Rejuvenated team back at work to prepare for second half
‘You get this break and it’s almost like a new season has started’
Many of them came back with tans, many looked relaxed. The good news for the Edmonton Oilers is that if there are people on their team affected negatively from their Olympic break, they’re not wearing skates.
“There’s a few guys that came back pretty red,” Jordan Eberle said on Wednesday. “Our trainers probably took the cake there, a few of them looked like lobsters.”
The Oilers were back on the ice on Wednesday, their Olympic break behind them and their next game still a week away.
The first day back had a training camp feel to it, with players broken up into three groups of seven, skating in three 45-minute sessions then hitting the bikes for off-ice workouts.
“Most guys did pre-training camp conditioning (while away) and we’ll come back here and be fine,” Oilers captain Andrew Ference said.
“We just did a really hard bike right now and it was fine, nobody was puking, nothing like that.
“I think guys were fairly smart.”
Eberle, who enjoyed a tropical trip over the break, said balancing the time off was key for him and the rest of the team.
“I went away for sure on vacation but definitely worked out,” he said. “I knew (Wednesday) would be a tough day. It was just a bit of a skate, most of the stuff was done in the gym and it was tough.
“Your mind is off a little on vacation, you give yourself a break there, but as far as your body you’ve got to make sure that you are able to come back and play 22 games.”
While practice can be physically trying, this week without travel and getting ready for the final stretch of the regular season can also be another resting and preparation opportunity.
It also won’t hurt that when the Minnesota Wild face off with the Oilers on Feb. 27 it marks the start of a fivegame home stand.
“You get this break and it’s almost like a new season has started,” Eberle said.
“For me personally I feel like you get re-energized and you come back with a little more jump and you’re ready to play. You get out of the routine and get back into it. I got on the ice and felt really ready to play.”
Ference, who has taken Olympic breaks four times now through his 16 NHL seasons, said the time off was much needed.
“I think it’s all about taking full advantage of it,” he said. “You really just dial everything back. It’s a really good chance to get rid of the aches and pains.
“Big injuries don’t give you enough time to recuperate (on a short break) but the little stuff that nags guys, I think it’s a great thing.
“People have to remember the condensed schedule and people had to play these long years. You need a break. It’s tough, especially after last year with the lockout, it was another condensed year. The last calendar year I think I was up around 110, 120 games in a calendar year.”
Three Oilers won’t have the luxury of the break or this week of practice.
Martin Marcninin (Slovakia), Anton Belov (Russia) and Ales Hemsky (Czech Republic) are all in Sochi.