Your body’s limit: Knowing when to say when

Two suits, three shirts, three pairs of pants, six ties and one pair of shoes is what I typically needed to pack for a 10-day road trip in the NHL. I’d be preparing for multiple climates and time zones along with a gauntlet of potential problems ranging from wardrobe malfunctions to illness.

The NHL stands for multiple things. Some call it the Never Hungry League because of the seemingly limitless team dinners, pre- and postgame meals, and travel per diem. Others refer to it as the Never Home League, because, depending on the location of your practice facility relative to your home, in conjunction with the entertainment schedule of your arena, you might spend 14-21 days of any given month on the road. When you’re home, breakfast, lunch and dinner can be counted on and quality hours of sleep will be had. On the road, not all non-fat ranch dressings are created equal. Not all convenience stores are open 24 hours. And not all toilet paper is double-ply.

Above all else, I was scanning our travel itinerary well in advance of our arrival and departure times to plan my naps. Resting was a delicacy I could not put a price on — and I was just a staff member! Being an NHL player is more than just hockey. It’s brains. It’s about taking care of yourself and being a professional off the ice. Professional hockey players understand what it takes to be great and, most importantly, remain great. Strength training, skill work, nutrition and studying the game all are extremely important, but knowing when to get off the ice, stay off the ice and return to the ice, is one of the most important disciplines a hockey player can perfect.

Some of the best players in the NHL average 23-28 shifts a night and can stay on the ice for up to 58 seconds, but even the most stubborn defenseman knows when to get off the ice. You can’t always jump in the rush and expect to not pay the price. Know when to get off the ice.

The caveat here is that you don’t need to wait until you’re a professional athlete to treat your body like they treat theirs. Athletic ability does not dictate a need for recovery. Trauma does. When you’ve fallen off your bike and skinned your elbow or skated for five straight days, the results are the same. The inflammatory process has begun. The moment that first over-exertion takes place, your muscles and tendons will begin to tear, bleed and swell. For the next three to five days, this process will continue to snowball in a phenomenon we call the “Inflammatory Response.” This is a protection mechanism your body is inflicting on yourself to prevent you from moving any further in hopes of restricting motion that could lead to further injury. This is most accurately illustrated by the saying, “You never see a limping tiger in the jungle.” Injured tigers lie down.

Depending on the environment you have elected to place yourself within for the duration of your recovery state, the repair phase can begin as soon as two days after trauma and/or be delayed up to eight weeks. If you get off the ice and allow yourself to recover properly between skates, exertion-associated pain and swelling will subside and tissue repair will begin. If you do not give yourself the appropriate time to rest, then your tissues will continue to bleed, swell and ultimately break down.

Skating more often is only beneficial if you are skating perfectly more often. If you are in a game and you are fatigued but still on the ice, you are a liability to your team. Know when to get off the ice. If you are in a skills session and your skating mechanics are continuously poor due to soreness, injury or general fatigue, you are at risk for compensatory injuries to other body parts. Know when to get off the ice. Time on ice should not be defined by an expectation of previous results — rather by a reflection of your current state.

When hockey players find a balance between the weight room, the ice and proper recovery, they will notice an ongoing sense of anatomical remodeling. Muscles will grow, fat will shed, bones will become more durable and soft tissues will be remarkably more pliable. It is through proper self-care and responsibility that your hockey career will reap the greatest benefits of health, longevity and enhanced performance.

Phil Jackson is one of the greatest coaches ever at dictating the rest of his players. During his championship years with Bulls and Lakers, he would plan practice for exactly 13 hours from the sound of the final horn on game night. Thirteen hours was Phil’s proprietary number and it worked well for his teams. That was their system and it yielded 11 rings.

Find your system and you’ll get your rings. Know when to get off the ice. Your body will tell you when it’s time to get back on.