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National Hockey League training camps will all start in the next few days with players reporting for physicals. All I can say is, thank goodness!
I don't know about you, but I am already sick of the NFL season, and it is only Week Two. Yes, like everyone else I am tired of the obvious. I am weary of the headlines of the many players who have crossed the line in their off-the-field actions. I'm turned off by some incredibly sloppy play on the field in almost every game I've tuned in on television. Are these players actually "pros"?
To me, though, it is much more than that. Nowadays, I find it tough to watch a game and listen to the player interviews afterwards. The gangster attitude, the thug mentality, the showboating, selfish mindset (it is always about me and not the team) and the disrespect in which they carry themselves, has turned me off completely from football.
I realize that there are a lot of great players and great guys who do not fit this mould in the league but it seems to me that they “bad” guys are beginning to out number the good ones, at least in terms of the attention that gets paid to them. When I have this discussion with friends who love everything about the NFL, I just say “Would you want your son growing up like these guys?”
Professional athletes are role models (whether they deserve to be or not). Kids look up to them. Unfortunately, so many kids are getting the wrong idea about how a professional should behave on and off the field. The wrong kinds of behaviors draw attention and some even get "celebrated" in TV commercials.
I think that the NFL and other sports leagues should somehow make it mandatory that all young players watch and learn on how the vast majority of hockey players conduct themselves both on and off the ice.
Of course there are incidents involving hockey players, and these have increased a bit in recent times, too. For the most part, though, hockey people remain the gold standard for how people in major team sports should conduct themselves. I say that with all pride as someone who has been involved in the game for much of my life.
Anyway, let's move on to the topic of training camps.
Training camps have changed so much over the years, There was a time when you showed up at camp to lose a few pounds and to work your way into playing shape during the exhibition schedule. Times have changed in a big way!
Below is the text of a famous pre-training camp letter that was sent by Punch Imlach to Jim Pappin. I assume that some of you have seen this before but it is always good for a another read. If you have never seen it, it will be an eye-opener for just how much things have changed in the last half century.
Maple Leaf Gardens
August 2nd, 1962
Dear Jim,
We will start our training camp on Friday, September 7th at Peterborough, Ontario.
All players are to report to the Empress Hotel Friday morning the 7th. Physical examinations will start at 9.00 am. through to noon. Dinner will be at 1.00 pm. After dinner all players will report to the trainers at the arena at 2.30 pm, and draw their equipment and go for a skate.
Golf will be a must in the training camp schedule. Be sure to bring along your golfing equipment. Arrangements have been completed for the use of the Kawartha Golf Club during training camp.
In view of the fact that nearly all players have cars, I am assuming you will not need railway transportation. However, if you do wish transportation, kindly let us know as soon as possible.
We hope that you have enjoyed the summer and that you will attend camp with the attitude that now we are Stanley Cup holders we will show everybody that we deserve it and intend to keep it.
I expect you to report in good condition and not more than 7 lbs. over your playing weight, with a minimum of being able to do: 20 push ups, 20 sit ups, 30 knee bends.
The competition for jobs on the club should be highly contested this year. We have a good crop of rookies and they will get every opportunity to make the club. So, let’s be ready for the competition and not sorry.
We had a few injuries last year so the better your condition, I believe, the less injuries we will receive.
See you in September and let’s make this another profitable year with a big playoff split.
Yours sincerely,
George Imlach
General Manager
Seven pounds over your playing weight? Able to do a minimum of 20 pushups and situps? Except for a couple NHL players whose first name is Dustin, these standards would be laughed at nowadays.
My first NHL training camp was in 1978 and my last one in 1993 so I did experience many of the changes in the training camp mindset. That first training camp was with the Atlanta Flames and the location was in Ottawa. Why? I am not sure. But there's a neat side note – my first and last training camps were in Ottawa. Furthermore, my first and last NHL games were played in Ottawa at the Civic Centre.
The first camp itself was a very relaxed atmosphere. Yes, there was players there competing for jobs but that competition would come later when you played the exhibition games. The first day was very much like Jim Pappin’s first day at Leaf camp – player physicals. These physicals included a weigh in, body fat test with the callipers, a quick visit to the doctor and then off to the dressing room to pick out your equipment.
Getting to pick out your own equipment is very exciting, especially for the rookies. For first time, I was going to get a choice in what I wore on the ice. I was like a kid in the candy store talking to all the different sales reps who came there promoting their products. Basically, except for the hockey pants you could choose whatever you wanted – endorsement deals were not around back then but players' decisions were quite often swayed by “free” stuff.
Choosing to wear Bauer skates was always good because you got a free pair of running shoes or the Kodiak brand work boots, Louisville was good for a baseball glove and CCM often gave carry bags. I wore Bauer skates my whole career, so I always had running shoes and work boots.
I choose to use Louisville hockey sticks. Maybe if I used a different stick, I would been a goal scorer. OK, maybe not. I still have my Louisville freebies, though. My hockey gloves the first year were made by CCM, so I had a free bag to travel with on the road.
Here's the big one that may surprise people: Yes, I played without a helmet for most of my career and was one of the last helmetless players in the NHL when I retired. However, when I first broke into the NHL with the Flames, I did wear a helmet. It was a Winnwell helmet. I couldn't stand the thing, so I ditched it about 12 games into the season.
I do not specifically remember noticing when training camps began to change. I guess it was a gradual change but what I do know is that it had a lot to do with the Philadelphia Flyers' training methods under Pat Croce and the success we had in the 1980s.
I dare say that the training camps nowadays are a piece of cake compared to what they were in the mid 80’s. Nowadays, every little detail is mandated through the players association as to what the players are allowed to do both on the ice and off the ice.
When Pat was our conditioning trainer and Mike Keenan was the coach, it was survival of the fittest! Pat was merciless and Iron Mike encouraged him to test all of us to the limit.
I remember doing a little bit of running at the Calgary Flames training camps in the early 80’s. My first few training camps with the Flyers were harder than I had experienced before. I got a wakeup call from it, and it was beneficial to my career in a huge way.
The off ice training that Pat brought in was tremendous, it was my first experience doing something like this and I have to say it was the beginning of the best part of my career. So thank you, Pat!
To give us added motivation, Pat played to our natural competitive instincts. We started to have fitness competitions during training camp and he would award a trophy to the best conditioned player.
I truly believe the Mike Keenan trainings camps of the mid 80’s are what lead to the players association insisting on the changes that the current players enjoy today. Mike re-named the fitness trophy the Bob Clarke Cup.
Every player knew their job was at stake because Keenan was deadly serious about his players showing a year-round commitment to staying in shape. One of the biggest moments of pride in my career came when I won the Clarkie Cup– in fact, I still have the trophy!
Talk about competition? Wow! The Flyer camps under Mike were unbelievable hard and very competitive. The Bob Clarke Cup started with various weight lifting exercises, pushups, pullups, situps, grip strength, vertical jump, etc.
The highlight of the fitness test was the two-mile run. The run was very hotly contested with bragging rights at stake for the winner and the top finishers. In Keenan’s first year as our coach, Brad McCrimmon won the race followed by Dave Poulin, myself and Daryl Sittler.
Training camp under Mike was just getting going, however. The fitness test was followed by two intensive on ice workouts daily -- bag skates were a way of life under Mike -- along with a dryland fitness workout. If Mike and Pat thought you were overweight, you rode the bike after all of this was done! How dare you to show up to a Mike Keenan camp overweight!
I experienced a total of four camps under Mike. My last camp as a Flyer was much the same when Paul Holmgren was the new Flyers coach. None of the camps before or after were as tough, but there was a reward at the end of it.
As I said, the Keenan/Croce camps were hard but it either brought the best out in you or you wilted. Guess what happened to you if you wilted?! You weren't going to be around for too much longer. These camps brought the best out in me and as I have said many times, my years as a Flyer turned my career around and made me a better hockey player. I look back and those years and feel very grateful to Keenan and Croce for making me dig deep and discover there were levels of achievement both on the ice and in my all-around fitness that I never knew I could reach.
The next few weeks will be interesting to see where the players and the teams stack up as they get ready for the upcoming season - I will have more training camp notes and thoughts in upcoming blogs.
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