Strict workout, dietary regimens paying off for Leafs
As the Leafs push toward the playoffs, they’ve proved they are one of the NHL’s top scoring teams.
They are also one of its most resilient.
Entering this weekend’s play, Toronto ranked second in the NHL, with 13 players who have played 70 or more games.
That threshold — 13 or more with 70 games played — could be achieved by at least nine, and probably more, teams by the end of the regular season next weekend.
At the moment, Carolina leads that resiliency mark with 14 players, but the fact the Leafs rank very highly reflects on a number of factors, from a yearround monitoring of player health by the training and sports sciences staff, to the players themselves.
There are more than 25 staff directly involved with ensuring the players are eating right, using their muscles correctly, reaching proper heart rate and VO2 levels, developing better skating and skills, and keeping flexibility and mobility at peak levels — which Leaf players figure is a key to longevity over an NHL season.
And while other clubs with far fewer players at the 70 game mark may have run into bad injury luck, regardless of how many player-related staff they have, the Leafs’ model appears to be paying some tangible dividends in terms of keeping most of the star players healthy over the course of the season.
Entering Friday’s game against the Islanders, Toronto’s roster showed three top defenceman at 70 or more games — Ron Hainsey, Morgan Rielly, and Jake Gardiner.
Among the forwards were Zach Hyman, Patrick Marleau (who also has the third longest consecutive games played streak in the NHL), Mitch Marner, Tomas Plekanec, James van Riemsdyk, Connor Brown, Wiliam Nylander, Tyler Bozak, Nazem Kadri, and Leo Komarov.
That’s all of the team’s top line, two-thirds of its second line, all of its third line, and two thirds of its fourth line.
“First off, I have to give credit to the training staff, and everyone who works (on players) behind the scenes, they do the best job in the league,” Hyman said.
“They look after you when your body might be in a down phase, and over the course of the season, your body isn’t always going to feel great.
“They (training staff) look after you all the time. There’s things they do on the table (therapy), there’s staff in the gym at any time you need them, others who look after your mobility. That’s the level of things they do for you, and most of the time, no one notices that you aren’t feeling 100 per cent out on the ice.”
Hyman was one of several Leafs who never left the rink last summer. It may have been the off season, but Hyman and a group that included Brown, Travis Dermott and others worked out daily in order to take their fitness, strength, and mobility levels, to a higher level than what those figures were at the end of last season.
In fact, Hyman says, each Leaf has an individual plan for the season and off-season — each with personally tailored routines and nutrition plans.
For Hyman, though, the summer is for strength training, while the season is all about mobility. “Oh, mobility by far during the season … I think that’s what you need to work on the most, it’s the thing that will keep you (in games),” Hyman said.
Van Riemsdyk, who is noted for his career long dedication to fitness and nutrition regimens, concurs with Hyman.
Van Riemsdyk, like many other players, also reads and speaks to trainers and experts all over North America in order to further educate himself on techniques and effective body plans.
One superstar van Riemsdyk pays attention to is New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
Brady released his book, “The TB 12 Method,” in 2017, detailing his workout routines, which are based largely on “pliability,” and adding flexibility through workouts with resistance bands.
Brady observes the obvious nutrition markers — dropping alcohol, caffeine, dairy, and sugar from his diet — while eating vegetables and lean meats.
There are a host of fitness and nutrition standards that NHL athletes use, and borrow, from soccer, ballet, bodybuilding and UFC-style fighters.
But the key, van Riemsdyk says, is ensuring your muscles, your joints, and your tendons, have the necessary flexibility and range of motion to absorb the punishment of 82 regular season hockey games.
“You are going to find things that work for you, so that you become different than anyone else,” van Riemsdyk said.
“But you see guys like Tom Brady, he’s all about flexibility and being resilient. You want your body to comfortable in the uncomfortable positions, like when you get hit, or you catch a rut in the ice. When you take a big hit, you want your body to be able to respond the right way.”