by Eric Miller
It’s only an eight game schedule but my body thinks otherwise—the season feels like 80 games. My legs burn with each stride while my lungs gasp for more air than a carburetor. But we’re in the playoffs and complaining is for sissies. Everybody’s whipped, even our rivals, and it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Lose two games and we’re out until September. No one wants to hang up their skates in early May. … Continue Reading
Eric Miller (old hockey dude)
By Eric Miller
(Note: Names below were changed.)
We boarded the jet two hours late, me and 350 others. No explanation was given other than lousy weather in Europe. My original seat selection was along the back row aisle near the lavatory. I’m one who plans ahead— the ten hour flight from Oakland to Stockholm would test my prostate, larger than a hockey puck, to the max. Two minutes in the penalty box is rough enough. No pre-flight drinks for me. … Continue Reading
In this article we have three hockey tips from George Parros of the Florida Panthers. Parros has played over 400 games in the in NHL, won a Stanley Cup with the Ducks and has a great Mustache! In the videos Parros teaches a trick shot, how to take a snapshot, and shares some tips for the forwards crossovers.
Thanks to H20 Overdrive for setting up this opportunity with George Parros, although I would have liked to see some tips geared towards his physical style of play, maybe later we can do a video with tips for intimidation and dropping the mitts.
In this video Parros teaches his style of the snapshot which many NHL players use. This is a great shot to use to incorporate a lot of power and a deceptive release. This snapshot is a hybrid between the full wrist shot and the quick release snapshot that I taught in another article and video.
Parros has some great tips in this video. His advice will help you make a tight turn while using crossovers but also maintain good body position and balance. Once you have mastered the forwards crossovers you can start working on your backwards crossovers
In this video Parros teaches you how to pull the puck back and then flip it up in the air. If you are looking for some more trick shots you might like our video on how to do the scoopy puck move
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The purpose of this blog is to help build better teams, by providing players, coaches, and parents with useful drills, tools, and information. You often hear me talking about on-ice strategies and tactics, or off-ice drills and workouts that will give you an EDGE over your competition.
They’re all the same… Well… Almost!
As you move into higher levels of play, the skill-sets of each player become more and more similar. Think about it… who scores the most goals at mite hockey? It’s the kid who can skate the fastest! Who scores the most goals at Peewee? Now that most kids can skate, other tactics like shooting, playmaking, and read & react abilities start coming into play. How about at Midget? Juniors? College? NHL? At the top levels of play, the difference in physical skills from the best player on the team to the worst is minimal. So the importance of gaining an EDGE over your competition is even more crucial!
So who’s my competition?
Who exactly is our competition anyways? This is a huge question, and one that every player needs an honest and healthy understanding of.
When we talk about training, and dominating our competition, the first thought that comes to mind is the OTHER team, right? Of course we want to annhialate the other team… we want to be stronger in the corners, meaner in front of the net, faster to the loose puck… we want to think the game faster, and punish them on the scoreboard… right? If that’s not the case for you, then you’re definitely in the wrong sport. In fact, athletics is probably the wrong field for you in general!
But let’s think a little bit deeper on this… what about our own teammates? Could they be competition too? My response would be ABSOLUTELY!
When you no longer have the “buzzer” to signal the end of your shift…
The moment you graduate from “house league” hockey, your teammates become your competition. Obviously, this needs to be HEALTHY competition, with each player working toward a common, team-oriented objective, but nevertheless… its a competition.
As you move into higher levels of play, the players who produce results will see more ice time. Now these results may come in the form of goals and assists, or maybe in terms of physical play. Sometimes results are considered “momentum shifters” such as a big hit, a big save, a fight, or drawing a penalty at a critical time in the game.
The question is… HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SET YOURSELF UP AS A GO-TO PLAYER? How are you going to make sure YOU get the nod over someone else when you’re down by a goal with 3 minutes left in the game? How are you going to establish yourself as a disciplined, gutsy, hard-working grinder that your coach CAN’T AFFORD to sit during the penalty kill?
The humble opinion of yours truly…
My answer is, you must become a STUDENT of the game, in all respects. You have to UNDERSTAND your positioning better than anyone else, and then EXECUTE it with discipline. You have to be mentally tough, responding to pressure with IMPROVED PLAY, rather than disintegrated execution. You have to think, breath, and live the game, not only at the rink, but at home too. You have to be PHYSICALLY tough… never shying away from a hit. You have to be CONFIDENT that you can go into a battle, and come up with the puck.
So what are the key aspects of the game, that player’s should be working on to gain their edge? Here’s a list of the most important items (again in my humble opinion).
On-Ice Factors:
Off-Ice Factors:
If it were easy… Everyone would be doing it!
It’s easy to be pretty good. But becoming EXCELLENT takes complete dedication both on and off the ice. Players at the highest levels understand that hockey is a lifestyle, not a pass time. It takes a lifetime of disciplined execution to achieve excellence in our sport!
On top of all that, you have to be PATIENT. You might not be a go-to player in the coach’s eyes yet. So, take the chance NOW to prepare yourself so that when you get your shot you’re ready to step in and prove that YOU deserve to be there more than your teammate!
There’s an old saying that goes “luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” Prepare yourself now to meet your opportunity, then seize the moment when it comes!
Jeremy
PS – What do you think of my list? Did I forget anything? Leave a comment and let me know what aspects of the game are “MUST HAVES” for you!
Careers in the NHL: Angela Gorgone
By Bob Cunningham
Nov 6, 2000, 07:17
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Step inside the offices of The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and you’re greeted with an atmosphere that efficiently blends the upbeat professionalism of the Walt Disney Company with a colorful extracurricular flavor that is found in pro sports.
Walk past the receptionist’s desk, turn right after strolling between two rows of decorator hockey sticks aligned like window blinds and head into the first door on the right. There, you’ll find dozens of media guides and other hockey reference materials adorning a back cabinet, organized impeccably. The quaint but ample office is cleanly decorated in The Mighty Ducks’ jade, purple and white. An impressive wood desk is neatly orchestrated, dominated by a computer terminal.
This is the office of the Coordinator of Computer Scouting and Video. This is Angela Gorgone’s office.
It’s appropriate that Gorgone’s office is the first one you reach as you head back into the arteries that make a professional organization’s heart beat. Appropriate because the role Gorgone plays intendedly works as a transfusion of information that is utilized in ultimately deciding which players are going to be donning the Ducks’ uniforms in the future.
The correspondence also aids the team in analyzing its future foes.
Arriving at this point in her career hasn’t been without the routine pitfalls and some sacrifice, but Gorgone is ecstatic over her progression into the field she’s known all along was right for her, the only one for her actually.
“I couldn’t be happier,” she beams.
Dedication, desire and hard work
Gorgone notes that the old standbys of dedication, desire and hard work are all that’s needed to begin a career in professional sports… women included.
She’s proud to say that the fact that she’s female has never really been a hindrance.
“In terms of actually someone making me feel unwelcome, or that I can’t do what I’m doing in hockey because I’m a woman, that’s never happened,” she says. “Occasionally, there’ve been times when I’ve felt more pressure. Really, I just become more determined to prove myself. To show I belong. I guess I have to know that much more than a man in the same position might have to know.”
In a sport that has spawned the integration of women into its actual product, Gorgone has pursued a more realistic approach toward a rewarding and enjoyable career in professional hockey, assisting in the operations of a National Hockey League team by virtue of her detailed knowledge of the entire organizational spectrum — from the lowest minor leagues on up.
The key for Gorgone, 26, has been her bachelors degree in sports management obtained from Ohio-based Bowling Green University. She had known since her earliest days growing up in Copiague, Long Island that she desired to pursue a career in hockey. But how to reach that goal didn’t become clear until shortly after graduation from high school.
Eat, drink and work hockey
“Growing up, we lived hockey. We ate, slept and drank the New York Rangers,” explains the single Anaheim resident. “Believe it or not, I wanted to work specifically in hockey since I was six years old.”
The sculpture of her eventual career path began to take shape after she watched Bowling Green’s 1984 hockey team outlast the University of Minnesota-Duluth in four overtimes to capture the NCAA title.
Gorgone had inquired to different colleges regarding her interests, but couldn’t locate the right type of program. Most discussed the training aspect of the game, while Gorgone was more interested in crunching numbers. She had worked as team statistician in high school in baseball, basketball and lacrosse, as well as hockey.
“I wrote to Bowling Green and they mailed me back some literature. They had a sports management degree. That was something that was relatively new at that time. I knew that’s what I wanted. They couldn’t have described it any better.”
Four years later, in the spring of 1989, Gorgone graduated with her bachelor’s. That came about five months after she began a critical internship with the New Jersey Devils.
“I wrote to different teams and received two offers — from the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals,” she says. “I went with the Devils because I’m from Long Island, it was more local.”
From Bowling Green to Rangers
Gorgone credits some of her successful rise to her association with former Ranger George McPhee, a Bowling Green alumnus she came to know.
“I really admired him, not because he was a great scorer or even a great player, but because he was the hardest working player I could ever remember. I’ve never forgotten that.”
With the Devils, Gorgone functioned as Hockey Staff Assistant under Director of Player Personnel Marshall Johnston. She also worked under Max McNab, the Executive Vice President and General Manager, as well as father of David McNab, the Mighty Ducks’ present Director of Player Personnel. She compulated statistics, assisted in writing out scouting reports, assisted in the production of the media guide and also worked in community relations, helping to schedule team appearances at local charitable functions.
The Devils liked her work so much, they decided to retain her as a full-time employee following the conclusion of her internship. She remained with the Devils until July of last year.
Migrate West
It was then that, despite the incredibly positive and supportive experience of the previous four years, it was time for something else.
“I had gotten to know Jack Ferreira through a mutual friend,” Cordons explains. “When the new team was formed out here, Jack called me and I thought it was the opportunity of a lifetime. I just couldn’t refuse. My years in New Jersey were invaluable, but it was time to move on.”
Gorgone notes that she’s been given a great deal more responsibility with The Mighty Ducks than she had at New Jersey.
“I guess you could say I’m the hockey resource person. I helped develop our computer scouting system,” she said.
During Mighty Ducks games, Gorgone can be found in the press box, busily entering data into a portable computer while the game is in progress. The information she initiates is eventually digested by the powers at be, resulting in decisions that directly affect the team on the ice.
Gorgone notes that coming to sunny Southern California was really a coincidence concerning her team change. This move was based purely on her hockey career.
Enjoy what you do
“I love it out here, I really do. I had never been to Southern California before. But coming out here had nothing to do with the location,” she explains. “If this opportunity would have been in Winnipeg, I would’ve taken it. The chance to help build a new organization… it’s exciting to help build something from scratch.”
Gorgone’s future aspirations don’t differ greatly from her current situation. Actually, though, she admits she hasn’t given the long term a great deal of thought.
“I’m really concentrating right now on doing the best I can in this position. I think I’d always like to stay in the hockey department, although I don’t think I’d want to go too much into the scouting end of it because of the travel.
“It’s very important to me that you enjoy what you do. I love coming to work. I love being at the games,” she says. “It’s really not as glamorous as people think. Some people think the players come in here and hang out all day.
“But I still love it.”
Bob Cunningham is a Southern California-based freelance writer who contributes to several sports publications throughout the U.S. and Canada.
This first appeared in the 05/1994 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®
In our last article we talked about the importance of eating a good breakfast to start your day. Let’s now focus on the other meals of the day. It goes without saying that your body will perform much better if you use premium fuel to keep it going. There is a lot of information out there about proper nutrition and what we should or shouldn’t eat. We will review those concepts here.
Joffrey Lupul, Toronto Maple Leafs, Hockey OT Athlete
Lunch and dinner should consist of balanced and high quality nutrition. Fresh produce, whole grain carbs, healthy fats and lean protein/meat comprise the foundation of what hockey players should be eating. Thinking ahead and preparing “take along” meals helps to alleviate the temptation to eat food that could be detrimental to nutritional needs, thus negatively affecting performance.
Eating every 3-4 hours will prevent your body from burning muscle for energy. If you skip meals, the body will preferentially burn lean tissue, which will ultimately affect performance. Always plan to have healthy snacks to eat between meals if needed.
Eating soon after a workout can also help to rebuild muscle. It is ideal to eat within an hour after dry-land training or games to refuel the body. This keeps the body from breaking down more protein than it can rebuild. Again focus on lean protein and high quality carbs. You should eat 2-3x more carbs than protein in this meal. Information on quality carbs and lean proteins are plentiful in the literature.
So, make sure you listen to your mom! Eat a good breakfast, eat your veggies, and make sure you fuel your body with high octane energy!
Along with working with HockeyOT.com, Mike Beckman is a physical therapist and founder of Valley Rehabilitation Services. He has been in practice since 1986. He has worked with athletes at all levels and sports in both rehab and performance training.
Listen as Raffi Torres discusses the physical grind of the regular season and the playoffs, the importance of getting the proper rest, signing with the Phoenix Coyotes, and his in-season training to routine.
To Train Like the Pros…click HockeyOT
You can’t build the machine, or keep it running, without the proper fuel. If you are going to be serious about training for the game of hockey, proper nutrition needs to be part of the equation. An individualized nutrition planning guide is included in HockeyOT, so this article will focus on high level concepts.
Zack Stortini, Nashville Predators, training with HockeyOT.
It is a well accepted premise that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is also the most missed meal for most athletes. Excuses abound as to why not to eat breakfast; not enough time, want to sleep a little later, etc. These barriers must be eliminated if an athlete is going to have training and competitive success.
Important aspects of all meals certainly apply to breakfast as well. Balance and variety are keys to a good breakfast. Making good food choices may take a little forethought. It is just as important to avoid poor choices.
The list of foods to avoid is long, but some generalizations can be made. Avoid foods with high levels of processed sugars; heavily sweetened cereals, donuts or rolls, and juice drinks that are not 100% juice. Also avoid fried foods and those high in fat content.
As mentioned earlier, balance and variety are important. “Good carbs” such as whole grains, fruits, yogurt and 100% fruit juices provide quick muscle and brain energy. Proteins like eggs, meat, nuts and milk help to build lean muscle. Fibers such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables help lower overall blood lipids and promote regularity. Fluids are crucial to restoring hydration after a night’s sleep.
How then to overcome the barriers to eating breakfast. The most common excuse heard is, “I don’t have enough time”. Education on how important breakfast is may encourage athletes to get up a little earlier. Preparing a week’s worth of meals ahead of time is a great way to make morning time efficient. Also, breakfast doesn’t need to be an elaborate meal. Natural peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole grain bread, natural yogurt, trail mix, hard boiled eggs or even some leftovers can be good, and quick, choices. Smoothies with natural yogurt, protein, berries and 100% juices also pack nutritional punch.
Ethan Moreau, Los Angeles Kings, training with HockeyOT
Not wanting to work out on a full stomach is another challenge. In this case, athletes should try to consume plain, non-acidic foods like oatmeal or a bagel. Some sports drinks can also be used to supplement the needed carbs for morning workout energy.
In later articles, we will talk about lunch, dinner and snack ideas. All meals are important, but it is imperative to incorporate breakfast as part of your off-ice training regimen.
Along with working with HockeyOT.com, Mike Beckman is a physical therapist and founder of Valley Rehabilitation Services. He has been in practice since 1986. He has worked with athletes at all levels and sports in both rehab and performance training.
Listen as Ethan Moreau discusses joining the Los Angeles Kings and all of the familiar faces, adjusting his off-ice training to accommodate for injuries, transitioning his workouts as training camp begins, and the role nutrition plays in the National Hockey League.
To Train Like the Pros…click HockeyOT.
By Chris Faircloth
“I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.” As an employee at an ice rink, and a hockey player myself, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that joke. It’s no secret that a fair amount of fighting takes place in ice hockey at its professional levels. As a result, fighting is often the first thing that comes to mind when one mentions the sport. This has long been a topic of controversy and debate, yet the rules on fighting have remained fairly consistent throughout the sport’s history. Though like any issue, there is gray area – I argue on behalf of fighting’s place in the sport.
First off, a common misconception is the belief that fighting is allowed in hockey. Fights are not allowed, in fact, fisticuffs is expressly outlawed in the rulebook. The difference is, rather than subject our offenders the the authority of the police and file assault charges, we make them sit in a box for five minutes while their team suffers – or if you’re playing in the same beer league as myself, you’d be suspended for the next two games – and your team suffers for five minutes.
The main response from hockey fighting’s advocates to those who call for the elimination of fights from the sport is that without the possibility of having to fight as a deterrent, the number of “cheap shots” will rise, leading to a rise in injuries. Basically, that means when a player is not allowed to fight the opposing player he has taken exception with, he is more likely to take out his frustrations during the play – in the form of: elbows, slashes, cross-checks and hits from behind. To put it even more bluntly – when you run the risk of getting beat up by a player or his teammates, you tend to play a cleaner game.
At it’s professional levels, there are players known as enforcers. Enforcers are paid to protect the team’s star players. Everyone has heard of Wayne Gretzky, but what about Dave Semenko? He was the Edmonton Oilers’ enforcer, and Gretzky’s bodyguard back in the 80s. Players knew that if they messed with “The Great One” there would be hell to pay. Semenko’s play had a large role in creating the space for Gretzky to score all those goals.
While some critics would argue that hockey and its players are more barbaric than other sports and their athletes, I’d argue that they are more honorable. Hockey players settle differences with their fist, on the ice – not with Twitter insults over the internet. Held in higher regard than the rulebook, hockey players play by “the code” – an unwritten, yet widely known set of conventions that govern violence in hockey. This code is hockey’s own unique system of policing itself. The rules are mutually agreed upon by the players, and enforced by, well, the enforcers. To break the code is to lose respect in the eyes of your fellow athletes, a fate far worse than a two game suspension.
By now, anyone who is not intimately involved with hockey is surely confused. Even though books have been written on all the intricacies of hockey’s code, I’ll see if I can outline some of the more common conventions, as they pertain to fighting.
The most common, and recognizable, convention of hockey fighting is the removal of the protective gloves worn by players because the hard leather or plastic padding on the glove would increase the damage inflicted the blow. Wait a minute, doesn’t common sense tell us that the best way to win a fight is to inflict the most damage possible? Sure, but would you want to get hit it the face with that same gauntlet? Of course not, I guess the driving moral behind the code is a rule we all already know – treat others the way you’d like to be treated.
That’s all well and good, but what does all this code talk have to do with whether or not fighting should be banned from hockey? I guess the point is to show that next time you see replays of a hockey fight on television, know that there is much more going on than the rock em’ soc em’ commentary coming from the talking heads on screen. Those two athletes, those warriors, are putting it all on the line for their team, they are sticking up for their teammates, they are honoring tradition, but at the end of the day – they are just doing their job.
Chris Faircloth is a student at the University of North Carolina – Wilmington.
