Can You Get In Hockey Shape TOO FAST?

Does losing 8 pounds in one week mean that you are in shape?

Just one week ago, NHLer Kyle Wellwood was being blasted by his head coach for being out of shape.

Now, thanks to a renewed focus on proper nutrition, Wellwood has shed those pesky pounds fast and his coach, Alain Vigneault, is happy.

But is what Wellwood has done in one week healthy?

Wellwood has been put on what can quite simply be termed a classic low-carb diet.

His former favorites like pasta and subs are now off the table - being replaced by only lean meat and vegetables.

But should hockey players, who are skating and training upwards of 3 hours a day, be eliminating all high-energy carbohydrates from their diet?

Losing weight is one thing - but eating for performance is something completely different.

Hockey nutrition is simple.

Stick to the basics.

Focus on eating real foods.

--> Lean protein, like chicken, fish, and lean red meat
--> Fruits and vegetables
--> Healthy fats, like olive oil, avocado and egg yolks

AND...

--> Whole-grain carbohydrates, like oats, whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta

Hockey players need high-energy carbohydrates in order to fuel their best performance. Without them, they will run out of energy quickly and will be unable to recover effectively between practices and games.

So while eliminating carbs has allowed Wellwood to shed some extra pounds quickly, you can be sure that he will be adding these foods back into his diet once the season begins.

Or else he won’t be playing at the highest level for long.


Just some food for thought,

~ Coach Kim

Hockey Warm-Up: One Minute Or Less

Most youth hockey players and teams know that they should warm-up before they hit the ice. But sometimes you just don't have the time...or do you?

Check out my version of a 1 minute hockey warm-up below:



With all the driving to the rink, putting on equipment and pre-game pep talks, sometimes there isn’t enough time left to fit in a complete off-ice hockey warm-up. Let's face it - most youth hockey players barely get on the ice in time for the start of their 3 minute on-ice warm-up.

An off-ice warm-up is not only possible, but necessary - especially when you’ve only got a few minutes to skate once you step on the ice.

Sure, a complete 15 minute warm-up is better for decreasing injury and increasing performance than just 10 minutes.

And 10 minutes is better than 5.

You may not have 5 minutes to spare.

But you can always find one extra minute.


--> The added bonus?

You can do this warm-up absolutely anywhere.

Push all the bags to one corner of the dressing room and you can get all 15 players doing this quick warm-up at the exact same time.


Do you think you can find one minute to get this warm-up done?


Until next time,

~ Coach Kim

The New Shape Of The NHL

Long gone are the days when NHL players can show up at training camp looking like the Stay-Puft marshmallow man and try to skate their way into hockey shape.

Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault has been telling reporters that Kyle Wellwood’s conditioning is “not NHL calibre”. That’s definitely not good when you are trying to crack the line-up on a brand-new team.

Thirty years ago, Wellwood's showing up to camp in “so-so” shape would have been more than just fine - it would have been common.

But not in the new NHL - where terms like core strength, VO2 max and body fat percentage are thrown are the dressing room with regularity.

If you had asked a player 30 years ago what these terms meant, they would look at you like you were some kind of freak.

Today, your average bantam-aged player not only knows these terms, he knows his stats for each of them.

Off-ice training in the summer is now the norm.

And in-season training will soon be just as common.

As little as 10 years ago, showing up to training camp gave players a huge advantage.

Now, it is expected.

And although I believe that young hockey players should spend the summer months far away from the ice, off-ice training is not optional if you want to make sure that you make the team and have a successful season.

Someone might want to tell Wellwood that.


Until next time,

~ Coach Kim