our player poll<\/a> this year, The Athletic asked 118 NHLers that question and left it open-ended. The majority of the answers fell under the umbrella of health, recovery and training.<\/p>\nHere\u2019s a sampling of the answers we received, split into general categories.<\/p>\n
Player health and training<\/p>\n
We’ll split the comments on player health and training into four categories: food, training, recovery and staff, though many of the players polled mentioned different combinations of those or even all four.<\/p>\n
Food<\/p>\n
There\u2019s only so much grilled chicken with brown rice and sweet potatoes an athlete can eat. So a little variety couldn\u2019t hurt.<\/p>\n
“It’s a long season, and I think, just speaking for guys in here, it’s tough (to eat) the same thing over and over again,\u201d one player said. \u201cSo I think if you could spend a little bit more, not on quantity, but maybe different quality. There’s so (many) different kinds of foods out there. It gets repetitive eating steak, chicken and salmon for eight months of the year.”<\/p>\n
“People say, chicken \u2014 where is the chicken coming from?\u201d one player said. \u201cThe beef, is it grain-fed or grass-fed? You can upgrade a lot of food areas.”<\/p>\n
“It would be great if there was food everywhere,\u201d said another. \u201cFood waiting for us as soon as we got into the hotel, so I don’t have to think about where to order from or where to go.”<\/p>\n
“We’re pretty good here, but there’s some places around the league that aren’t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Training<\/p>\n
Another area in which players are looking for an upgrade is in training \u2014 techniques, equipment, anything it takes to be a little bit better than the other guy.<\/p>\n
“Anything high-performance, anywhere you can find an edge,\u201d one player said.<\/p>\n
“We spend close to half our day at the rink,\u201d another said. \u201cSome rinks are nicer than others. All those amenities, from treatment rooms to cold tubs to hot tubs, those should be very elite. You look at soccer teams \u2014 obviously they make more money and more revenue \u2014 but some of these stadiums and practice facilities are off the charts. … Those little things matter, especially (to) free agents nowadays.”<\/p>\n
“You spend all your time at the training center or at your game rink, so it’s a massive thing to have them at the highest level,” added another.<\/p>\n
Recovery<\/p>\n
Recovery means different things to different players. But it\u2019s been at the forefront of just about every player\u2019s mind this season, as the Olympic break has necessitated a compressed schedule that is wearing players down. Moving to an 84-game season next year only underscores the need.<\/p>\n
“Especially with how fast the game is and even more games,\u201d one player said.<\/p>\n
“If you’re (winning) one or two (more) games over the course of the season (because of it), that’s maybe a few percentage points that you get, and you invest in that, you make the playoffs and you make it all back anyway,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n
“I think that’s an area guys are really conscious of \u2014 making sure you have the elite taking care of guys to get them back on the ice,” said another. “Everyone is so health-conscious now, understands their body so much better. It’s not just put a piece of ice on them and away they go. Not to say there’s anything wrong now, but I think it’s an area every team can get better in.”<\/p>\n
“Anything for our bodies to keep us healthy,\u201d one player said. \u201cThey pay a lot of money in salaries. Keep us on the ice, right?”<\/p>\n
Among the requests were hydrotherapy rooms, more cold tubs and hot tubs, hotel spa access on the road, red-light beds, saunas \u2014 even a hyperbaric chamber.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that’s pretty ballin’, but it works,\u201d said the player who wanted the hyperbaric chamber. \u201cWe’re taught as athletes you want to take care of your body the best you can, and in that regard, that could be something.”<\/p>\n
Staff<\/p>\n
Athletic trainers, strength coaches and massage therapists are the unsung heroes of locker rooms. And players want more body experts to help them along.<\/p>\n
“There\u2019s really good athletic trainers and all that,\u201d one player said. \u201cThen there\u2019s some individuals who are on top of (things) treatment-wise and all that. Obviously, they cost more. I think the game is going to go that way. Every team is going to have more (about) treatment, how to have your body ready and all that stuff. \u2026 When I think about how much money teams spent for the players, how much they pay us, (I think) it\u2019s kind of understanding how to get the best out of them. Trying to get the absolute best in their field to the teams, I think that would be really beneficial for a lot of organizations. And it\u2019s already going in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n
“Like chiropractors and hands-on secondary athletic training,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n
“Hands-on treatment, chiropractor … that gets guys on the ice,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n
“You’ve got a $95 million payroll; they should bring the best treatment guys in,\u201d one player said. \u201c(Nathan) MacKinnon has got his own guy. (Jack) Eichel has got his own guy. Maybe a half million bucks, and what is that going to save you in man games lost?”<\/p>\n
Visiting locker rooms<\/p>\n
Some of the worst visiting locker rooms in the league are now defunct \u2014 Nassau Coliseum, Joe Louis Arena, Rexall Place \u2014 and some have been moderately renovated, such as Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C., and Capital One Arena in Washington. But plenty of road rinks have a long way to go to meet the standards of a multi-billion-dollar league.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust to make it more consistent, I think we can invest in the amenities for away teams,\u201d one player said. \u201cSome places are a little tighter than others. When you get a nice away locker room, I feel like that shows that they put a lot of (thought) into it. It makes you imagine what they put for their own players.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome places are really nice and some are just OK,\u201d another said. \u201cSo maybe if everybody had to up their standards for the away room, and cold tubs and gyms, too. Some of the gyms are pretty small.”<\/p>\n
“Yeah, some of the visiting locker rooms are pretty average,\u201d said another. \u201cSome of those, going in there in the morning and it’s freezing cold, it sucks.”<\/p>\n
\u201cCarolina has improved,\u201d one veteran said. \u201cBoston has improved. Washington has improved. Columbus has improved. I think the locker rooms have been better on the road than when I first got in the league. They did some renovations that definitely helped.”<\/p>\n
Travel<\/p>\n
Any frequent flyer knows first class is nice, but international first class is a whole different experience. And considering how often players are flying deep into the wee hours of the morning after a night game, an upgrade would be welcome.<\/p>\n
“That’d be sick if we had Polaris-like pod seating on the plane,\u201d one player said.<\/p>\n
“I wish we had a sick airplane where it\u2019s just sleeper beds,\u201d another said. \u201cYou know when you go on a Delta One flight and they have those little beds in there. We fly so many five-hour trips. I think that\u2019d be sick.”<\/p>\n
“Like an Emirates plane or something,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n
Other suggestions<\/p>\n
Because this query was open-ended, some players got creative or had pet causes.<\/p>\n
Increasing staff pay got five votes: “They work their asses off. Some teams have more staff than others. Seeing how much they work, that’s the first thing.”<\/p>\n
Marketing also got five: “Just trying to grow (the game) as much as we can. Fill the ad space on the NHL app or whatever. You\u2019re watching a game, and it just shuts down for commercial breaks. Throw in more ad space, like they do in some other sports like football and basketball. Commercials, whatever \u2014 just getting guys out there.”<\/p>\n
Equipment staff got four: “There’s a lot of things organizations think matter that don’t matter. But making life as easy on everybody as possible should be the main objective for every organization. That’s what great organizations do. They make your life incredibly easy and so all you have to do is worry about playing.”<\/p>\n
On team apartments instead of extended-stay hotels for young players (two votes): “Like a dorm, it would be sick.”<\/p>\n
On tickets for players (one): “We don’t get any tickets on the road, and even at home, we get two.\u201d<\/p>\n
On a staff member to handle family issues (one): “I’ve been in a few different organizations, and some have a designated person to do a bunch of different family stuff. That’s a really cool idea. It’s nice to have a direct contact for everything.”<\/p>\n
On community projects (one): “I think our team does a good job of spending money on getting the fans involved and doing charity stuff. Kind of growing the game that way. I think that\u2019s probably the biggest key. Growing the game more and helping people in need. Like a foundation and community stuff.”<\/p>\n
And the topic du jour<\/a> in the hockey world with Olympic hockey opening Thursday, improving ice conditions: “I honestly think buildings should have a code that they have to abide by. Across the league. Some teams don\u2019t have dehumidifiers. Some teams have dehumidifiers. (Some say) it costs too much money to put one in. Ice conditions, it\u2019s been a big topic of discussion ever since I came in the league, and it\u2019s only getting worse. Florida had the best ice. Why? They got one.”<\/p>\nOr maybe it’s nothing at all<\/p>\n
All the wishes aside, players are well aware of just how good they have it.<\/p>\n
“We’re treated very well,\u201d one player said. \u201cWe fly pretty much everywhere. We don’t have it too tough.”<\/p>\n
“I’m too spoiled already from what I’m used to in Sweden,\u201d said another.<\/p>\n
“You look around with the money that’s coming in and stuff, a lot of teams are \u2014 not catching up, but their standards are rising,\u201d one said. \u201cTalking to the guys on other teams, too, including guys that have been here, I think we’re getting treated well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reporting for this story by Arpon Basu, Peter Baugh, Max Bultman, Thomas Drance, Matthew Fairburn, Jesse Granger, Joshua Kloke, Kevin Kurz, Mark Lazerus, Julian McKenzie, Vincent Z. Mercogliano, Aaron Portzline, Scott Powers, Michael Russo, Jeremy Rutherford, Fluto Shinzawa, Joe Smith, Eric Stephens and Josh Yohe.<\/p>\n
Written by Mark Lazerus.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NHL players aren\u2019t wanting for much. There\u2019s a massive food spread everywhere they go. They fly on private…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":445207,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[233,95,229,26,29,96,144,230,147,93,146,57,5,145,54125,38,21,231,151,159,35,4,2602,25,56,100,168,234,171,273,84,92,31,3154,27,39,109,18],"class_list":{"0":"post-445206","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-anaheim-ducks","9":"tag-boston-bruins","10":"tag-buffalo-sabres","11":"tag-calgary-flames","12":"tag-carolina-hurricanes","13":"tag-chicago-blackhawks","14":"tag-colorado-avalanche","15":"tag-columbus-blue-jackets","16":"tag-dallas-stars","17":"tag-detroit-red-wings","18":"tag-edmonton-oilers","19":"tag-florida-panthers","20":"tag-hockey","21":"tag-los-angeles-kings","22":"tag-mens-olympic-ice-hockey","23":"tag-minnesota-wild","24":"tag-montreal-canadiens","25":"tag-nashville-predators","26":"tag-new-jersey-devils","27":"tag-new-york-islanders","28":"tag-new-york-rangers","29":"tag-nhl","30":"tag-olympics","31":"tag-ottawa-senators","32":"tag-philadelphia-flyers","33":"tag-pittsburgh-penguins","34":"tag-san-jose-sharks","35":"tag-seattle-kraken","36":"tag-sports-betting","37":"tag-sports-business","38":"tag-st-louis-blues","39":"tag-tampa-bay-lightning","40":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","41":"tag-utah-mammoth","42":"tag-vancouver-canucks","43":"tag-vegas-golden-knights","44":"tag-washington-capitals","45":"tag-winnipeg-jets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=445206"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/445206\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/445207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=445206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=445206"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=445206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}