WATCH: NJ Devils’ John Hynes previews Capitals game.
Devils’ coach John Hynes previews the game against the Washington Capitals following the morning skate at Prudential Center.
ABBEY MASTRACCO
NEWARK — The allure of a professional sports lifestyle can be strong, but it’s not as glitzy as it may seem from the outside. Travel is a big part of that lifestyle, which can open up a whole new world for many players but can also be demanding. Charter planes and five-star and resort-like accommodations help ease the difficulty of getting from city to city. You’ll rarely hear anyone complaining about how they travel. But for those who haven’t been there before, going from long bus rides to luxury can make you feel like you’ve arrived in the NHL.
“It’s eye-opening, it’s awesome,” said Devils forward Michael McLeod, one of several prospects who will finish the season with the NHL team. “It’s an NHL moment whenever you get on that plane. Usually, I’d be doubled up on a bus.”
However, the NHL and NBA turnaround is so quick that teams end up on an eight-hour flight to touch down in a city for about 24 hours, sometimes less. In the NHL, more games are played in a shorter amount of time, which can be a difficult transition for some, even without travel. The comfort of the jet can’t prevent jet lag, altitude sickness, or even make up for a loss of sleep.
It can be a grind for every player at every age and experience level, so the Devils are doing their best to ease that by showing players how to manage their energy off the ice.
“We provide guidance, and then it comes down to the player having all of those components in their life ready to be able to play at a high level,” coach John Hynes said Tuesday at Prudential Center after the team took a morning skate ahead of their game against the Washington Capitals. “That’s what makes the NHL so hard.”
This last road trip was particularly taxing. They played six games away from New Jersey, with a brief respite coming with two days at home in between games against the Rangers and the Calgary Flames. Traveling from Calgary to Vancouver is relatively easy, but the time changes are still difficult for some to get used to. After the third game in Edmonton, the team immediately departed for Denver, where they arrived around midnight, waited to clear customs, and then took a bus downtown to the team hotel. A few players said they were in bed around 5 a.m.
The guidance comes during these trips and after, when trainers, nutritionists, and sports performance specialists help players structure their days, but Hynes notes that it’s on the players to utilize the advice.
“Travel, rest, when they should sleep, how they should sleep, what they should eat,” Hynes said. “You provide them with the information from our coaches and doctors that gives them the best chance to perform. A self-starter says, ‘Ok, I have all of this information; now it comes back to the doing factor.'”
The Devils took Monday off after traveling from Denver but were given instructions on how to structure the day. Sleep was a priority, but players were told not to sleep too late and instead take a nap and light workout. There were also suggestions for what to eat and when. “The most important thing is getting back on the Eastern time zone,” Hynes said.
Of course, that’s easier said than done for some. Veteran Drew Stafford has young kids around who often wake him up early. Stafford said he was still feeling the effects of the trip and the time zones during the morning skate.
But players like McLeod, Joey Anderson, and Colton White, who are all first-year NHL players, live in a nearby hotel, free from many distractions.
Some might still be adjusting to the increased demands of an NHL schedule, but the young ones tend to have more energy. They all want to do what they can to continue living an NHL lifestyle.
“Me being a young guy and excited to be here, the adrenaline kind of takes over,” McLeod said. “It’s not hard to get up for an NHL game.”
