Today’s stars raised on year-round commitment
With so much money to be made, veterans must work hard to keep up
Paul Bissonnette has been around the block more than a few times.
At 31, the tattooed funny man nicknamed “BizNasty,” has skated in nearly 800 games for 10 teams in five leagues dating back to his first year of junior in 2001.
It’s safe to assume Bissonnette has seen some things. And now, through a one-year American Hockey League contract with the Ontario Reign and a tryout with the Los Angeles Kings, he is hanging on to the twilight stage of his playing career.
Never advertised as something greater than a fringe NHL forward, Bissonnette still attends the annual BioSteel Camp — a one-week boot camp held at St. Michael’s College School Arena in late-summer. It is peppered with the game’s brightest present and future stars whose lives revolve around hockey.
“In order for me to stay relevant, even at the American League level, I have to do all of these things,” Bissonnette said. “I have to watch what I eat, I have to train just as hard just to keep up with these upand-comers.
“There’s so much money to be made now. I know there was back then, too,” he added, referring to his start 15 years ago, “but now it’s so competitive and guys don’t drink (alcohol) as much as they used to. Even young guys are on meal plans and eating healthier. They’re doing (protein) shakes, getting massages. The level of professionalism is a lot better. And you don’t really have a choice. In order to develop and compete, you have to do all of those things right away.”
To Dylan Strome, the rangy Arizona Coyotes centre picked two spots behind Connor McDavid in the 2015 NHL Draft, anything remotely hockey-related “doesn’t really feel like a job. I guess they say hockey season is all 12 months of the year now. I’m trying to get with that as much as possible.”
BioSteel Camp is run by the company’s co-founder Matt Nichol, a strength and conditioning guru whose resume includes work with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hockey Canada and the San Francisco 49ers. There are no shortcuts — only work and the sprinkling of some lighthearted fun.
The four-day camp comes on the heels of a jam-packed “off-season” for Strome and Florida Panthers top prospect Lawson Crouse. In July and early August, both attended their respective NHL development camps as well as Hockey Canada’s summer evaluation camp for the world junior team.
“It’s what I love to do. Whether it’s building toward hockey in the gym, or on the ice, I enjoy every day,” said Crouse, the 11th overall pick in 2015. “I think that’s the passion you need to have. The love I have for the game is incredible. It makes doing everything — working out, waking up early in the morning, sacrificing weekends — much easier.”
“The amount of skill work they do, the power skating, just the overall development and training these guys do is just crazy,” Bissonnette added, giving kudos to the likes of Connor McDavid and Max Domi.
ISLES’ HO-SANG ONE TO WATCH
Keep one eye glued on Josh HoSang this coming season. He may be the sport’s most fascinating figure without a guaranteed job in the NHL. The 2014 New York Islanders first-rounder will likely land on the farm in Bridgeport, Conn., after four years of junior. A colourful youngster with an enviable skill set on the wing, Ho-Sang is primed to get a chance to impress at the AHL level. Among the 20-yearold’s various exploits: two years ago, Ho-Sang publicly chastised Hockey Canada for not dispensing the respect he feels he deserves; and last fall he slept through Day 1 of the Isles’ main camp. The Thornhill, Ont. product’s brash personality rubs some people the wrong way. Unfortunately for them, HoSang doesn’t seem to care what other people think. On the ice, he is a supremely gifted passer and stickhandler with 337 points in 288 career Ontario Hockey League regular season and playoff games.
Through a spokesperson, HoSang on Wednesday declined multiple interview requests at BioSteel Camp. Perhaps his headlinemaking days are over. We’ll find out over the next few months.
OVER THE GLASS AND OUT
Wayne Simmonds hasn’t seen much of Ivan Provorov, the Philadelphia Flyers’ prized prospect on the back end. But, from what the veteran Flyers forward has heard, Provorov projects to be an excellent NHLer. Some have compared the Russian defenceman to Drew Doughty, whom Simmonds is a major fan of. “That’s the best player in the league, I would say,” he said of Doughty. No pressure, kid ... Like everybody else, Tyler Seguin found out about the Dallas Stars’ signing of UFA winger Jiri Hudler (one-year, $2 million) from a report on Twitter ... Sportsnet has announced its national broadcast schedule for the 2016-17 NHL season. The rundown’s No. 1 highlight? Three outdoor games: the Heritage Classic in Winnipeg (Oct. 23), the Centennial Classic in Toronto (Jan. 1) and the Winter Classic in Chicago (Jan. 2) ... No. 2 highlight: 94 games with Canadian teams, including 20 all-Canadian matchups ... Coverage starts Oct. 12, featuring a doubleheader — Leafs vs. Senators and Oilers vs. Flames.