Monday, December 31, 2012
Captain Kyle and his Ducs de Dijon wish you a happy new year
Barberio's scoring streak continues
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Tiger Paw Instructor on 2 game Goal Scoring Streak
Friday, December 28, 2012
Some Championshiop Habits In December
Lee wishes Everyone a Safe and Happy Holidays
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Nutkevitch Wishes Everyone a Save and Happy Holidays
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Hardy wishes You A Safe and Happy Holiday Season
Friday, December 21, 2012
Year end Early Bird Promotion Finishes January 1, 2013
Friday, December 14, 2012
Tiger Paw Instructor Impressing the Folks in texas
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Barberio and Killorn Both earn two points in 5-1 Victory over Bulldogs
Friday, December 7, 2012
Guest Instructor Barberio Wins Movember Contest with Crunch
Stefan Chaput Donning a Bulldogs jersey
Friday, November 30, 2012
Tiger Paw Elite Hockey School At Beaconsfield Rugby Mega Sports Equipment Sale
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
So, what distinguishes the Tiger Paw Elite Hockey school from others
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Cote having an impact on Capitals
Barberio starts off like he finished last season
Friday, October 5, 2012
Nutkevitch reports to Texas Brahmas
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Guest Instructor Barberio Reaches Top 13 Defense Prospects
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Final Week of Tiger Paw 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
Mark Barberio, Alex Killorn and the Calder Cup At the Tiger Paw
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Calder Cup Coming to Tiger Paw Friday July 27
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Nutrition...your elite athlete is a high performance machine
Monday, July 16, 2012
Midget's Friday Afternoon Scrimmage
Friday, July 13, 2012
Tiger Paw Instructor going to the Rangers
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
1o Minute Toughness A Summary from Coach Terry Horn, Burlinganne, CA
1o Minute Toughness
A Summary from Coach Terry Horn, Burlinganne, CA
By Jason Selk
INTRO:
Premise of mental training: if you have a strong belief in your
ability to perform well, the chances of your actually performing well
greatly improve.
Goals of mental training: calmness, confidence & being focused on what is needed to be successful to yield your maximum performance and potential ... and beyond. Mental training also helps with personal judgment and decisions in your personal life.
Learn how to be your own coach.
First, identify the process of succeeding, then establish a
vehicle or methodology for mental training identifying the most beneficial thoughts and visualizing success. All based in concreteness and simplicity.
3 phases of mental training:
Establishing an individualized mental training program,
developing and utilizing an effective goal setting program and
developing a relentless solution focused approach. Repeating
theme of and keep asking yourself: What is one thing I can do that
could make this better?
PHASE 1 - MENTAL WORKOUT
Step 1. Centering breath: a deep cleansing breath that slows the heart rate
Step 2. Performance statement:
Step 3. Personal Highlight Reel:
Step 4. Identity Statement:
Step 5. Final Centering Breath
When: before falling asleep or within 60 minutes of a workout or
competition. At least 4x per week.
PHASE 2 - COAL SETTING FOR GREATNESS
Effective Goal Setting
Personal Rewards Program
Tapping the Power of Goals
PHASE 3 - RELENTLESS SOLUTION FOCUS
Always Have a Solution The Solution-Focused Tool
Mental Toughness
CENTERING BREATH
15 seconds: breathe in for 6 ;
hold for 2; exhale for 7
Slow heart rate . Using the mind effectively is more difficult
when the heart is racing.Count to 15. Especially in a
pressure situation.
Also, beneficial to simulate stress/high heart rate and perform
through it!
PERFORMANCE STATEMENT
A specially designed form of self-talk or talking to yourself.
Average person has up to 60,000 thoughts per day. Why not a self created truly positive thought?
From a mental perspective the most tried and true way to enhance performance is through self-confidence. Positive self-talk enhances self-confidence which
enhances performance. Internal dialogue significantly influences
performance.
A performance statement specifically identifies the process
of success and what it takes to perform at your best. Think about
a statement you have told yourself before an event, performance,
classroom test or social situation that put you in a frame of mind to
do your best. For some there may be more than one statement, such as a basketball or baseball player when playing on offense and then on defense.
The key is to identify the single most fundamental idea of what it takes for you to be successful, allowing yourself to simplify your task. Simplicity keeps distractions away. It is very beneficial to know what to think before a competition or task.
I try to use positive phrases. I could have said I try not to use
negative sentences. Notice the difference. First, all positive.
Second, eliminate "don't" thinking - such as saying what not to do.
Tell yourself what you want to do. Around a pool - Walk! Versus Don't
run. Ask about examples in their sports. Don't thinking increases
stress and anxiety. Focus instead on what needs to be done.
Avoid mental clutter which is random mental thinking. That is, unfocused
thinking. Keep it simple.
The essence of mental toughness is the ability to replace negative thinking with thoughts that are centered on performance cues and that contribute to improved self-confidence. Your body will listen to what your mind tells it. 60,000 thoughts a day - make them positive thoughts. See what happens. Identify thoughts that produce consistently strong performances. Give me examples. If we are going
to eliminate 'don't' thinking, what are we going to replace it with? Think about what you want to happen and what it will take to make it happen. Life will be more enjoyable and you increase the odds that you will reach or exceed your perceived
potential. Determine what you want to accomplish and lock your mind on what it takes to achieve that task or goal. Think about the path to success rather than
thinking about the obstacles in your way. Then put your energy into going down that path. Realize sometimes the hardest step is the first step. Allow for your mind to process positive steps.
Performance statements serve two purposes: they help to avoid self-doubt, negativity
and mental clutter. They help you to perform at your best by focusing on the tasks that need to be accomplished.
Eliminating self-doubt and negativity is half of the process.
Try this - don't think of a pink elephant with blue running shoes, -pause- What did you think about? How many things did you think about? The mind can only think
about one thing at a time. Thus, if you are thinking about what's going wrong, you cannot think about what it takes to make it right. If you can only think of
one thing at a time. Think about positive things. I can . . . I am able
. . . I will. . .
Performance statement must keep you in a positive frame of mind. Avoid the word "don't." Remind yourself what you need to do. Create a brief phrase. Use what you think works for you.
Creating a Performance Statement:
1. Imagine the biggest competition of your life. 60 seconds before the competition
your coach looks you in the eye and tells you to stay focused on one or two things to be a success. What are those one or two things?
(Avoid the word don't.)
2. Again imagine the biggest competition of your life. This time you are the coach & athlete. What one or two things would you, the coach, name? Keep them short & simple. You decide how many statements you would like to have. They can change over time. Knowing what to think or scripting what to think is far better than letting thoughts occur naturally. Otherwise, your mind will likely revert back to negative thinking. And your body will listen to your mind.
You are more likely to be successful and work closer to your potential by listening to your positive performance statement.
The more frequently you focus on your Performance Statement the more likely you
are to be successful and work closer to your potential.
Use your Performance Statement - especially if you catch yourself using the word "don't."
Personal Highlight Reel
What would it be like to wake up in the morning turn on ESPN or YouTube and see
highlights of your fabulous performance from yesterday?
PHR is an advanced form of visualization.
Visualize yourself doing a specific task well. Every minute of visualization is
worth 7 minutes of practice.Visualization is the act of watching something in your mind before actually doing it.
8 Guidelines for visualization
1. Choose a camera angle:
either (1) in the stands watching you or (2) your eyes are the camera lens or you are wearing a helmet mounted camera. #2 is the most beneficial as it creates muscle memory.
2. The more detail you place in the visualization the better. Pay attention to at least 3 of the 5 senses — feeling, hearing, sight, smell, touch. Ask yourself sensory questions.
3. Do the visualization exercise many times but for short periods of time.
4. Visualize the entire event - from warm up through conclusion.
Note your thoughts and emotions at various points. Pay attention to the desired result.
5. Be aware of how you want to feel at different points and train yourself to achieve the results you want. Also, note your emotional state when you have done your
best. Your muscles react the same way your emotions react - the more you train them, the stronger you get.
6. During visualization focus on what it takes to be successful - not perfect -just successful. You don't have to be perfect to be successful. During visualization, if something goes wrong, replay it and fix it. The body will follow the mind.
7. After each successful visualization, give yourself credit for a job well done.
8. Watch the video at the speed you desire. Slow motion or regular motion or sped up.
Visualization Practice #1.
Take a minute to picture yourself in your sport in competition at actual speed. Pay attention to feeling the way you want to feel.
Picture a good warm up followed by competition with the results you want. It is important to see yourself with a successful and winning result. Experience how
it feels to perform your best. ...
What camera angle did you use? What things did you see? What did you hear? What did you physically feel? Emotionally, what did it feel like to be successful? Did you give yourself credit for performing well?
Visualization Practice #2.
Take 60 seconds to picture yourself in
the biggest competition of the year. See yourself performing exactly the way you want to perform including warm up, performance and results.
Emphasize handling pressure better than your competition and you are more prepared for success than your competition. Experience what it takes to be successful.
Were you able to highlight yourself as the most prepared athlete?
Which camera angle did you use? What did you see? What did you hear? What did you physically feel? Emotionally, what did it feel like to be successful? Did you give
yourself credit for visualizing and performing well?
Create a personal highlight reel.
-Identify the best performance in the recent past where you felt great, performed well and had a positive outcome. Identify 3 to 5 highlights of the performance
each lasting 10 to 20 seconds. OR, identify 3-5 highlight from a few of your recent best performances each lasting 10 to 20 seconds where you felt great, performed well and had a positive outcome. With such visualization you can release endorphins into your bloodstream increasing your confidence and consistency. Use freeze frame to identify the peak moments.
-Now think about what you want to happen in the future such as a practice, tryout or game. Think about what you need to do to do well. Think about the way you want to feel before and during the event. Think about staying focused on what it takes to be
successful. Think about what it is like to perform well with pressure.
Think about being successful. Use as much detail as you would like. Remind yourself what you want to happen in the future. The more energy you put into this, the more
you improve your future prospects.
-Finally visualize what you want to happen in the future such as a practice, tryout or game. Visualize what you need to do to do well. Visualize or feel the way you want to feel before and during the event. See yourself staying focused on what it takes to be successful. Feel what it is like to perform well with pressure. See yourself as successful. Use as much detail as you would like. Remind yourself what you want to happen in the future. The more energy you put into this. the more you improve your future prospects. This part must be done in detail but should last only about 60 seconds.
THE IDENTITY STATEMENT
A self-Statement designed to improve self-image. Self-image is how you see yourself - and the strengths and weaknesses you possess. Self-image determines what you will accomplish. It can be a limiting factor or a limitless factor. Self-image is a motivating factor determining behavior to live up to your expectations.
Self-image is internally constructed. Creating a positive identity statement will help you choose a powerful self-image and increase your ability. An identity
statement is something you constantly tell yourself. If you step to the starting line with a true belief in your ability, you have a greater likelihood of success.
You can't outperform or under perform your self-image for very long. Self-image will regulate behavior and outcome. Self-image governs how successful you will become. You will act like the sort of person you conceive yourself to be. You cannot act otherwise.
Create a two part identity statement.
First part - indicate a strength you have or want to have which makes success likely.
Second part - identify what you want to accomplish. Start with "I am . . ." (strong, more motivated, best prepared. . . )
Commit to using the identity statement. Use it when self doubt or negativity creeps in. Your body listens to what the brain tells it.
REVIEW:
Five tools in the mental workout: take a centering breath ( 15 seconds), recite your performance statement (5 seconds), personal highlight reels - 3 reels of 60 seconds each (3 minutes), recite your identity statement (5 seconds), end with a
centering breath (15 seconds). 3 minutes and 40 seconds!
GOAL SETTING
Product goals or results goals are used before and after a practice or competition not during a practice or competition. These are quantifiable. These are goals
for the season. Select about 3 measureable goals.
Process goals or (what it takes to be successful and achieve the product goals) are used during practice or competition. These are the mechanics you wish to achieve. Visualize yourself in competition and in practice being mentally focused.
The ultimate goal is the culmination of what you want to accomplish in the long run and how you will get there. This is a career goal.
The work put in on these goals unlocks hidden potential, increases motivation, creates pinpoint focus, and re-energizes training and competition.
Write down goals. Let others know your goals. This makes them part of your reality
and will move them from your subconscious to your awareness.
It will make you more accountable to yourself and increase your motivation. Making excuses will stop you from getting better. Don't make excuses. Don't justify
shortcomings. Goals must be a part of daily training and utilized for them to work. Identify daily what you want to improve upon.
On a dally basis take 4 minutes to:
Write down what you did well in your practice or competition. Write down one specific thing you as a coach or athlete would like to improve upon in your next
practice or competition. Write down one thing you can do differently in your next practice or game that will bring into reality the improvement you just named.
What do you have to sacrifice or mentally change to accomplish that goal? A comfort level. An idea about your capabilities. An idea about thresholds that are
barriers. What else? What character strengths do you have to allow you to make the changes?
Take 1 minute to review your writing and 5 minutes to do the mental workout.
Goals are supposed to add motivation. The worthiest goals are the ones that produce true happiness. Don't feel pressure to set a goal that makes another person happy.
Chose a goal that makes you happy. Otherwise, motivation won't follow. Also, set a reward for achieving the goal - a movie, new clothes, going somewhere, a special download.
Make daily decisions based on achieving the goal. Think about how the goal interweaves with the person you wish to become. What are the important aspects of your life or characteristics you wish to achieve? Now you must create and maintain the integrity and discipline to pursue your goals. What is meant by integrity? By discipline? Ask yourself daily what are the three most important things in your life? Will your actions reflect your priorities?
Choose goals for which you have a passion and participate in activities that you enjoy. Otherwise, the reward is without deep meaning. Don't confuse what others want with what you want. Reward yourself when you accomplish your goal. Make a date
for yourself -say, within X weeks or months of achieving the goal.
A goal-setting program is only of use when goal setting helps you accomplish something you would not have otherwise have accomplished. Set goals that will lead to greatness and you will maximize your potential.
Dreams are where we want to go. Goals are how we get there. A goal is to increase motivation. Goals help people give their best. The harder you work, the harder it
is to surrender.
Richard Quick: "To me, a goal is what you are going to accomplish. It's not what you
hope you can accomplish, or wish you could do, or what you dream about... I want the goal to be something that you absolutely are going to do, and therefore it changes everything about you."
Preparation is training hard enough to make competition easy. Mental and physical
preparation stoke self-confidence. Put time and energy into doing everything you know you need to do to be prepared. Be aware you are fully prepared.
Write down your toughest competitor, the person you enjoy or would enjoy out-performing.
Now write down how much effort they put into training on a 1 -10
scale. Now write down how much effort you put into training on a
1-10 scale. What changes do you have to make? Winning versus losing Is determined more on training days than on game days.
You must train harder and smarter than your rival.
It's more important to do the exercises, than to try to make them perfect. It's important to complete the exercise. Know some days will be harder than others.
Seven Principles for Optimal Effectiveness.
1 Each day focus on process goals - 'what it takes' to achieve
your product.
2 Take full accountability by not making excuses.
3 Write down your goal; tell others.
4 Daily fill out your Success Log. What 3 things did I do well today? Based on today's performance, what do I want to improve. What is one thing I can
do differently that could lead to the desired improvement?
5 Choose goals aligned with who you want to be and how you
want to live.
6 Give yourself a reward for achieving a goal.
7 Have your goals embellish and control your work ethic.
Mental and physical training put you in a place to succeed.
Excellence is achieved through a solution-focused mind. However, we dwell on problems
not solutions. Are you solution focused or problem focused. How do you react to obstacles? Do you or others around you hear you making excuses very often or
posing solutions?
Being solution focused means keeping your thoughts centered on what you want from life and what it takes to achieve what you want, as opposed to allowing thoughts
of self-doubt and concern to occupy the mind. The difference between a solution focused and a relentless solution focus is how often you commit to replacing negative thinking with solutions.
Ask "what is one thing you can do right now that could make your situation better?" Keep asking the question until the situation shifts.
The board of life has a problems side and a solutions side. On which side do you
spend more time? Where do you focus? Thinking about problems, problems grow. Thinking about solutions, solutions grow.
Thinking about solutions is empowering and allows you to control your own destiny.
Know that negative thoughts do not help you. Replace negative thoughts with a Performance Statement, an Identity Statement or a positive visualization. Know that
we have the capacity for change. Address issues one at a time.
Ready, fire, aim. Don't overanalyze. Take action, then take action again until you hit the target.
Always ask - What's one thing I can do to make this better?
And come up with an answer and a solution. Believing there is a solution to every problem is vital to success. Even better, know that every problem has multiple solutions. They may not be perfect, but they improve problematic situations. The more
practice you have at solving problems, the more confidence you will have. Thus, we are more powerful than our problems.
People feel uncomfortable, stressed out, angry, sad, unhappy, frustrated or other negative feelings as a direct response to a perceived problem. Define the problem. Find a solution - the simpler, the better. Completely follow through on the solution.
Some solutions require quite a bit of effort. Know that inaction is a problem. Feel comfortable again.
Who wants this $1 bill? Why didn't you come up and take it? What stopped you? What is stopping you from performing better? You cannot outperform of underperform your selfimage for very long. If you believe you have the control to change and influence your results in every situation, you are correct.
First, decide what you want to accomplish and what it takes to get there. (Product and process goals.)
Second, choose to act on the physical and mental plans needed to accomplish your goals.
Third, One of two things happens: you either achieve your goal or you make adjustments to step one (relentless solution focus).
The entire group/team must be solution oriented for best camaraderie and results. Attitudes are contagious. Feed on solutions and solutions will expand. (Feed on problems and problems will expand.) Until there is a solution continue to ask "What is one thing we can do to make this better?"
These steps guarantee you of being more successful than if you did not pursue these steps. Surround yourself with people who want to scale the same heights. If you
want to have a great attitude, train yourself to have a great attitude.
Mental toughness is when the mind is in control of thoughts that help the body accomplish what is wanted. Mental toughness requires training.
Take responsibility for the training and the outcome.
Become solution focused.
Five Steps of the Mental
Workout
- 15 second Centering Breath.
Breathe in for 6 second, hold for 2, exhale for 7. Work to control your
heart rate.
- Performance Statement. Repeat the statement that most effectively focuses you to be successful in competition.
- Personal Highlight Reel.
Spend 3 minutes visualizing what it looks like to be successful. Pay attention to how you want to feel during warm ups and in competition.
- Identity Statement. Mold your self image to bolster your confidence. Whatever you tell yourself, you are correct.
- Finish with a Centering Breath.
Don't think about trying. Think about the one thing you can do to make yourself better and increase the likelihood of your success. Become a 'no-excuses' person. \
Emphasize process over results. Process goals identify what it takes on a daily basis to achieve desired results. Goals only work if they are kept alive. Share them. Be accountable to them.
When faced with adversity ask 'what is the one thing I can do to make this better?' The answer does not need to be perfect, it just needs to improve the situation.
5 points of Mental Toughness
1. Create a mental workout.
2. Identify vision, product
and process goals.
3. Compete a success log
daily.
4. Do the mental workout
before practice and before
games.
5. Develop a relentless
solution focus.
Criteria to determine how well you are doing:
1. Improved work ethic.
2. Ability to focus better in
practice.
3. Ability to focus better in
competition.
4. Increased happiness and
satisfaction.
5. Improved performance.
Goal Setting for Greatness.
What are the three greatest priorities in your life?
Create an image in your mind of what you would like your life to
be like in 10 years.
List one product goal and three processes to accomplish
that goal.
List a second product goal and three processes to accomplish it.
How will you reward yourself once you accomplish it?
What sacrifices will it take? List your character traits that show proof you have what it takes to achieve your goal. Who will review your goals with you?
Richard Ouick: "To me, a goal is what you are going to accomplish. It's not what you
hope you can accomplish, or wish you could do, or what you dream about... I want the goal to be something that you absolutely are going to do, and therefore it
changes everything about you." O
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Yves Ethier to present nutrition presentation today at Championship habits
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Former Tiger Paw Student Addresses Group as World Champion
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Read what Gary Roberts Has to say...The Tiger Paw Message!!!!!
Talent not enough to make it in NHL: Gary Roberts
“You look at Steve Stamkos (shown against Canadiens), he’s a great hockey player, he’s a great baseball player, he’s a great golfer, he’s great in the gym,” Gary Roberts says. “You don’t score 60 goals in the National Hockey League unless you’re an all-around good athlete."
MONTREAL - A lot of young hockey players watched Friday night’s first round of the NHL draft with dreams that one day in the future their name will be called. It’s a dream many hockey parents also have from the first time they lace up a pair of skates for their kid.
But Gary Roberts, a veteran of 22 NHL seasons who won a Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames in 1989, has a message for those kids and their parents: It takes a lot more than talent to make it.
Since retiring after the 2008-09 season, Roberts has become somewhat of a guru when it comes to training and nutrition for amateur and professional athletes through the Gary Roberts High Performance Centre. And he will play a key role at the NHLPA Allstate All-Canadians Mentorship Camp, slated for July 17-21 in Mississauga, Ont. The camp will bring together 42 of the top bantam-age players (born in 1997) from across the country, teaching them not only hockey skills, but also the importance and development of physical fitness, nutrition habits and mental skills.
Six of the players invited to the camp are from Quebec: goalie Callum Booth of Montreal, defenceman Jérémy Roy of Richelieu, and forwards Julien Gauthier of Montreal, Daniel Sprong of Île Bizard, Anthony Beauvillier of St. Hyacinthe and Nicolas Roy of Amos.
“These kids today, they need to be fed properly and fuelled properly,” Roberts, 46, said when I spoke with him recently. “Nutrition is the No. 1 thing I do with my guys, and it’s the one thing we’re going to enforce all week with these young athletes: eat right first. That’s the first thing you need to accomplish. If you don’t eat right, the training just goes by the wayside.”
Roberts added that the bantam level is when kids need to really get serious about hockey – both on and off the ice – if they want to succeed.
“This is the age we need to start preparing these players,” he said. “This is the time in their life when they say, ‘OK, I’m going to try and make hockey a career, or at least try to let hockey pay for my education in some form.’ This is the age these young players need to start getting this information to prepare them for whether it’s playing major-junior hockey or playing Junior A hockey or going to college. Fourteen, 15 years old, if you’re not doing this stuff – off the ice I’m talking about, when it comes to your lifestyle choices and your nutrition and your respect for the game – you’re not going to make it.”
But Roberts added that healthy eating for hockey players – and children in general – should start at a much earlier age.
“My biggest beef is hockey arena cafeterias,” he said. “They haven’t changed since I played minor hockey 40 years ago. I see kids eating pizza, Gatorade, and hotdogs and chips. That’s post-game meals for kids at hockey arenas. And they might play three games that day because they’re in a tournament.”
I asked Roberts what young hockey players should be eating.
“A garden salad with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar,” he said as a starter. “That’s the dressing … it’s not Ranch or Thousand Islands of French. It’s extra-virgin olive oil with balsamic vinegar, with some seeds on it. People don’t realize how good seeds are for you, whether it’s pumpkin seeds of hemp seeds or sunflower seeds. That’s a great salad for kids … it’s substance. Kids need substance. And then a chicken breast with some sweet potato and broccoli is a great meal. It’s got your protein, it’s got your long-lasting carbohydrates in the sweet potato. And even put some real butter on that, and you’ve got an ultimate pregame or post-game meal.”
For snacks, Roberts suggests Greek yogurt with berries and flax seed, raw vegetables with humus, raw almonds (if there are no nut allergies) and an apple, trail mix or a tuna wrap.
“I say to guys: ‘Worst-case scenario put a chocolate milk and a couple of bananas in your hockey bag so when you’re done playing you’ve got something to put in your body right away,’” Roberts said. “It’s about preparation. That’s what this whole thing is about. If you prepare properly you’ll succeed.”
I also asked Roberts what he thinks about kids with NHL dreams playing hockey 12 months a year.
“I’m totally against it,” he said. “My whole belief is that you play hockey all winter … it’s a physical sport. In the summertime you need to get outside, enjoy some sunshine, get out of the hockey arena. Eight weeks minimum of off-ice training depending on when your season ends. Go do something else in the summer.
“You look at Steve Stamkos, he’s a great hockey player, he’s a great baseball player, he’s a great golfer, he’s great in the gym,” Roberts added. “You don’t score 60 goals in the National Hockey League unless you’re an all-around good athlete. So become a good athlete first, don’t focus so much on one sport or one activity. I think it’s totally wrong that parents think they’re going to lose the edge if (their kids) don’t go out on the ice 12 months a year. What’s going to happen is your child is going to be less motivated in September to put his skates on because he did it all summer.”
Stamkos has become the poster boy for Roberts’s program, working hard with the former NHLer when it comes to fitness and nutrition.
“The biggest thing for Steve was understanding how to lift weights properly ... that was No. 1,” Roberts said. “Understanding that to get stronger you follow tempo ... that’s what people don’t understand when they lift weights. Understanding exactly what we were trying to accomplish with his weightlifting instead of just working out. And then the nutrition … not eating near enough food. I refined his eating and introduced him to the proper training.
“Obviously, he came to me with lots of skill,” Roberts added. “ I didn’t give him his shot.”
But it takes more than just a big shot to make the NHL.
scowan@montrealgazette.com
Twitter: @StuCowan1
To learn more about the All-Canadians Mentorship Camp, including fitness and nutrition tips, go to the website at allcanadians.com
Ken Dryden pays tribute to The Gazette’s Red Fisher on his retirement. Read more on Stu Cowan’s blog at montrealgazette.com/stuonsports
Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Talent+enough+make+Gary+Roberts/6827945/story.html#ixzz1yeMQJtPN
Tiger Paw elite Summer Hockey school 2012 Opens Monday
The Tiger Paw Elite Summer Hockey School gets underway Monday to kick off the 2012 summer training
We ask that everyone arrives between 11h30-12h30 to complete registration process.
Peewees wil start their dry land sessions at 12h30, Bantams and Midgets will go to Championship Habits at 12h30
Note, Tiger Paw campers should come with a lunch as they will need an energy recapture following dryland and/or on ice.
The Canteen will open at 4pm if you prefer to have your Tiger Paw camper purchase food at the rink. Note, we encourage the consumption of water, protien, vegetables/fruits...we discourage chips, soft drinks, gatorade/powerade/red bull, skittles/chocolate bars
On Tuesday at 12h30, Marc David of Maxxgard outh protectors will be in attendance. Mouth protectors help to prevent concussions and we are big supporters of the use of mouth guards! If you do not use one, please do!!!!!!!!...Marc will help you to understand the use of mouth guards if you are not clear on their applications.
Please use this email address ( lsltiger@gmail.com) to notify us of early departure, late arrival or unscheduled absences. You can alo reach me on my cell phone HOWEVER reception inside the arena is not good and I could miss calls 514.210.2607...best to text that cell number.
We will provide a t-shirt, hockey jersey on Monday. Tiger Paw Campers should attend with a change of clothes, one set to work out in and another to leave in...under clothing for hockey is also a must
RESPECT is rule 1...we expect our TIGER PAW CAMPERS to respect he coaches, staff, the staff of the arena,the facilities...no spitting on the dressing room floor, clean up after yourself, use the garbage bins to put your tape and other discharge
RULE 2, is team first...you are part of the Tiger Paw team now...you are here to learn, not to disrupt... make an effort, do what is asked of you to the best of your ability and we will have a great summer!
REMINDER, Our first guest speaker is Lauriane Rougeau who is the lone female to play for the Lac St Louis Tigers, played for Team Canada this past April and won gold by defeating the USA in overtime at te University of Vermont before a partisian crowd of 5000... I had the pleasure to be in attendance
Final day BBQ is August 3rd!
Daily Schedules below
TIGER PAW ELITE SUMMER HOCKEY SCHOOL PEEWEE SCHEDULE
Peewee (June 25-August 3) @ Vincent Lecavalier Arena
12h30-13h30 DRYLAND
13h30-14h00 transition to on ice
14h00-15h30 On Ice (with 6 instructors)
16h00-17h00 Championship Habits/Guest Speakers
TIGER PAW ELITE SUMMER HOCKEY SCHOOL BANTAM SCHEDULE
Bantam (June 25-August 4) at Vincent Lecavalier Arena Ile Bizard
12h30-13h30 Championship Habits/ Guest speakers
13h30-14h00 Transition to On Ice
14h00-15h30 On ice (with 6 instructors)
16h00-17h00 DRYLAND
TIGER PAW ELITE SUMMER HOCKEY SCHOOL MIDGET SCHEDULE
Midget @ Vincent Lecavalier Arena June 25-Aug 3
12h30-13h30 Championship Habits/ Guest speakers
13h30-15h00 DRYLAND
15h00-15h30 Transition to On Ice
15h30-17h00 On ice (with 6 instructors)
Monday, June 18, 2012
From NEHJ: Make developing durability a priority
By Sean Skahan
Sean Skahan (Quincy, Mass.) is the strength and conditioning coach of the Anaheim Ducks.
The definition of “durable” — according to Dictionary.com — is “The ability to resist wear, decay, etc.; well; lasting; enduring.”
In team sports, the ability for athletes to be healthy on a game-to-game basis is sometimes what separates the good from the not-so-good.
In the NHL and NFL, statistics are kept on man games lost to injury (NHL) and starters games missed (NFL). Over the course of the season, it is ideal that those numbers are low to ensure that the team is healthy. In professional sports, the athletes obviously possess enough talent to play their sport, but not so many have the durability to help them remain in the lineup. Having the best players on the team available to play in each game gives a team the best chance for success.
Unfortunately, injuries do occur. Broken bones, head injuries and other ailments are unfortunately unavoidable. In hockey, the speed of the game combined with physical contact and a hard rubber puck that is shot around the ice and in the air at upwards of 90-plus mph can create plenty of opportunities for injury. It is the soft tissue injuries such as strains/pulls to muscle groups such as the adductors, abdominals and hip flexors that can be avoided.
Can we prevent all of them from happening? Probably not, but we can do our best at implementing strategies to help our athletes avoid them.
Creating and implementing strategies to help prevent these injuries from occurring needs to be part of the strength and conditioning coach’s responsibility. We can’t continue to wait for these injuries to happen before we take action. We need to be pro-active, not re-active.
I am not suggesting that we should be spending all of our time on “pre-hab” or “corrective” exercises instead of trying to get our players stronger at the basics. Although we do what some would refer to as pre-hab and/or corrective exercises daily in our program. These are done with all of our athletes even if they don’t have any issue to “correct.”
However, we use our pre-hab or correctives in conjunction with more traditional exercises used to increase strength and power. Some may refer to this as functional training. I am not sure what it should be called, to be honest, but I don’t feel like it needs to be classified as a system of training. It is what works for us and our players.
In the NFL, the youngest age a rookie may be is 21 years old. Most of these players already are strong, fast and powerful as a result of being involved in a structured collegiate strength and conditioning program.
In the NHL, the physical maturity of a young player is mostly different from the NFL. First, the NHL drafts young men when they are 18 to 19 years old. Also, NHL-drafted players are not exposed to the similar training methods that collegiate football players are. NHL-drafted players are being selected at the same age that football players are when they begin a collegiate strength and conditioning program.
In my opinion, there are only a small number of college hockey programs with good strength-and-conditioning programs in place.
As for the junior players throughout Canada and the United States, the offseason strength-and-conditioning programs provided by private strength-and-conditioning companies probably are the best option because the in-season strength-and-conditioning programs at the junior level are not as structured as the U.S. collegiate programs. The teams in the major junior leagues play twice the amount of games that college players do, which doesn’t leave an adequate amount of time to train.
Unlike in the NFL, an 18-year-old may have the talent to play in the NHL right away. With these young players, it is crucial that they embrace the strength-and-conditioning process so that they can develop the durability necessary to play in 82 regular-season hockey games at a pace that they have never played in before.
It may take time for this development to occur, but we must make it a priority. With the veteran NHL players, they are more like the NFL players who already possess the physical tools to play in the NHL. These players need to continue to work on their durability in the offseason and in season so that they can play every game. They may not need the overall hypertrophy that the younger player may need, but they still need to address some physical characteristics so that they can remain healthy.
How do you create or improve durability? Methods to prevent the breakdown of the body have to be implemented. It may be different for each player. For one player, it might be gaining strength and lean body mass. For another player, it may be continuing to gain strength but also to improve their overall mobility. These are just some examples, but I think the point is made.
Identifying the weakness and trying to improve it so that it is good enough relative to the strengths is a huge component.
What I think is important in designing a strength-and-conditioning program is developing an all-encompassing program that takes everything into consideration. Even though an athlete may have specific weaknesses versus strengths, we still can work on their strengths at the same time. I don’t think that other areas need to take a back seat as we work on weaknesses.
Durability also should be the focus of the training for the average trainee. The ability to resist wear and decay should be why we embark on exercising. You don’t have to be a pro athlete to not want to decay.
This article originally appeared in the March 2012 issue of New England Hockey Journal.
Sean Skahan, a native of Quincy, Mass., is the strength and conditioning coach of the Anaheim Ducks. He is also part owner of www.HockeySc.com, the leading online hockey training resource. He can be reached at feedback@hockeyjournal.com
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Rougeau to Join Tiger Paw elite Summer Hockey School June 28th
Former Lac St Louis Tiger, Lauriane Rougeau, will be present at the Tiger Paw elite Summer Hockey School Thursday June 28th. Lauriane is a three time second team All American defenseman at Cornell University, who is fresh off her first experience with women's National Team at the IIHF World Championships in Burlington, Vermont where Canada won the gold medal in overtime before a partisan crowd.
Lauriane will discuss her path to espoir level and beyond including her experience as captain of the U18 Team Canada, experiences with the U22 program, Cornell and , of course, the recent World Championship experience.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Championship Habits: What Eating Too Much Sugar Does to Your Brain
Overeating, poor memory formation, learning disorders, depression – all have been linked in recent research to the over-consumption of sugar. And these linkages point to a problem that is only beginning to be better understood: what our chronic intake of added sugar is doing to our brains.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the average American consumes 156 pounds of added sugar per year. That’s five grocery store shelves loaded with 30 or so one pound bags of sugar each. If you find that hard to believe, that’s probably because sugar is so ubiquitous in our diets that most of us have no idea how much we’re consuming. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) puts the amount at 27.5 teaspoons of sugar a day per capita, which translates to 440 calories – nearly one quarter of a typical 2000 calorie a day diet.
The key word in all of the stats is “added.” While a healthy diet would contain a significant amount of naturally occurring sugar (in fruits and grains, for example), the problem is that we’re chronically consuming much more added sugar in processed foods. That’s an important clarification because our brains need sugar every day to function. Brain cells require two times the energy needed by all the other cells in the body; roughly 10% of our total daily energy requirements. This energy is derived from glucose (blood sugar), the gasoline of our brains. Sugar is not the brain’s enemy — added sugar is.
Research indicates that a diet high in added sugar reduces the production of a brain chemical known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Without BDNF, our brains can’t form new memories and we can’t learn (or remember) much of anything. Levels of BDNF are particularly low in people with an impaired glucose metabolism–diabetics and pre-diabetics–and as the amount of BDNF decreases, sugar metabolism worsens.
In other words, chronically eating added sugar reduces BDNF, and then the lowered levels of the brain chemical begin contributing to insulin resistance, which leads to type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which eventually leads to a host of other health problems. Once that happens, your brain and body are in a destructive cycle that’s difficult if not impossible to reverse.
Research has also linked low BDNF levels to depression and dementia. It’s possible that low BDNF may turn out to be the smoking gun in these and other diseases, like Alzheimer’s, that tend to appear in clusters in epidemiological studies. More research is being conducted on this subject, but what seems clear in any case is that a reduced level of BDNF is bad news for our brains, and chronic sugar consumption is one of the worst inhibitory culprits.
Other studies have focused on sugar’s role in over-eating. We intuitively know that sugar and obesity are linked, but the exact reason why hasn’t been well understood until recently. Research has shown that chronic consumption of added sugar dulls the brain’s mechanism for telling you to stop eating. It does so by reducing activity in the brain’s anorexigenic oxytocin system, which is responsible for throwing up the red “full” flag that prevents you from gorging. When oxytocin cells in the brain are blunted by over-consumption of sugar, the flag doesn’t work correctly and you start asking for seconds and thirds, and seeking out snacks at midnight.
What these and other studies strongly suggest is that most of us are seriously damaging ourselves with processed foods high in added sugar, and the damage begins with our brains. Seen in this light, chronic added-sugar consumption is no less a problem than smoking or alcoholism. And the hard truth is that we may have only begun to see the effects of what the endless sugar avalanche is doing to us.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Tiger Paw Instructor: from Harvard
Harvard's Killorn Caps 2011-12 with Calder Cup Win
Killorn lifts the Calder Cup (photo by John Wright/courtesy Norfolk Admirals).
Less than three weeks after graduating from Harvard, Alex Killorn capped a brilliant 2011-12 season by hoisting the Calder Cup following his Norfolk Admirals' defeat of the Toronto Marlies to win the American Hockey League championship. The title run highlighted a strong season for former Crimson players in professional hockey.
Killorn, who earned All-America first-team honors and led Harvard to the ECAC Hockey title game this season, ranked fourth on the Admirals with nine assists and sixth with 12 points in 17 playoff games. He previously joined the team in the midst of a 28-game win streak and began his career with two goals and four assists to close the regular season and start his professional career.
Four former Harvard players played in the National Hockey League this season. Craig Adams '99 played in all 82 games to help the Pittsburgh Penguins finish with 108 points, the NHL's fourth-greatest total. Dominic Moore '03 also finished the season in the playoffs, with the San Jose Sharks after a midseason trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Moore totaled 25 points on the season.
Former Crimson forward and first-round draft pick Louis Leblanc made his NHL debut with his hometown Montreal Canadiens, totaling five goals and 10 points in 42 games to go with 22 points in 31 AHL games with the Hamilton Bulldogs. Defenseman Dylan Reese '07 also spent time at both the NHL and AHL levels. He skated in 28 games for the New York Islanders, registering 11 points from the blue line.
Killorn was one of five members of Harvard's Class of 2012 to play or sign with pro teams. Classmates Ryan Grimshaw, Eric Kroshus and Daniel Moriarty all made their pro debuts before graduating, and Colin Moore signed with Les Repaces de Gap in France's top league.
Below are the 2011-12 regular-season statistics of former Harvard players in pro hockey (courtesy HockeyDB.com).
Craig Adams '99, Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) - 82 games played, 5 goals, 13 assists, 18 points, 34 penalty minutes
Alex Biega '11, Rochester Americans (AHL) - 65 GP, 5 G, 18 A, 23 P, 47 PIM
Ryan Grimshaw '12, Rochester Americans (AHL) - 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 2 PIM
Ryan Grimshaw '12, Trenton Titans (ECHL) - 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 0 PIM
Chris Huxley '11, Ontario Reign (ECHL) - 69 GP, 6 G, 29 A, 35 P, 109 PIM
Alex Killorn '12, Norfolk Admirals (AHL) - 10 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 P, 2 PIM
Eric Kroshus '12, Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) - 3 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, 0 PIM
Ryan Lannon '05, KalPa Kuopio (SM-liiga) - 28 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 P, 10 PIM
Louis Leblanc, Montreal Canadiens (NHL) - 42 GP, 5 G, 5 A, 10 P, 28 PIM
Louis Leblanc, Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) - 31 GP, 11 G, 11 A, 22 G, 30 PIM
Craig MacDonald '99, Mannheim Eagles (DEL) - 28 GP, 6 G, 14 A, 20 P, 12 PIM
Ryan Maki '07, Hannover Scorpions (DEL) - 43 GP, 9 G, 15 A, 24 P, 34 PIM
Dominic Moore '03, San Jose Sharks (NHL) - 23 GP, 0 G, 6 A, 6 P, 6 PIM
Dominic Moore '03, Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) - 56 GP, 4 G, 15 A, 19 P, 48 PIM
Daniel Moriarty '12, Evansville IceMen (CHL) - 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 0 PIM
Jon Pelle '08, Belfast Giants (EIHL) - 44 GP, 24 G, 33 A, 57 P, 20 PIM
Dylan Reese '07, New York Islanders (NHL) - 28 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 P, 11 PIM
Dylan Reese '07, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) - 27 GP, 2 G, 13 A, 15 P, 12 PIM
Noah Welch '05, HV71 Jonkoping (SEL) - 51 GP, 4 G, 6 A, 10 P, 85 PIM
Dov Grumet-Morris '05, San Antonio Rampage (AHL) - 34 GP, 2.33 goals-against average, .921
save percentage, 19-13-1 record
Killorn lifts the Calder Cup (photo by John Wright/courtesy Norfolk Admirals).
Less than three weeks after graduating from Harvard, Alex Killorn capped a brilliant 2011-12 season by hoisting the Calder Cup following his Norfolk Admirals' defeat of the Toronto Marlies to win the American Hockey League championship. The title run highlighted a strong season for former Crimson players in professional hockey.
Killorn, who earned All-America first-team honors and led Harvard to the ECAC Hockey title game this season, ranked fourth on the Admirals with nine assists and sixth with 12 points in 17 playoff games. He previously joined the team in the midst of a 28-game win streak and began his career with two goals and four assists to close the regular season and start his professional career.
Four former Harvard players played in the National Hockey League this season. Craig Adams '99 played in all 82 games to help the Pittsburgh Penguins finish with 108 points, the NHL's fourth-greatest total. Dominic Moore '03 also finished the season in the playoffs, with the San Jose Sharks after a midseason trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Moore totaled 25 points on the season.
Former Crimson forward and first-round draft pick Louis Leblanc made his NHL debut with his hometown Montreal Canadiens, totaling five goals and 10 points in 42 games to go with 22 points in 31 AHL games with the Hamilton Bulldogs. Defenseman Dylan Reese '07 also spent time at both the NHL and AHL levels. He skated in 28 games for the New York Islanders, registering 11 points from the blue line.
Killorn was one of five members of Harvard's Class of 2012 to play or sign with pro teams. Classmates Ryan Grimshaw, Eric Kroshus and Daniel Moriarty all made their pro debuts before graduating, and Colin Moore signed with Les Repaces de Gap in France's top league.
Below are the 2011-12 regular-season statistics of former Harvard players in pro hockey (courtesy HockeyDB.com).
Craig Adams '99, Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) - 82 games played, 5 goals, 13 assists, 18 points, 34 penalty minutes
Alex Biega '11, Rochester Americans (AHL) - 65 GP, 5 G, 18 A, 23 P, 47 PIM
Ryan Grimshaw '12, Rochester Americans (AHL) - 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 2 PIM
Ryan Grimshaw '12, Trenton Titans (ECHL) - 3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 0 PIM
Chris Huxley '11, Ontario Reign (ECHL) - 69 GP, 6 G, 29 A, 35 P, 109 PIM
Alex Killorn '12, Norfolk Admirals (AHL) - 10 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 P, 2 PIM
Eric Kroshus '12, Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) - 3 GP, 0 G, 1 A, 1 P, 0 PIM
Ryan Lannon '05, KalPa Kuopio (SM-liiga) - 28 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 6 P, 10 PIM
Louis Leblanc, Montreal Canadiens (NHL) - 42 GP, 5 G, 5 A, 10 P, 28 PIM
Louis Leblanc, Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) - 31 GP, 11 G, 11 A, 22 G, 30 PIM
Craig MacDonald '99, Mannheim Eagles (DEL) - 28 GP, 6 G, 14 A, 20 P, 12 PIM
Ryan Maki '07, Hannover Scorpions (DEL) - 43 GP, 9 G, 15 A, 24 P, 34 PIM
Dominic Moore '03, San Jose Sharks (NHL) - 23 GP, 0 G, 6 A, 6 P, 6 PIM
Dominic Moore '03, Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) - 56 GP, 4 G, 15 A, 19 P, 48 PIM
Daniel Moriarty '12, Evansville IceMen (CHL) - 2 GP, 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, 0 PIM
Jon Pelle '08, Belfast Giants (EIHL) - 44 GP, 24 G, 33 A, 57 P, 20 PIM
Dylan Reese '07, New York Islanders (NHL) - 28 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 P, 11 PIM
Dylan Reese '07, Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL) - 27 GP, 2 G, 13 A, 15 P, 12 PIM
Noah Welch '05, HV71 Jonkoping (SEL) - 51 GP, 4 G, 6 A, 10 P, 85 PIM
Dov Grumet-Morris '05, San Antonio Rampage (AHL) - 34 GP, 2.33 goals-against average, .921
save percentage, 19-13-1 record
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Tiger Paw Guest Instructors Killorn and Barberio Win Calder Cup with Norfolk Admirals
Calder Cup sets sail for Norfolk
June 9, 2012
TORONTO … The Norfolk Admirals completed a storybook 2011-12 season by capturing the franchise’s first Calder Cup championship with a 6-1 win over the Toronto Marlies at Ricoh Coliseum in Toronto on Saturday afternoon.
The Admirals, the top development team of the National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning, finished off a four-game sweep of the Marlies in the Calder Cup Finals. After completing the regular season with a professional hockey record 28-game winning streak, Norfolk went 15-3 in the postseason to finish with 70 victories in 94 games overall, including 43 in their final 46 games of the year.
2012 AHL MVP and Rookie of the Year Cory Conacher recorded four assists in the Game 4 clincher, while fellow 2012 AHL All-Rookie forward Tyler Johnson notched two goals and two assists and defenseman Mike Kostka scored twice.
Richard Panik gave Norfolk the lead 6:17 into Game 4, driving to the net and banking a shot off the skate of Toronto defender Juraj Mikus and past Ben Scrivens.
Panik’s elbowing major and game misconduct late in the first period gave Toronto an opportunity to get back in the game, and after Jean-Philippe Cote and Mike Kostka also took minors, the Marlies converted on a lengthy five-on-three advantage when Mike Zigomanis buried a cross-crease pass from Joe Colborne with 16.1 seconds left in the frame, tying the score at 1-1.
Zigomanis’s goal was the first allowed by Norfolk on the road in more than a month, since Game 4 of the Admirals’ second-round series vs. Connecticut on May 7 – a span of 272:38.
Norfolk reclaimed the lead in the second period when Kostka’s shot from the blue line sailed through traffic and past Scrivens at 4:26. A goal by Johnson at 16:45, banking the puck in off Scrivens from below the goal line, gave Norfolk a 3-1 lead at the second intermission, and Kostka added his second of the night on a power play 44 seconds into the third period.
Johnson’s second goal of the night came into an empty net with 7:25 left after Toronto had pulled Scrivens for an extra attacker, and Pierre-Cedric Labrie snapped one home less than a minute later.
Dustin Tokarski stopped 18 of 19 Marlies shots in Game 4, finishing the postseason with his league-leading 12th victory. Scrivens made 26 saves in the loss.
Norfolk never trailed over its final two playoff series and finished the postseason with 10 consecutive wins, outscoring their opponents 34-7 during the streak. Under second-year head coach Jon Cooper, the Admirals eliminated the Manchester Monarchs (3-1), Connecticut Whale (4-2) and St. John’s IceCaps (4-0) before defeating Toronto in the Finals. The Admirals’ 2012 playoff roster featured seven players who appeared in the NHL with the parent Lightning this season.
Norfolk forward Alexandre Picard won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the 2012 Calder Cup Playoffs, leading the Admirals with nine goals and 16 points while registering a plus-11 rating as well as a team-high 48 penalty minutes in 18 playoff games.
Norfolk’s victory brings the curtain down on the AHL’s 76th season. In operation since 1936, the AHL continues to serve as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. More than 88 percent of today’s NHL players are American Hockey League graduates, and this season marked the 11th consecutive year in which more than 6 million fans attended AHL games across North America.
2012 Calder Cup Finals – Series “O” (best-of-7)
E1-Norfolk Admirals vs. W2-Toronto Marlies
Game 1 – Fri., June 1 – NORFOLK 3, Toronto 1
Game 2 – Sat., June 2 – NORFOLK 4, Toronto 2
Game 3 – Thurs., June 7 – Norfolk 1, TORONTO 0 (OT)
Game 4 – Sat., June 9 – Norfolk 6, TORONTO 1
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Tiger Paw Instructor Graduates Harvard and Playing in Calder Cup Final
Alex Killorn: The Head Of The Class
2012 Harvard Graduate and Lightning Prospect Alex Killorn's career is already off to a fast start
Monday, 06.04.2012 / 9:09 PM / Features
By Dan Marrazza
This spring, thousands of young adults in the United States have been rewarded for many years of hard study by graduating with a college degree.
For most, their college graduation signals their transition from childhood to adulthood, with the time immediately after graduation being reserved for a job hunt with which they’ll pursue their dream career.
For Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Alex Killorn, a May 24 graduate of Harvard University with a degree in government, his post-college life has gotten off to a rollicking start, as he’s just two wins away from being a Calder Cup champion just days after graduating one of America’s premier educational institutions.
“If you told me last year that I’d be in the Calder Cup Finals with the Norfolk Admirals right now, I probably wouldn’t have believed you,” Killorn said. “But I’m just trying to take it day by day. So far, it’s been fun.”
It isn’t very difficult to see why Killorn would be having so much fun at this juncture of his life, since fulfilling most of his educational requirements at Harvard earlier this winter enabled him to turn pro and join the Norfolk Admirals in March as they were in the midst of a winning streak that would reach 28 games at the regular season’s conclusion, making it at least 10 games longer than any other winning streak in any league in 108 years of professional hockey.
The Admirals have followed their record-breaking winning streak by winning 13 of their first 16 playoff games, holding a 2-0 final-round series advantage over the Toronto Marlies after eliminating the Manchester Monarchs, Connecticut Whale and St. John’s IceCaps in the first three rounds.
And Killorn has hardly been a passenger on the Admirals’ postseason drive either, as his 11 postseason points (3g, 8a) are second among all AHL rookies, only trailing a Matt Frattin of the Toronto Marlies that spent much of this past season in the NHL while Killorn was still playing collegiately.
“Killorn has been a top player in an Ivy League school for four years,” said Admirals head coach Jon Cooper. “It’s hard for a lot of junior and college guys who have never played at this level to walk in and be a great player right away. But Killorn is just a bit older and stronger. It only took him 10 or 15 games for the game to basically slow down for him, which means he’s really adapting. He’s been a pivotal player for us.”
Killorn’s great strength doesn’t necessarily show itself in the form of fights or thunderous hits; rather, for Killorn, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound Nova Scotia native that’s equally adept at playing all three forward positions, his strength is most apparent on the forecheck, from where he generates most of his offensive chances by seemingly effortlessly shoving larger defensemen off pucks.
Actually, since Killorn’s advanced level of strength has seemed to make his adjustment to pro hockey look so easy at times, it’s quite possible that the most challenging task he’s had to face in his life lately was fitting his college graduation into his busy hockey schedule.
After all, the Admirals’ schedule originally dictated that they’d be over 1,000 miles from Cambridge, Mass. at the time of Harvard’s graduation, leaving Killorn’s ability to actually attend his graduation in doubt down to the very last minute.
In the end, what turned out to be the thing to guarantee that Killorn would be able to attend his graduation was the great haste with which the Admirals swept the St. John’s IceCaps in the Eastern Conference Finals, since Killorn’s graduation was originally scheduled for an off day between Game 4 and what would have been a Game 5 of Norfolk’s third-round series.
But since the Admirals sweeping the IceCaps enabled the Eastern Conference Finals to conclude early on May 22, Killorn was able to separately fly out of Newfoundland & Labrador to Boston ahead of his teammates and not have to worry about hanging around for another four days to play an extra game in St. John’s.
“I was going to try and make it to my graduation either way,” said Killorn. “Obviously, the sweep made everything a whole lot easier. The only thing was that I really didn’t have a lot of family at my graduation, since nobody knew until the last second if I was actually going to be able to make it.”
But Killorn made it to Harvard’s graduation, where commencement speakers included Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, actors Mark Wahlberg and Nicolas Cage, and comedian Andy Samberg.
“You put in so much effort by working hard in class,” said Killorn. “And to be able to celebrate a degree with your buddies after ending a chapter of your life is very exciting.”
But in terms of pure excitement, it will be hard for any 2012 Harvard graduates to be able to duplicate the level of instantaneous excitement that Killorn has experienced, given that the Admirals’ next game will be the first championship-series game of any pro-hockey league played in the hockey-crazy city of Toronto in five decades.
“I don’t know if anybody I know is doing anything quite like this,” said Killorn. “For me, a lot of my friends are hockey players who are trying to figure out what the next steps for their playing careers are. I do know another guy, though, that is trying to invent this heart-rate monitor that seems pretty cool.”
While Killorn playing in the Calder Cup Finals and probably having the chance to push for an NHL roster spot next fall are certainly things that put him ahead of most of his classmates immediately after college, the 2007 Tampa Bay draft pick knows that he’s going to have to accomplish an awful lot as a hockey player to stay ahead of a group of peers that in all reality, will probably be America’s leaders much sooner rather than later.
“Score 800 goals,” joked Killorn. “Yeah, somebody from my class will probably do something to pass me by at some point.”
But until someone passes him, Killorn is just going to enjoy truly being the head of his class.
Former Tiger Paw Student Momesso gets invite to Canucks Rookie Camp
Former Tiger Paw Elite Summer Hockey School student Stefano Momesso has received an invitation to attend the Vancouver Canucks rookie camp this summer.
Congratulations, Stefano!
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Mental Strngth Tips During Tryouts-Courtest of the Mind Warrior
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