Archive for the ‘Hockey’ Category

by nofutureface

Gregor Robertson – Hockey Day In Canada


Image by kk+
On the one year anniversary of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, the city of Vancouver had Hockey Day in Canada celebration. This included series of pick-up hockey games on the streets of downtown Vancouver with local players, city officials and media.

Hockey drills aren’t something that you have to leave behind when you step off the ice. There are plenty of ways that players serious about improving their game can work themselves off of the ice to simulate on ice situations, and to make gains in the areas that really matter during games. Here are some great drills you can do off-ice to make your a more dominant player when you hit the rink.

Interval Running

Interval running (or stationary biking) is a great dryland exercise because it’ll improve your speed and quickness, and also help condition you for games. You can do ladder drills where you change the duration of work and rest as you go, or you can do set period intervals. A great one to do is 45 seconds of hard work followed by about a minute and a half of lower intensity work. This simulates the real life intervals you experience in a game with shifts and bench rest.

Shooting Races

This one is great to do if you’re training with a teammate that you can race against, but if you’re by yourself you can just try and beat your own time. All you need is somewhere you have room to run and set up a net. Set up a net with four targets and a set of pucks (or balls). Then set a marker at least 100m away. The goal of the drill is to do four sprints to the 100m mark and back, hitting one of the targets each time. Keep track of times and always try and beat your last best time.

Inline Drills

One great way of conditioning yourself during the off-season is to strap on a good pair of inline skates and simulate your on-ice drills that way. The stride you’ll use on inline skates is slightly different to that of ice skates, and you’ll need a couple sessions to adjust, but the muscles you use for both is exactly the same. That means for fitness and conditioning purposes, inline skates are a perfect substitute for ice skate and will work all the same muscles you need for game time.

More Hockey Articles

South Coastal Hockey League roundup
The Toros and the Saints are on a collision course to meet in the up coming Legends Div. playoffs in the South Coastal Hockey League.  The two teams gave an indication of what might to expect as Mike Ryan scored a first period goal assisted by Hanover’s Tom Shaughnessy and goaltender  Justin Stratton of Marshfield stopped 20 shots as the Saints held off the Toros, 1-0.
Read more on Abington Mariner

Sioux Falls’ second period too much for Lancers
The jockeying for position in the United States Hockey League’s Western Conference playoffs got a lot tighter with the results of three Saturday night games. A 3-2 Sioux Falls victory over the Omaha Lancers moved the Stampede…
Read more on Omaha World-Herald

Harper denies Tory campaign has fallen flat
Stephen Harper says he’s “very happy” with the Conservative campaign, despite criticism that the Tories have come out of the gate with an underwhelming strategy that’s too negative.
Read more on Canada.com

Potential sale saddens first Bruins GM
The man who helped usher the baby Bruins into the Western Hockey League five seasons ago is disappointed with how things seem to be turning out. Darrell May was the team’s first general manager, his first months on the job spent working from his home with a folding chair and card table.
Read more on Business Examiner

by ckeester

Speed training drills are often times not incorporated into hockey practices. There will always be skating drills, but speed is often something simply attributed to nature. The thinking goes that any player who isn’t naturally fast, probably won’t ever be. This is completely wrong. Like anything in sport and fitness, speed can be improved through proper training and practice. Here are some tips to help in that improvement.

Firstly, form is of great importance to speed, and a lot of players don’t skate at their maximum speed purely because of bad form. If form has been identified as a problem, it’s time to hit the power skating classes. No one is too old for power skating if their stride is in need of some tweaking. The simple corrections to minor imperfections in a player’s stride can have huge impacts.

Secondly, watch how the pros do it. In the NHL skills competition, the fastest skater competition tends to feature some of the same faces each year. One thing you’ll notice if you watch them is they all have a similar strategy. They’ll start off with very short, powerful strides to get them up to speed as fast as possible, but once they’ve reached speed, they stop taking the short, bursting strides, and transfer into longer, smoother ones. This is something many players ignore, instead opting to keep their feet moving as fast as possible, as if they were running on the ice. This is a mistake. Start your strides short, get up to speed, and then maintain the speed by smoothing and lengthening your stride.

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Transit Alert after Canada’s Hockey Victory


Image by MikeWu
Transit Alert issued due to crowds in downtown Vancouver after the Men’s Hockey Final between Canada and the United States during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Coyotes sign Miele to entry-level deal
The Phoenix Coyotes signed undrafted forward Andy Miele to an entry-level contract on Saturday. Miele completed his senior season with the highest point total in all of college hockey (71) on 24 goals and 47 assists in 39 games for the Miami-Ohio RedHawks. “We are very pleased to sign Andy,” said Coyotes general manager Don Maloney. “He is a highly skilled and competitive player who had a great …
Read more on WWTI Watertown

Ramsay rockets promote hockey team
Man of the match Rob Ramsay scored both goals as Barnsley secured their third successive promotion with a 2-1 win at title rivals Lincoln Roses.
Read more on The Barnsley Chronicle

Voynov Named to 2010-11 AHL Second All-Star Team
SPRINGFIELD, MA – The American Hockey League announced today that Manchester Monarchs defenseman Viatcheslav Voynov was named to the 2010-11 AHL Second All Star Team, as voted by AHL coaches, players and media in each of the league’s 30 member cities.
Read more on OurSports Central

Devils keep slim playoff hopes alive, beat Flyers
New Jersey Devils’ Jacob Josefson (16) and Philadelphia Flyers’ Mike Richards (18) chase after the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game Friday, April 1, 2011 in Newark, N.J.
Read more on Greenwich Time

by nickwheeleroz

Slovakia vs Latvia @ Canada Hockey Place


Image by iwona_kellie
Slovakia vs Latvia on Saturday in men’s hockey at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

Hockey warm ups are a crucial part of both training and on-ice play, yet countless players do them the wrong way every single time! The vast majority of players, do static stretches to loosen up and get ready to either train or play. What they don’t know is that doing static stretches is sure-fire way to reduce your performance. That’s why you need to be doing dynamic stretches including these 3 great dynamic warm-ups.

Jumping Jacks

The simply jumping jack is one of the absolute best dynamic warm ups you can do to get your blood pumping, your heart rate up, and your muscles and joints loosened up and ready to go. Just find an open area you’re free to move around and jump and perform a few sets of 10 to 15 jumping jacks. (In case you aren’t familiar, a jumping jack is simply going from a standing position, jumping and landing with spread legs while raising your arms, and then returning with a jump back to the starting form)

Push-ups

You probably never thought of the simple push-up as a warm up exercise did you? Well they are, in fact, great for that purpose. The push-up is great because doing a low number will get your muscles working and your heart rate up, while loosening up the muscles and joints in your upper body. Don’t go crazy with them at this point though, you’re not using them as an exercise, just as a warm up to get your upper body ready for action.

Leg swings

Leg swings can be done wither forward and backwards or laterally from side to side. They’re a fantastic warm up for your lower body as they really get your joints and muscles stretched and loosened up without reducing their ability to perform like almost all static stretches do. Simply swing your leg back and forth (or laterally), adding some bending at the knee.

Game Day: Amerks Host First-Place Moose Tonight at Blue Cross Arena
Tonight, the Rochester Americans usher in the final month of the 2010-11 American Hockey League season as they take on the first-place Manitoba Moose for the third time in four nights at The Blue Cross Arena.
Read more on OurSports Central

Canadian Tire donation saves women’s hockey at St. Mary’s U
Signals that companies do feel that sponsoring sports does offer a good return on their investment, CIS CEO says
Read more on The Globe and Mail

Spezza wants a spot on Team Canada for world hockey championships
SUNRISE, Florida – Jason Spezza is waiting for the phone to ring.He feels fine physically, so if he gets the call, he’ll gladly join Team Canada for the world hockey championships in Slovakia.
Read more on Ottawa Citizen

Comeback kings Komets hope to get ahead this year
The Komets’ reputation is one of being able to come back like perhaps no other team in minor-league hockey.
Read more on Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Residents asked to be careful on ice
The city is reminding residents to stay off ice on storm ponds. There are 12 wet storm ponds including Crystal Lake, Ivy Lake and O’Brien Lake. If there is equipment such as hockey nets on storm ponds, residents are asked to report it to the fire department at 780-538-0393.[...]
Read more on Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune

Wolverines find unique way to sing ‘The Victors’
Ever think “The Victors” is scary? Red Berenson does. After the Michigan hockey team’s win over Colorado College to advance to the program’s 24th Frozen Four, it upheld the longstanding tradition of singing “The Victors” after winning two games on the weekend. read more
Read more on The Michigan Daily

by The Library of Congress

Day 10 Hockey (24 Aug 2010)


Image by Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
New Zealand’s Elizabeth Rose Keddell (left) vies for the ball with Korea’s LeeYuri in the New Zealand versus Korea girls’ bronze medal hockey match of the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG) played at the Sengkang Hockey Stadium, Singapore, Aug 24, 2010. New Zealand won 5-4. Photo: SPH-SYOGOC/ Tan Kok Peng

Hockey dryland training for early teen players is incredibly important, yet so many kids don’t get any dry land training at all. At this age, natural talent won’t cut it anymore, and the kids who train the hardest are the ones who are going to make it farthest in the long run. For a young player to stand out from the crowd, they absolutely need to be training off-ice. Here are some great exercises kids can do to get that edge on the competition.

Shift Approximation Intervals:

Shift approximation intervals are one of the absolute best exercises that kids can do off-ice. The reason is, these intervals will improve their overall speed and quickness, and also condition them to be able to perform at a constant level throughout an entire game. To do these intervals, run or stationary-bike in alternating intervals of intense effort and low effort in intervals of 45 seconds intense followed by a minute and a half to two minutes of rest. This will simulate the natural intervals of effort and bench rest that players see in game.

Squat Jumps:

Squat jumps are a plyometrics exercise that are amazing at building power and quickness in the lower body, which is absolutely essential for players to be dominant on the ice. To perform squat jumps, simply stand in a normal squat position and lower into the squat. Explode from that position upwards and raise your arms over your head at the peak. Upon landing, immediately lower back into the squat position and repeat. The goal is to constantly be in motion. This exercise is amazingly effective at working the lower body.

Music : Preliator by Globus – Players List In Order – - Rick Nash : Columbus Blue Jackets ( 0:00 – 0:06 ) – Jonathan Toews – Chicago Blackhawks (0:07-0:14) – Steve Yzerman – Detroit Red Wings ( 0:15 – 0:19 ) – Pavel Datsyuk – Detroit Red Wings ( 0:20 – 0:25 ) – Ilya Kovalchuk – Atlanta Thrashers ( 0:26 – 0:36 ) – Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins ( 0:37 – 0:45 ) – Mike Ribeiro – Dallas Stars ( 0:46 – 0:56 ) – Johan Franzen – Detroit Red Wings ( 0:57 – 1:02 ) – Marian Hossa – Swedish Eliteserien ( 1:02 – 1:10 ) – Sidney Crosby – Pittsburgh Penguins ( 1:10 – 1:14 ) – Alexander Ovechkin-Washington Capitals1:15-1:24 – Alexander Semin-Washington Capitals(1:25-1:28) – Jussi Jokinen – Dallas Stars ( 1:29 – 1:34 ) – Jason Spezza – Ottawa Senators ( 1:34 – 1:38 ) – Marian Hossa – Detroit Red Wings ( 1:39 – 1:46 ) – Evgeni Malkin – Russian Superliga ( 1:47 – 1:51 ) – Alexander Semin -Washington Capitals(1:51-1:58 ) – Alexander Ovechkin-Washington Capitals1:59-2:01 – Evgeni Malkin – Pittsburgh Penguins ( 2:02 – 2:10 ) – Steve Yzerman – Detroit Red Wings ( 2:11 – 2:20 ) – Patrick Kane – Chicago Blackhawks ( 2:21 – 2:25 ) – Scott Pellerin – New Jersey Devils ( 2:25 – 2:29 ) – Vincent Lecavalier-Tampa Bay Lightning(2:29-2:32) – Sam Gagner – Edmonton Oilers ( 2:32 – 2:38 ) – Jonathan Toews – Chicago Blackhawks (2:39-2:43) – Valeri Kamensky – Colorado Avalanche(2:43-2:48) – Alexander Semin – Washington Capitals(2:48-2:53) – Marek Malik – New York Rangers ( 2:53 – 2:58 ) – Wayne Gretzky …
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