Inside the Ottawa Senators with Artem Zub | Exclusive Tour, Locker Room & Training Secrets!

Inside the Ottawa Senators with Artem Zub | Exclusive Tour, Locker Room & Training Secrets!

Friends, look at this beauty over here. Canadian Tire Center. This is the main arena, home of the senators. Our fellow countryman Archum Zup defends against spots right here. So friends, we’ve arrived. Where exactly are we? Hey, we are in Ottawa with the senators. Today we’re going to check out What are we starting with? We’re starting with the gym, right? Let’s go to the place where Art probably spends most of his time. All right, we’re leaving. Okay. Yeah, let’s go. So, unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to film everything here in Attawa because apparently there are some confidentiality rules and things are serious in NHL. Each team and club has its own rules. Hang on a bit. Yeah, just close it up a bit. Like that. So, today we’ll be checking out the gym where Artum probably spends most of his time. Yeah, let’s go. All right. Well, it’s pretty big. They just renovated it this summer. We got new owners last year and they’re investing a lot in the team now. They’re really ambitious, you know, right? So after the team was sold to Melnik’s daughter, if I’m not mistaken, uh I mean first thing first, it was the biggest deal in NHL history. And as someone inside the system, do you feel any changes like I don’t know more investment coming in, new approach or Yeah. Yeah. I mean uh as I said, they only came in last year and they’ve slowly started introducing their philosophy into the team and so on. But yeah, our GM is really driven uh doing everything for the team and um you know to make us feel comfortable and help us succeed. So you mentioned they were explaining their philosophy. Uh what exactly do they say it’s not a secret? Just a few words. Well that we should uh feel proud to be here that playing for the team should be an honor and that uh how should I say it? Uh not like in the past when they used to say like it felt like a country club. They wanted uh so that when we put on the senator’s jersey, it really means something to us. It should feel like a privilege. So the gym here, it was fully renovated. Is that right? Yeah. We used to have two separate sections. There was a weight room and a green turf area. Part of the turf is still here. One side used to be just weights. The other was more of a functional zone. Now they combines everything and updated most of the equipment. Not all of it, but a good chunk really. So, what do you normally do here? This area is for warm-ups. Before games, we kick the ball around here, play a little soccer game we call. Who’s the champ in a tower? Well, um, Timmy Timutsu is, uh, probably probably the best with the ball. Yeah. Well, he’s European. Yeah. But honestly, a lot of guys are pretty good. Last year, we had Bransmro, a defenseman. He left. He used to play with us and he was kind of a middle of the pack, give or take, you know, so to say. Then he moved to Vancouver and said, “Yeah, I’m the best there now.” He said, “The level over there is totally coach him.” Well, you work out with weights a lot. Yeah, of course. We all do. It’s the same as everywhere else really. We’ve got screens over there as you can see. And uh after games or during um during training, they show three different uh workout blocks in in different colors. You can pick whichever one you like and follow it or you can mix them if you want. Yeah, but it’s a question people often ask. Why do hockey players go to the gym after the game? And not just go, but squat, lift weights, and so on. It’s to maintain our condition, strength. Is it like bread for summer? No, not really. I mean, I don’t have a lot of time to train. And before a game, you can’t push yourself too hard if you want to feel good during the game. So, usually after games, that’s when I lift more. And I’m not the only one. A lot of guys actually do that, too. So this system here, it sets the load from a computer. So these are pneumatic machines. You do this and Oh, so you pump it up and it sets the resistance. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And all these racks here, one, two, three, four, they all work on that principle. So basically weights are going out of fashion. Now it’s all about these high tech ones, more advanced. You know, we actually use these a lot, especially in the summer when all of the guys go home and a lot of local gyms don’t have these what do you call them? Uh, cable machine setups and we really miss them. No, the gym is really nice. It’s brand new. Even the red and black color scheme looks cool. What’s this over here? Looks like they patched it up over here. Something was No, I mean, overall, this is where we do our stretching. Oh, like a tatami mat. Yeah, you can try it without the shoes if you want. Hey, what’s this thing over here? Uh this is where where they test our our hands and legs too actually. You press down on it and it gives numbers. Then they compare the data from before the season, during and after to make proper adjustments. So like testing and strength, leg strength. Yeah. They check stuff like that to see where you might be off if something’s getting worse and they’ll adjust your program accordingly. Ah, yeah. Someone told me since you guys wear sensors, if one shows that you’re pushing more with your right leg than your left, exactly. Has some kind of imbalance, right? Yeah, that was me last year. Actually, I was injured and couldn’t really push off one leg properly. Basically was skating with one leg, limping a bit, and this guy goes like, uh, one of your legs is working way harder. I say obviously this. And look how many pio boxes we’ve got here. All kinds. Big ones, small ones. Yeah, you guys are fully stocked. Yeah, all sorts of metal ones, too. You name it, we’ve got it. Spacious. Looks amazing. Topnot. So, there’s also a little shooting area over there. One of the pros is working in it right now. Look, they broke the goalie. Yeah, let’s not get in his way. Artim saying he broke the goalie with that last shot. See the glove and the logo. Do they cover it on purpose? like with that rug. Yeah. Especially when media comes in so no one steps on it, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And look here. This is my stuff here. Just a net bag. Self coach set up. You train by yourself today? Yeah, I did alone. Yeah. I rented the ice. What do you do out there? Well, uh, I’ve got a set of drills I do mostly working on my Are those from your friend or you came up with them? No, they’re actually from Dimma Aanasov. You might know him. He lives in Tampa. Is he a coach? Yeah, he’s a skills coach actually. He coaches kids now. Uh he used to play for Tampa, won the Stanley Cup. I began training with him back when I was still playing in Russia maybe 2 years before I left or so. I used to visit him in the summer just to work in my arms and hands. I really like the muscle memory work, the repetition, the movement patterns. So, I went to see him and you know, the first time I trained with him, I felt a huge, huge difference right away. Do you do anything special or unusual with your gear? Yeah, look, those are mine. Can I grab it? Yeah, sure. So, what do we have here? This is for blocking shots, right? Yeah. This is uh to protect the spots that get injured pretty often. So, basically, you I kind of put it together myself. I don’t know if it actually helps, but I figured why not? Regular stuff doesn’t help. So, you stick it right over the bone, basically. Mhm. And the league’s fine with that. They don’t mind. Come on. It’s not a big deal. Now, that chest protector, that thing deserves legendary status. Just look at it. That chest is elite. Is that from CSKA from Russia? That’s from back in Habarovsk. From Kabarov. So, you’re already looking into the future back in Cabarovsk. Look, it even has the matches on purpose. But honestly, it feels like all I gear used to look like that. This is just classic. And actually, I haven’t seen anyone else wearing RBK. I think you’re the first one I’ve seen with it. They probably ran out. That’s a legendary piece. A real legend. And you still It needs some fixing up already. You still play with suspenders? Yeah. Yeah. That’s something from childhood. I I never actually tie this part up. Most guys do, but for me, it’s not comfortable. feels too tight or something. Yeah, kind of. I’ve just always worn suspenders, you know, and when it all changed and uh everyone started tying everything tight. I tried it once, but it just felt off. I prefer when nothing is squeezing you around the waist. Well, this one doesn’t look too bad. Oh, you’ve got extra padding on the inside, right? No, they came like that. The only thing is that this little piece, I took it off a newer model, stuck it on here. It’s a bit thicker, a bit firmer. So, you just reattached it. Yeah, the old one was all beat up and worn out with the time. Okay. Your shin pads are fine. Okay. Elbow pads look new, too. Actually, your overall looks pretty decent. Well, no one really uses the 1X anymore. It’s a shame they stopped making them. I like them because the elbow pads have this extra sleeve, like an additional layer, and you slide it on, and it fills well snugly. I’m not a fan of how some guys put theirs on. Yeah. Yeah. They wrap them over. Yeah. So they don’t slide off, but I don’t like having my arm exposed like that. This design helps. It’s rubberized here, too. And there’s a strap to keep it in place. All right. And the gloves. These used to be two ends. Uh, see, they just swapped out the logos, but yeah, those are two end gloves. You don’t sue in any custom protection? No, never tried to be honest. I’ve borrowed from the guys, but it still feels firmer. Mhm. Have you seen anyone on the team do something unusual or cool with their gear? Nothing feels unusual anymore. You know, everyone’s got their own preferences. Whatever works for them. Who’s the DJ in the locker room who handles the music? The DJ Shabbo always plays music before games. Harmonic sometimes, too. Uh, and uh Drake Bson also puts stuff on. And Josh Norris does now and then. Mostly those guys. Yeah. Let’s go check out the equipment room. Well, this is where they see stuff. Stick on numbers. Sometimes they’ll attach batches and all kinds of things here. Ah, for the jerseys. I got it. So, this is where the equipment guys do their thing. Yeah. All kinds of markers and stuff here. Well, yeah. Basically, this is the service area. And by the way, we skipped something earlier. I’ll show you the tape drawers back in the locker room. Well, this is just This is the molding machine. The sharpener. They brought it in this year. It’s actually a pretty cool theme. You can even buy one for home now. And it sharpens skates automatically. Yeah, exactly. They use it when the blades are brand new just to get that first grind in. It’s kind of a must. So, uh first they use this and then once the season starts, they uh they switch to the regular sharpening machine. So, how many pairs of skates do you go through in a season? Oh, I’ve got a whole story about my skates. Come on, let me show you. Oh, yeah. Here they are. Uh-huh. Right. So, I used to play in these with the 1X model. Okay. This model is from uh pretty late Switch. 2015, maybe 2012, something like that. I played in these for about 10 years. Yeah, 10 years. And then they stopped making them back in Russia. Oh, yeah. Yeah, these are regular retail skates to you from the store. They are double E so that my foot has more room. Ever since I since I was a kid, you know, uh we didn’t have custom molding or anything like that. I just wear whatever was available. Sometimes we’d get handme-down skates from the older team and so on. So, I never never really had perfectly fitted skates and I got used to having this extra space in the toe or in the width. And uh these are just regular skates. And once they stopped making them at the factory, I started searching all over Russia and on all sorts of platforms. Bought every last pair I could find. Last year, I ran out of them, unfortunately. So, I had to switch to these new ones. Now, how many pairs did you end up buying? I’m not sure. I picked up whatever was left in St. Petersburg. I don’t remember exactly, but it was enough to last me for about 4 years. I’d go through two pairs per season, 6 months per pair. And over there, look, I’ve got another version of the same model. Still 1X, just a little newer. I found those this year, too. The width is a bit different, but uh it’s all right with the time. And here’s something cool, actually, since we’re talking about gear. Check this out. See how the toe caps on mine are different. All right. The width is different. And uh why are the toe caps different? I don’t like the new ones. They’re all flat and squished down. They just feel uncomfortable. I like when my toes have more space to move. And the width is better, too. And uh if you look at those bits here, the eyelets. Yeah. Now they make them with those holes. But I don’t like that because I wrap the laces around my ankle. Plus the size is different. This one is actually a size bigger because uh with the newer models the eyelet section sits lower and uh because of that there is way too much lace area you know like let me show you. See how it goes like this. This whole part is way too wide where the laces and I prefer when the foot sits a bit deeper so the laces are a bit higher. It feels a bit more secure to me. So many little details. Arto so many to be fair everyone’s like that nuances and tweaks. No, this place is real old school vibes. People working. There’s a coffee machine. Family photos. Club legends. Legends up on the wall. Yeah, legends. Skate blades. Oh, what kind of contraption is that? That one is for profiling the blades. Is that also for sharpening? No, profiling is a bit different. It adjusts things like uh the toe and heel height depending on what you need. Obviously, I uh funny story actually. Uh this summer, my dad called me from work. He’s a pilot and one of the other pilots, I guess he’s a hockey fan. So, dad calls me and says, “Hey, someone at work wants to know, “What’s your skate profile?” He has the phone over to the guy and I’m like, “I have no idea what my profile is.” So, I just say that I grind off a bit more on the heel and on the toe because it just for me it feels better on the ice. So, that’s your profile. Yeah. Yeah. People probably know more about that than I do. A shoe maker without shoes. No, I mean, seriously, I’ve never seen a machine like that before. Pretty interesting. Uh, these are all your profiles, right? Everyone. Well, not exactly profiles, more like sharpening specs. And here, everything is locked up. There’s chewing gum and stuff in here. Oh, you guys chew five. And over there, we’ve got a TV hidden away from everyone. So, this is where you guys review game footage. No, the video review happens in the meeting room. This is more for pregame stuff like faceoff matchups and things like that. Oh, and over here we’ve got all our gear. Tape laces, wide rolls, too. All kinds of stuff. This place is a dream. The stick room. It’s like It’s like a vault. Yeah, those are the ones that we are using. And we’ve got a stock room further down. Where are yours? I feel like you’ve got more sticks than anyone else in here. Well, they piled up after our rogue game, to be honest. Seriously, how many are here? Can we count? We just got back from Ro game. We had what, three or four games. We played at home and then hit the road pretty much. And uh I prep a new stick for every single game. So now that we are back, I’ve got to sort through all of them. Why a new stick every game? I just like it that way. And what do you do with the one from the last game? I mean, if it didn’t break. Sometimes I’ll keep using it during the practice until it’s done. Or if it’s got a slight crack or so, I just toss it in the pile. they get sold off somewhere or worst case I give it away. Is that because it gets softer and you lose the feel? Is that right? Or Yeah, it softens a bit, loses some snap and honestly it’s like 50% performance, 50% superstition. Oh, okay. Not really superstition, but more like it already played the game. It’s done its job, you know. So, yeah, I’ve got quite a bit. It’s uh you know, the same model, just a different paint jobs. That’s all it is. Just different color. What model are you using this? Yeah, I went with the Nexus DK. I think it stands for dual kick or something like that. So, your sticks say 102 flex, right? And what’s your weight? About 92 91 kilos. And you cut it down, right? Yeah, but it comes a bit extended initially. Do you cut off a lot? Yeah. Let me show you. I cut about Let’s stand them up here and compare this much. Yeah, it looks like the standard sticks. You see the flex is measured from here. So, if if this is 102, then once it’s cut, it’s probably 90 or so. To be fair, I don’t even know. Do you figure out all the specs yourself or does someone help you? No, I do it all myself. Let me show you the curve I use. Okay, let’s see. My first world championship was back in uh 2017. So, we went and played. That’s when Cucherov and Nestnikov came to you. They were still playing together. I remember we were just chatting and they were talking with Ivan Proarov about the stick curves and uh one of them said his was a standard curve just a bit more open and the other one had a bit more curves. I think that was Kusherov. So after the tournament I came back and asked our equipment guy if I could try Kusherov’s curve and the equipment guy goes already ordered it. That’s Nikita Goosev. So I told him, “All right, just get me the same one.” In the end, it turned out to be a different curve than Cucherovs. It was goosev. And I think Nikita still plays with it to this day. Uh and I’ve been using it ever since, too. So in the end, they gave you the wrong curve. And you just stuck with goosev. Yeah, exactly. It’s more or less similar to P92, just a little more curved. And now actually some other players around the league uh they have started using the same curve as well. Um what’s the name of that curve? It’s actually named after Fishuk. Yeah. No way. And the tape job, I mean the braid that’s still from your youth hockey school days. Uh no actually I only started doing that recently. Maybe like 2 years ago or so. You mean that braided knob on top? No, not the braid. Oh, wait. You mean that? Oh, that actually my dad did that. He’s not a hockey player, but once he uh taped the top like when you were a kid. Yeah. Yeah. And ever since I just stuck with it. I’ve tried others, but they just don’t feel right to me. Hey, uh what about the fact that you play without an end plug? Yeah, it’s more comfy. But but why why though? I I don’t really get it. Well, I’ve tried using it once, but uh it kept sliding out. Yeah, it starts to slide out. No idea how to keep it in place. One of the guys here, the number 43, Cleven, he uses a plug. I asked him about it actually just yesterday. I said, “How do you keep it from sliding out?” He said he wraps the tape around it and also secures it on top somehow. But when I’ve used one, u it gives you a little extra height. And like after skating every day for a while, I started feeling it. You see that little gap here right around here? I start feeling those tiny millm like when they add that plastic end cap, it just throws me off. Feels like I’m skating around with a railroad tie or something. So, you’re really sensitive to even small changes, huh? Yeah. I don’t know. For me personally, when um you’re training and playing every day, you start picking up on those things. Same with Bower Sticks. They made one batch with a certain paint job. They send them to me. I got two samples over the summer. I tried them out. liked how they felt and told them, “Let’s order these.” So, they sent in the new ones with the same paints, or so I thought. But, uh, over summer, the paint was totally different. I’ve got one standing over here. I’ll show you here. You see, these were the ones from the summer. Totally different finish. So, I told them, “Yeah, I like these. Uh, let’s stick with this.” Then they sent me a different paint job again. They said that’s their new graphics. And then they told me they don’t make them anymore. And I’m like, what’s the deal? First, they send me one kind, then it’s gone, and they send me another. It’s the same model technically, but they feel completely different in the hands. So, I asked them to do this to you. You see, they label. No idea why they didn’t take it off. They sent me two samples. I’m like, I like it. Let’s go with it. And they left the label on. I told them, “Okay, next time.” It looks kind of sketchy. Yeah, whatever. Let it be. Those rectangles are also perfectly lined up. Man, I used to tape it differently. Actually, back when the blades used to chip a lot, I would wrap one extra layer around the top of protection to make the blade last. By the way, Hunatawa has the weirdest stick setup. I mean, have you ever noticed anyone doing something really non-standard with a blade? The only really unusual tape job is Tims. Everyone checks it out. Oh, and actually take a look at Gdet’s one. Oh, wow. Everyone tapes it one way. He goes the opposite. Never asked him why. Yeah. Well, that’s the way he likes. Why not? These days, a lot of guys use those rubber grips. Tim, for example, he hardly tapes his stick himself. He’s got people doing it for him all the time. Oh, really? Yeah. We’ve got guys who handle all that. And I’m probably one of the few who still cuts, sands, and works on my own sticks. Everyone else just uh hands it off to the equipment guys. They got a cut stick template for each player and they trim it to match that. Oh, they cut the rubber grips, slide them on, and most guys only tape the blade themselves. Hey, why is nickname machi? Do you know? No idea. He just picked it by himself, I guess. Well, he is just for fun. Yeah. Yeah, he’s a fun dude.

Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Ottawa Senators’ training complex! We’ll take you inside the locker room, show you the gym, and give you a look at the spaces where NHL players prepare for battle.

In this episode, we sit down with Artem Zub to talk about his pre-game routine, how he stays in top shape, and what it’s really like to play for the Senators. Plus, you’ll see the players’ recovery area, equipment room, and much more!

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors of an NHL team, this is your chance to find out.

✅ Don’t forget to subscribe for more exclusive NHL content and player interviews!

Timecodes:
0:00 Disclaimer
0:08 Intro
0:27 Inside Senators Practice Centre
1:10 Exploring Senators Gym
2:49 Warm-ups area
6:16 Shooting room
6:28 Locker room
7:39 Artem Zub’s gear
10:46 Service room
11:40 Artem Zub’s secret skates
14:20 Service room
15:28 What’s else inside Locker room
16:00 Exploring Senators’ sticks

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