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TAGLINE GOES HERE Minnesota Wild's Hockey lodge Features Jenny Potter Each year, as part of the Wild's State of Hockey Tribute, Wild curator Roger Godin highlights a Minnesota player in the team's prime retail outlet at Xcel Energy Center. This year, for the first time ever, a female player is honored. That player is recently retired Jenny Potter. Potter graduated from Edina High School in 1997 before going on to an outstanding college career at the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota-Duluth. She further defined her career by playing in three Olympics, earning medals in each. In addition she has hardware from IIHF Women's World Championships and Four Nations Cups. She has since assumed head coaching duties at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and led the lady Bantams to a 10-8-7 record in her first campaign last season. "I thought it was time to call attention to Jenny," said Godin, "our most senior elite female player." Visit Godin's tribute at the Hockey Lodge inside Xcel Energy Center. MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // DECEMBER.2014 iMProVing your skating sPeed Increasing hockey speed is a never-ending pursuit for most hockey players...or at least it should be!! Today's game is much different than it used to be. The crack-down on "clutch-and- grab" hockey has really opened up the ice for the skilled athlete. We are seeing an exciting shift toward a high-speed, quick- paced game of skill and finesse... one in which slower athletes are being left behind... LITERALLY! Any smart hockey player should recognize this change in the game, and should be constantly striving to increase his or her hockey speed. But in order to do that, you must first understand what makes a fast hockey player. Hockey speed is composed of Technical Elements, and Physical Elements. Or in other words: On-ice Components, and Off-ice Components. The on-ice components are things your skating instructor should be able to help you with such as utilizing a proper knee bend, obtaining a full extension on each stride, eliminating "head-bobbing," striding at the proper angle, using your edges properly, etc.. The on-ice elements MUST be perfected in order to achieve optimal speed. However, there are three main off-ice components every player should develop that will GREATLY ENHANCE his or her ability to generate speed on the ice. The three main off-ice components are as follows: 1. Leg Strength 2. Explosiveness 3. Agility & Footspeed Increasing leg strength will allow for deeper knee bends, which make for longer and more efficient strides. It will also help to improve balance and stability in battling and checking situations. Becoming more explosive will improve that quick burst of speed, and allow you to win more races to loose pucks. Races are won or lost in those first three strides! Improving Agility and footspeed will allow you to take more strides in a shorter period of time. This, combined with an increased stride length, will complete your speed equation--allowing you to take a greater number of longer strides. There are many ways to improve on these three main off-ice components. To work on your skating stride at home, an excellent training aid is the HockeyShot Slide Board Pro, which allows you to do full skating stride pushes and many core exercises. Become a more explosive skater with the Slide Board Pro. HOCKEYSHOT.COM TIP OF THE MONTH: DECEMBER 2014 ADVERTORIAL NEWS + NOTES FROM THE STATE OF HOCKEY 06 "Like" Minnesota Hockey Journal and follow @mnhockeyjournal For over 200 great training aids to help you work on your toe drags and other skills, visit: www.hockeyshot.com. USA HOCKEY, GETTY IMAGES, COLLEGE HOCKEY INC. & GOALS ASSISTS Jenny Potter