then has played 1,779 games for the Sharks, the Maple Leafs, and the Penguins. Actually, Marleau has played over 1,600 of those games for San Jose so his tenure with Toronto and Pittsburgh were pretty minimal. Marleau has shown incredible consistency throughout his career, playing in 80 or more games in a season 15 times, including a streak of six straight years where he didn’t miss a game from 2013-2019. Perhaps more impressively, Marleau never played less than 70 games in a season until last year, which was twenty-two seasons into his illustrious career. Although the Sharks missed the playoffs this year, Marleau has already stated he hopes to come back for a 24th season in 2022. I wonder if we will see him as a coach one day? Marleau seems like a perfect candidate for this!
Joe Thornton
Did anyone think back in 1997 that two of the top six leaders in games played in NHL history would be picked first and second? That’s right Jumbo Joe went one spot ahead of Marleau in the same draft, going to the Boston Bruins. Funnily enough, Thornton and Marleau played much of their careers together in San Jose, once Thornton was traded to the Sharks in 2006. The two would go on to play the next thirteen seasons together for San Jose, before Marleau left for Toronto in 2017-2018. Thornton signed with the Leafs this season, when Marleau actually returned to San Jose. As can be expected, Thornton has just as impressive of a career as Marleau, appearing in 70 or more games in 18 different seasons. At 1,680 career games played, Thornton needs just 54 more games to crack the top 4 in NHL history, but at this point in his career, catching Marleau may be out of the question.
Zdeno Chara
Big Z has had a marvelous career in the league, most notably as the captain of the Boston Bruins who won the Stanley Cup back in 2011. Since his NHL debut back in 1998, Chara has played in 1,608 games for the Islanders, Senators, Bruins, and currently the Washington Capitals. Chara is as rugged and tough as they come, and if it weren’t for some early career injuries and struggles, he may be challenging Thornton and Marleau for a top 5 spot on the list. Chara was not able to suit up for a full NHL season until his fourth year in the league. Washington lost in the playoffs this year, and Chara has yet to officially make a decision on returning in 2022.
Jaromir Jagr
In my opinion, one of the greatest players to ever play professional hockey, Jagr was a dominant force in the NHL for the better part of two decades. Jagr sits fourth on the all-time games played list, although he is still playing in Europe, he has not officially retired from the NHL. Jagr is most well known for his years alongside Mario Lemieux as a Pittsburgh Penguin, but also had significant stints with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers, as well as cups of coffee with Philadelphia, Dallas, Boston, New Jersey, Florida, and Calgary. Incredibly, Jagr has dealt with injuries throughout his career but he has managed to play across 27 different seasons. At the now tender age of 49, Jagr may have played his last game in the NHL, but his legacy as one of the greatest to ever lace them up, will not soon be forgotten.
Alex Delvecchio
When going down the list of the NHL games played list, Alex Delvecchio sticks out like a sore thumb. Why? Delvecchio sits 16th on the all-time list with 1,550 games played across 24 seasons. The incredible thing is Delvecchio never played in a season with more than 78 games played by each team. Most of the players on the list were able to play their entire careers in seasons of 82 or more games. Delvecchio also only played in one game in his first year and eleven games in his last year. In the 22 seasons in between, he played less than 65 games only once, including a span of seven straight years of all 70 games. Talk about an iron man! Remember that Delvecchio played at a time where helmets weren’t worn and padding was questionable at best. To avoid serious injury and to be able to play in that many consecutive games is impressive in any era!
