(63) CURRENT PRACTICES OF NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACHES AND SPORT SCIENTISTS

Over the past two decades, strength and conditioning (S&C) and sport science roles have grown within a professional team’s performance department. The last study to evaluate the practices of S&C coaches in the National Hockey League (NHL) was done nearly 20 years ago.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide an in depth review of the current practices of S&C coaches and sport scientists in the NHL and evaluate the new technology, exercises and training methods being used.

Methods: A survey was emailed to all 32 NHL S&C coaches and sport scientists/performance directors via Microsoft Forms covering seven main areas: Personnel Information, Physical Testing, In-season, Off-Season, Program Design, Technology, and Budget. The survey consisted of multiple choice, open-ended, and an “other” option to provide specific responses to the questions asked. The response rate was 62.5% (20/32).

Results: 95% of teams indicated they have a head S&C coach, 85% have an assistant S&C coach, 50% have a performance director and 50% have a sport scientist. Results show that the most frequently assessed fitness variables are body composition (100%), strength (80%), and dry-land anaerobic capacity (70%). All teams reported using a periodization model in the off-season, while only half of teams said they use such an approach in-season. 45% of teams reported using Olympic lifts with their athletes. Coaches reported that sprints, loaded and unloaded jumps, squats and their variations, and trap-bar deadlifts and their variations as their most important training exercises. Finally, coaches indicated that the most common types of technology used in their programs are heart rate monitors (100%), force plates/jump mats (95%), bar velocity tracking units (80%), GPS/inertial measurement units (70%), and the 1080 sprint (55%).

Conclusions: The results of this survey show an expansion in the personnel of NHL performance departments and new roles to accommodate the large amouts of data being collected. Practitioners reported extensive testing protocols with a high reliance on technology in the pre-season, in-season, and off-season. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study serves as an in-depth review of the current practices of S&C coaches in the NHL, the new technology being used and the new training methods being employed. This data can help guide S&C coaches on what practices and technology are being used at the highest level in ice hockey and provide a possible source for new ideas.

 

Acknowledgements: None