USA Hockey Magazine

Caption here please here Caption here please here PHOTOS BY Credit Here k Sleep is a precious com- modity during the long hockey season. That's why the mantra for every hockey player remains the same—proper rest produces peak performance. During the season, players experience two sides of the spec- trum—the exuberance over win- ning a game, or dropping a close game. Both can make it tough to turn off the emotional switch immediately after a game. Colorado Avalanche defense- man and Team USA veteran Jack Johnson knows this all too well. He said the key to maintaining the proper rest comes through mental discipline. "I've learned that once the game's over, you've got to move on immediately," Johnson said. "I'll maybe think about the game for an hour or two, but after that, I like to think I'm pretty good at cleaning the slate and getting ready for the next one." While a variety of elements impact a player's performance, there is one common thread that can mean the difference between winning and losing at every level of the game. "Sleep should be considered as important as a diet, regular practice and studying the game plan in advance of the game," said Dr. Erik K. St. Louis, the director of the Mayo Sleep Behavior and Neurophysiology Research Laboratory in Rochester, Minn. "Feelings of tiredness or fatigue, poor energy or moti- vation levels, reduced exercise tolerance or poorer workout and game performance, feel- ing sleepy, persisting soreness after a workout, are a few possible symptoms of insuffi- cient sleep." It should never be underes- timated that getting sleep is another training mechanism that must be learned, just like skating. Think of it as one of the three legs on a stool with practice and training making up one leg, food and nutrition is the second and getting the proper amount of sleep the all-import- ant final leg. Whether in travel hockey, with three or four games in a weekend and waking up at 6 o'clock in the morning to play two games per day; at the college level, balancing academics and friendships with a rigorous schedule; or at the professional level, dealing with a jet-lagged coast-to- coast season, there is rarely room to "make up" sleep. Now in his 16th NHL season, the newly anointed Stanley Cup champion knows this all too well. Like other NHL teams locat- ed west of the Mississippi, the Avalanche log more than their fair share of frequent flier miles. And getting the proper rest can be the difference between going deep into the playoffs and an early tee time on the links. "I like to think I sleep a lot. I enjoy my sleep, definitely," Johnson said. "I try to get eight hours a night, and if it doesn't happen on travel days or we get in late, I'll try and take a nap so that, at some point, I've gotten my amount of sleep. That's kind of my rule of thumb to survive. "I get cranky and tired like anyone else when I don't get rest. But I definitely feel ener- gized, feel good, feel sharp men- tally when I get a lot of sleep." For a player who has earned a reputation as a hard-nosed and aggressive blueliner, nobody wants to faceoff against a cranky Jack Johnson. P Keeping Our Game Safe And Our Players Healthy Hockey + Health 26 // AUGUST 2022 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM Snooze You Can Use The Importance Of Sleep Is Not Lost On Those Who Play The Game "Sleep should be considered as important as a diet, regular practice and studying the game plan in advance of the game." PHOTO COURTESY OF THE USA Hockey Magazine Archives; Getty Images

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