Montreal Canadiens: Making the Transition to Sports Science
By Omar L
The Montreal Canadiens are going to be doing whatever they can to make sure their players are ready to go with their new Sports Science Department.
At the end of season press conferences, a lot of NHL players take time to thank the trainers. It’s a position among organizations that gets overlooked at times, but they’re integral to the success of the players. The trainers on the Montreal Canadiens definitely earned their wage last season after some of the significant injuries the team faced.
The objective is always to make sure that the players are healthy and ready to go. Over the years, there have been a lot of new additions. First it was advanced stats that made its way in to the analysis of players. The latest trend in the NHL is Sports Science.
Sports Science is the use of technology, data/analytics, and different measures to aid the players over the year. The main goal is evaluate and make sure they’re ready come game day, and to reduce the likelihood of injury. Sports Science is something that has been slowly growing among different teams in the NHL, and the Montreal Canadiens are the latest team to join in.
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Habs Sports Science
It’s funny really. Rookie standout Artturi Lehkonen was actually training over the summer in Finland at the Sports Science Lab in Turku. Maybe he came back to Montreal and told management all about it.
All kidding aside, this is a great move for the Canadiens. Science as a subject as grown over the years, it’s incredible that there are ways that it can be brought over to hockey. On Tuesday, the team announced that strength and conditioning coach Pierre Allard will be the director of Sports Science and Performance.
With the new field, the Habs will be able to make sure their players are training the right way, and help the injured recover faster but properly. There have been a couple of occasions where injured players have returned too early and suffered from it. In particular, Carey Price in 2016 and Alex Galchenyuk next season.
Related Story: The Importance of a Healthy Carey Price
Additionally, this will also help the overall makeup of the team. It’s been a running gag, but the Canadiens have made an effort to continuously add size and strength to the lineup. Hence additions such as Dwight King and Andreas Martinsen. If they can help make the skilled players they already have stronger, this wont be an issue.
This field will also help with longevity and recovery over the year. An 82 game season is a grind, and it’s one thing to play all of them, but another thing to play them well. In fact, this could benefit Price the most. The Montreal Canadiens are planning to make the stops to ensure the number one goaltender isn’t overworked and is fresh for the playoffs. Helping Price game by game will definitely help with that.
Overall this is nothing short of a good thing for the Habs. In a year where all eyes will be on them, doing everything they can to make sure the players are healthy will go a long way.
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What do you think of Sports Science? Will it help the Habs next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.