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PRACTICE: BEHIND THE SCENES! |
ALLEN IVERSON "TALKIN' 'BOUT PRACTICE" |
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Recently I had a chance to ask some questions about
what happens behind the scenes at the Thrashers practices and at
their practice facilities. I asked some basic questions about what
happens in the locker/team area, what is the normal practice
schedules of the players, and are there any unusual practices of any
of the players. Here's the information I received: 1. ARRIVALS: Players begin to arrive about two-and-a-half hours before the scheduled ice time for practice and usually come in a steady pace until about one-and-a-half hours before practice. There is usually have a team meeting one hour before practice, so the players are considered late if they are late for the meeting. 2. ROUTINE: The time the players arrive at the practice facility depends on routine and what guys work-out before practice versus what guys work out after practice, or if they need treatment. The players with families tend to arrive earlier since they are usually up early with their kids. Some guys, like Nic Havelid, are always at the rink really early. 3. REFRESHMENTS: On practice days there really isn't any food provided before or after practice. On certain days, sometimes if there is a meeting or something after practice, we have a catered lunch after practice in the locker-room. However, most of the time guys eat before they come to the rink and after they leave. 4. MEETINGS: There is almost always a team meeting/video session on every practice day. There are also occasions when the defensemen will meet with the coaches or individual players will meet with coaches. There are also a lot of individual video sessions before and after practice. 5. OFFICE: In the locker room/team are there are several officeS for hockey operations personnel, as well as a lobby area with a receptionist, a large conference room and a lounge. The lounge is where a lot of players out of town guests will spend there time while the player is working. There is a big TV, a computer station and several couches and chairs. 6. GAME DAY VS. NON-GAME DAY: Regular practices and game day practices are very different. Game-day morning skates are always really brief, lasting only 20-30 minutes. They have a run of drills designed to keep the guys sharp and focused on the game, as well as get some shots on the goalie. In a practice, you are more likely to work on specific parts of the game and try to work on conditioning. 7. INDIVIDUAL ROUTINES: None of the players have unusual practice day rituals. Most guys have a certain routine they follow. It might be as simple as when they arrive, the stretches they do or when they hit the gym. The more ritualistic stuff seems to be reserved for game days. 8. WORKOUTS: There are team workouts on certain days after practice, although not when we play the next day. We also have team stretches before practice every day. As far as work-outs go, it varies. Some guys go before practice and some guys work out after practice. It all depends on their needs and what kind of program our strength and conditioning coach has them on. 9. GEAR: Other than the goaltenders, every player has a practice set of gear and a game set of gear. Practice gear stays in Duluth and the game gear stays at Philips Arena and travels on the road. 10. FUN: It seems like in hockey almost everybody is a practical joker. The guys all seem to have a lot of fun together and are always joking back and forth. I did not get any specific examples of any jokes which the players have done to each other. 11. FANS: The players like seeing the fans at both practice and games. They think it is exciting, especially when it is really crowded, to see how many passionate fans there are. The players especially like seeing the kids, as I am sure they visited rinks to see practices when they were growing up. 12. AUTOGRAPHS: The players sign autographs on their own. The guys have always gone out of their way to sign for everybody. 13. THE PARKING LOT: The only thing about fans at practice that concerns the players is keeping the parking lot and driveway area clear for safety reasons. 14. KOVY SHIRT: I am pretty sure Kovy still has the Kovalchuk Army shirt but I didn't see it hanging in his stall. 15. NEATNESS: None of the players stick out as being particularly neat or having a messy locker. They are all usually pretty neat. There are certain guys who have more stuff in there stalls, but they are all pretty organized. 16. EQUIPMENT: When a player gets traded or sent to the minors they take their equipment and sticks with them. The only thing we keep, as far as I know, is the jersey. |
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