As the Canadiens opened training camp Thursday, I was thinking back to a letter written by former Toronto Maple Leafs GM Punch Imlach that was being circulated a few years ago on social media.
The letter was written on Aug. 2, 1962, and delivered to Jim Pappin ahead of the Leafs’ training camp with Imlach explaining what he expected from his players, who had won the Stanley Cup the previous season. Imlach wrote that players should report to camp no more than 7 pounds overweight and be able to do at least 20 pushups, 20 sit-ups and 30 knee bends.
“Golf will be a must in the training camp schedule,” Imlach added. “Be sure to bring along your golfing equipment. Arrangements have been completed for the use of the Kawartha Golf Club during training camp.”
I’m pretty sure Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin didn’t ask his players to bring their golf clubs to the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard Thursday morning when they showed up for medical and physical testing. A lot has changed over the years when it comes to off-season training for NHL players and the testing they go through on the first day of training camp.
Nate Thompson, 34, has noticed big changes since attending his first NHL training camp with the Boston Bruins in 2003.
“I think the game has evolved so much that it’s so much faster now that guys are training to be fast and maybe not as strong,” Thompson said. “I mean everyone’s strong, but I think it’s more about being quick, being fast. A lot of preventative workouts so you don’t get injured. I think, like I said, the biggest takeaway is how fast guys are and how much you have to be able to move. Because if you’re not moving out there, you’re probably going to be sticking out in a bad way. So you got to be able to skate well and I think that’s where training’s headed.”
Pierre Allard, who is entering his eight season as the Canadiens’ strength and conditioning coach and his second year as sports science and performance director, was in charge of Thursday’s physical testing sessions. Pushups, sit-ups and deep knee bends weren’t part of the program.
“There’s a lot to do with technology now,” Allard said. “We’re capable of measuring things that we couldn’t before, like the power output of the players, the speed, agility as well. So there’s a lot in technology that allowed us to work differently with the players. I remember when I started, it was about the weight — the weight you put on the bar — the more weight you put the better it is. Now, it’s about the speed of the bar. So if you’re capable of moving the weights very fast that will help you on the ice be faster and move quickly.”
Why is this testing so important?
“For us, it’s like we’re creating a dashboard for the player,” Allard said. “So we know every aspect: his VO2, his speed, agility, his strength. So we want to get a dashboard of the players so we’re capable during the season to maintain those aspects, those qualities. That way we can test and retest during the season. So the tests we’re using today, we’re going to repeat those tests during training sessions during the winter. I think that’s one thing that’s changed a lot is now we’re not just testing for testing. We’re testing to use those tests during the season.”
Allard said the toughest part of Thursday’s fitness testing was on the stationary bike, including the dreaded Wingate test, in which players pedal as hard as they can for 30 seconds while the resistance level keeps getting higher.
“The VO2 test is a long test,” Allard said. “You can be on the bike up to 22 minutes and the players, they just go all out. That’s a tough test. But we really appreciate the effort. That’s tough for them.”
No hockey player has ever scored a goal from a stationary bike, but the pace of play in the NHL keeps getting quicker and players now need to be in better condition every year.
Did Thompson, who is now with his seventh team, feel he had something to prove to his younger Canadiens teammates during Thursday’s testing?
“I don’t know, we’ll see,” he said with a laugh. “I think I did pretty well today. Usually, testing goes pretty well for me. But I joked around with some of the guys that I’m a 34- — going to be 35-year-old — prospect.”
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