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NHL players pay attention to 30-45 second shifts

Posted: Monday, March 28th Filed in: General

Post by: LH #26

This weekend I was at the Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues hockey game. A couple friends of mine play for the Blues, so I was pumped to get to see them play in MN this season. As I was watching the game, I continued to notice how exact everyone's shift length was. I immediately reflected on how these guys train in the off-season; everything they do is in short intervals and as hard as they can go for short durations of time. 

Having been involved in coaching in a youth organization at various levels, I have found that every kid wants to stay on the ice for 2-3 min. Perhaps as coaches, parents and players, we need to pay more detailed attention to shift length. To work on this, construct and engage in drills & training that is interval based; train the athlete's body to handle the 30-45 second all out shift. This will not only pull the best out of the individual player, but the entire team benefits from the increased flow and touches players get on the ice. Short, hard shifts are a small detail that can help players and teams compete at the highest levels of hockey.

Lastly, watch as much hockey as possible! Pick up small detail tips and apply them to your game & philosophy. Imitation is so powerful!