These stories, though they might seem far fetched, at the very least and to some of you, they may sound like down right fiction.  Believe me when I tell you that these stories are all true and I will regale you with just a few of these fantastic tales with little or no embellishment.  So fasten your seat belts ladies and gents.  Here we go.

 

My first story takes place in a small rural town called Big Island, Ontario.  That’s in Eastern Canada for those of you who are “geographically challenged”.  My dad owns a small cottage on the Bay of Quinte.  My brothers and I used to spend summers there as kids.  We loved it.  My mom called it prison on the Bay.  You see the nearest Nordstrom’s was over 500 miles away.  As the years past and my brothers and I grew older, we stopped visiting the cottage but my dad loved it there on the Bay and could never bring himself to part with the property.  He would be at the cottage whenever he had the time and that included winter visits.  I think he liked the solitude.

 

One winter near Christmas time, I was visiting my dad at the cottage for a few days.  The Bay was frozen over and there was little to do but go ice fishing.  The bay was covered with small ice fishing villages for most of the winter and this winter was no exception.  My dad announced that he was bored and he and I were going ice fishing.  There were a couple of small but significant problems associated with that announcement.  First, my dad did not own an ice fishing hut.  When I pointed that out to him his answer was;

 

“You don’t worry about that.”

 

The next problem was that we had no way to drill a hole in the ice.  Again that fact was pointed out to “Senior”.  We call my dad Senior, not “SEEEnyouR” like the gardeners but “Senior” which is short for Bobby Sr.  Anyway, with a half annoyed, half sarcastic facial expression, he answered;

 

“You don’t worry about that either.”

 

The last problem was rather large.  You see the closest ice fishing town was about 3 miles down the road which meant we had to walk or drive to get there.  It was colder than a well digger’s ass in January.  Neither me or my dad wanted to walk so the only option remaining was to drive my dad’s brand new Chrysler New Yorker down to where the fishin’ was good.  It was white with white leather interior.  It was a beauty.  Senior loved that car.  The transportation was not really the problem.  The 25 foot drop down to the Bay ice from the road was.  Picture yourself on the summit of Everest or K-2.  You’ve planted your flag and you turn to start your decent in a brand new Chrysler New Yorker.  Now you have the picture.  Once again, I pointed out the third obstacle that stood between them and some good fishin’.  The answer from my dad was;

 

“I told you not to worry.”

 

Knowing that arguing with Bobby Sr. was futile; so I began to load the New Yorker with the necessary fishing equipment.  Once he had all the gear in the car he plunks himself down in the front passenger seat to wait for my dad.  After a few minutes my dad pops out of the cottage door with a very large bottle of Grand Mariner Liqueur.  He looked at me, pointing at the bottle of liquer with a scowl and said;

 

“You forgot the bait.”

 

Dad jumped into the car and off they went to where the fishing huts were gathered some 3 miles down the road.  I just wanted to point out that the New Yorker still had that “new car smell”.  It is important for this next part of the story.

 

As they approached the entrance to the Bay my brother could see only large 4 wheel drive vehicles, snow cats and snowmobiles on the surface of the bay.  This made him a bit uneasy knowing the lengths my dad would go to in just about any situation.  Remember, 25 foot drop from the road to the ice surface.  Once again the question of how we were going to get down to bay level resurfaced.  This time there was no answer from my dad.  Of course, I thought to himself.  Don’t be so lazy. We will park at the top and walk down to the fishing huts.  It wasn’t far.  Thank Goodness.  That is one problem out of the way.

 

Unfortunately, my dad had other plans.  As they approached the drop off the brand new Chrysler New Yorker did not slow down to park.  Instead, Senior plowed over the edge of the drop off and headed to the ice surface at breakneck speed.  The only warning given was a chuckling “hold on” from my dad as the pristine New Yorker careened over the edge.  It was just like the movies.  One second his head was smashing into the sealing the next second he was in the fetal position in the front passenger side below the glove compartment.  I pulled himself back onto the seat just in time to look out the back window of the car.  Notice I don’t refer to it as the “Brand New Chrysler New Yorker” any longer.  Anyway, I hear a loud bang as the car hits the ice surface and I see the rear bumper flying through the air.  Actually flying and spinning at the same time.  It was quite beautiful, like tinsel when you throw it on the Christmas tree.  It was obvious that the problem of getting onto the surface of the bay was solved.  Only two problems remained.

 

The car slammed down onto the frozen surface of the bay.  The engine was screaming and the front end was slipping from right to left desperately seeking traction on the ice and ten inches of snow, as we made our way some 500 yards out to the fishing shacks.  My dad looked like a trucker who had just lost his brakes on a steep downhill grade weaving around traffic to avoid a wreck.  With only the heel of his right hand on the wheel, he spun the wheel back and forth in an effort to keep the car moving towards his intended target.  By this time I had found the bottle of Grand Marnier bouncing back and forth on the back seat still unbroken.  I reached over and proceeded to open the “GM” for a quick sip of calmness.  A few seconds later the “Not So New Yorker” arrived at an open spot amongst sever ice fishing huts.

 

“Which hut are we going to use dad?” I asked.

“You’re in it.” was his reply.

 

Another problem solved.  I again looked over and asked;

 

“What about holes in the ice?  We can’t fish without holes.”

“Why don’t you hand me the “bait” and be patient?” was his reply.

 

It took less than 2 minutes before a guy on a snow machine pulled out from around a shack less than a football field away from the car.  As the man and machine approached you could see a smile forming on my dad’s face.  Sure enough that guy was coming to take care of all our fishing needs.  The guy pulls up next to my dad’s window smiles and waves.  My dad reaches over to the electric window switch rolls down his window and greets their fishing butler.

 

“Hi Bobby.  Nice to see you.  What can I do for you?” the man asked.

 

My dad nods his head and winks at the guy then, without a word, reaches out of the window with his left arm and points down to ice indicating where he wanted his hole drilled.

 

“Put one right there and gimmi one more on the other side for my son.” Was what he said.  I’m not kidding.  You just can’t make this stuff up.

 

Our “Fishing Butler” dismounted his vehicle, retrieved his gas powered ice auger and proceeded to drill two holes on either side of the car, one for my dad, one for me.  Well, it seems there were no more obstacles remaining between the guys and their day of fishing.  What more do you need?  A nice new Chrysler New Yorker with white leather interior, a bottle of Grand Mariner, a fishing butler, two poles and two holes in the ice from which to pull fish.  We baited up their poles, rolled down the electric windows and began fishing.

 

My dad is a good all around outdoorsman as a result, shortly after his line hit the water he was catching his first fish.  By this time, I was more interested in the “Grand Mariner” than catching fish.  Be that as it may, my dad pulls his first fish out of the hole, reels it up to eye level.  He turns to me with a smirk and askes;

 

“Who do you think I can get to pull this fish off the hook?”

 

Unfortunately for me, the “Fishing Butler” was given the rest of the day off by my dad so there was only one person remaining that was going to get that job.  I rolled his eyes and mumbled “you’ve got to be joking” under his breath and proceeded to get out of the car, walk to my dad’s side and take the fish off the line.  Once he had the fish off the line he looked at my dad for further instructions.  Without saying a word, my dad reached to his right, opened the glove compartment and depressed the trunk lid release.  The trunk on the formerly brand new Chrysler New Yorker swung open almost simultaneously with my lower jaw.  Bobby Sr.’s left arm and fist shot out of the driver’s side window he then extended his thumb in the direction of the trunk.

 

“Put it right in there.” Was what he said.

 

By the time they we were finished fishing twelve 4 to 8 pound bass lay in the pristine carpet of the trunk.  So much for the brand new Chrysler New Yorker and that “new car smell”.

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It was the first round of the 1998 N.H.L. playoffs. The St. Louis Blues ended up matched with the Los Angeles Kings. The Blues were a much more experienced and talented squad and although he games were relativity close the kings were no match for the St. Louis team. Since the Blues finished ahead of the kings in the regular season standings the first two games of the best of seven contest were played in the new Kiel Center in St. Louis.

 

Game three moved to Los Angeles and the Great Western Forum. Although the Blues had dominated the first two games the Kings found new life and set the tone of game three by adding a physical element that was not evident in the first two games. The Kings were, statistically, the biggest team in the league and Coach Larry Robinson must have reminded them of that fact some time before the start of this memorable game.

 

Near the end of the second period the Kings were leading the game three goals to none and it looked like there was little hope the Blues would be able to crawl back into this contest even though there was still twenty minutes of play left in the game. I had been lucky enough to be sitting in seats situated directly behind the penalty box about eight rows up from ice level, courtesy of Jeannie Buss. As the period ended I was heading back up to the Forum Club to kill time until the third period began I glanced up at the time clock. The Forum clock is a combination “Jumbotron” and time clock that is used to replay scoring hilights and, in Tinsel Town, spot the celebrities in attendance on any given night. The celebrity that night was Mel Gibson. He was sitting along the glass with Cuba Gooding JR. on twenty feet away from our seats. Mel Gibson just happens to be my wife Mardi’s very favorite celebrity. To make a long story short, she was “ga-ga” over Mel. I knew that I had to get Mardi down to meet her favorite dream guy. I also, knew this would be the only chance I would ever get so I took the shot.

 

I had coached the Los Angeles Blades professional roller hockey team a few years earlier. The home of the Blades just happened to be the Great Western Forum. As a result, knew almost every one of the event and security staff and had the run of the Forum especially when my Brother was playing in town. I grabbed Mardi and headed down to where Mel was sitting. The Forum security staff had no problem letting my wife and I approach Mel but Mel had his own security man I had to get past. Of course, the Aussie security man stopped us and said Mel does not see anyone. Luckily Mr. Gibson had two of his youngsters with him and I introduced myself as Brett Hull’s brother then asked the security guy to ask Mel if his kids would like a Brett Hull hockey stick. To my amazement it worked. After the security guy whispered to Mel for a couple of seconds the Hollywood superstar whipped around, stuck out his hand and said hello.

 

During the time it took me to get past Mel’s security my lovely wife Mardi is standing less than five feet from her greatest fantasy. I was so busy getting her close to this guy that I did not notice she had frozen in her tracks as soon as she got close enough to see him. I literally had to pull her over close enough to shake Mel’s hand and say hello. I was only half way through the challenge. I still had to get one of my brothers practice sticks from the dressing room in order to fulfil my part of the bargain. So, off I run to the Blues dressing room to find the equipment manager, obtain one Brett Hull practice hockey stick, two blades and a sharpie pen to have Mel sign some stuff for Brett. I find the Equipment manager, who is extremely busy as it is, tell him the Mel Gibson story, collect the items I came for then run back out to where my wife and Mel are talking. I gave the stick to Mel and thanked him for indulging us, got him to sign a blade for the equipment manager and Brett, then pull my wife away and lead her back to our seats. She kept repeating “I met Mel Gibson”, just like a giddy schoolgirl, for the remainder of the night. It was amazing that Mardi’s face was Crimson red for hours after the meeting.

 

Now you might think that was the end of the story but I am not that lucky. As a matter of fact, once we got back to our seats and settled I began to replay the whole event back in my head and thought to myself that the whole thing went way too smoothly. Just about that time the third period started and there I put the whole event out of my mind and prepared to watch the third period. Not much happened until the mid way point of the period when the Kings goaltender skated way out of his net and into the corner to play a loose puck. Unfortunately, the Blues’ Geoff Courtnall was bearing down on the puck at the same time. I guess Geoff thought what the hell, we are down three to nothing with less than ten minutes left in the game . . . why not take a run at the goalie? Geoff knocked the Kings tender on his ass then all hell broke loose. Two of the Kings skaters retaliated by roughing up Mr. Courtnall. As a result, the Blues went on the powerplay for an extended period of time scoring three unanswered goals. Now there was only about two and a half minutes left in the game and it is tied three-three.

 

I often look over to the bench to watch what he is doing off the ice.  The truth is I really only come to the games to see him play so when he isn’t on the ice I am not really interested in the proceedings on the playing surface. I spot him standing up yelling at the same equipment manager I got the stick from between periods. Brett is very calm and you can often times see him smiling during a game so to see him this upset was very rare. I didn’t think much of it at the time because he jumped out on the playing surface seconds after I spotted him yelling. The Blues scored shortly after that and won the game four to three.

 

It is important to know that in hockey there is one half-inch curve limit for all sticks used in all N.H.L. games. It is an unwritten rule that during the season no one will call the other teams players for using an illegal stick just so long as the curve is not too excessive. This “unwritten” rule goes out the window during payoffs. All bets are off and anyone caught with an illegal stick is in for big trouble from their coach, especially if it costs their team the game. For this reason every player is required to “twist up” a legal stick that is specially marked and held until the game gets tight. Although everyone knows there is a chance that they might get caught with an excessively curved stick during playoffs they will continue to use that stick until the last few minutes of the game. Remember when I was thinking to myself that my Mel Gibson encounter went way too smooth? Well, it didn’t.

 

After the game I went down to the dressing room to find the equipment guy in my face telling me I had to take the blame for stealing my brothers game legal, third period, safety stick and gave it to Mel Gibson’s kids! . I only took the stick he had pointed out but his job was at stake and I took the heat. I had to face my little brother and tell him I took the stick between periods. Nice, I got to take crap from the whole team that night. Even Tony Twist was giving me a hard time. Tony is one of the toughest guys in the league and he is the last guy you want to have upset with you. Luckily the Blues won the game and Brett was pretty happy to get a personally autographed blade from Mel Gibson.

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I can remember when I was 17 years old and thought I had the world in the palm of my hand. I was a pretty good ice hockey player living in a place called Winnipeg, Canada. So you have a geographical reference, Winnipeg is about 150 miles north of Fargo, North Dakota. Winter hangs around about eight months of the year so if one wanted to avoid a bad case of  “cabin fever” ice hockey was a very important diversion for both players and spectators alike. To make a long story short, It was late May of 1976 and I was entertaining invitations to several Major Junior hockey teams training camps. In those days Major Junior hockey was the main stepping stone to a professional ice hockey career and I was elated to be invited to take that next step toward the N.H.L. I knew that in order to give myself the best chance of making one of these Junior hockey clubs I had better start a high intensity, sport specific training program at once. So that’s what I did. With some modifications  you will read through the same program I used to get into, then stay in shape during my hockey career.

 

I really worked my behind off, six days per week using the training  regiment below and playing summer ice hockey to boot. I was in very good physical condition by the time August came around. That is  when I had my bubble burst. My dad, a 37 year old man, who had done virtually no exercise since the end of his season in March, asked me if he could run through my training program with me. You see, he had about two weeks before Team Canada started their training camp for the 1976 Canada Cup ice hockey tournament, and he needed to get into shape. Needless to say, I thought that this was my big chance to finally show my dad, the ice hockey superstar, a thing or two about getting into shape!! We started the routine, much the same way you will see it laid out in the following paragraphs, warming up then stretching then on to sprints and aerobic conditioning drills. After I got him grunting and groaning during the stretching routines I thought I would finally have my day but when we started the aerobic sprints and anaerobic distance running I was in for a shock. My dad of 37 seven years went stride for stride with me through all the sprints finishing a step or two ahead of me every race !! I thought to myself  “I’ll get him in the long distance running for sure”. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. The last item on my program was a five mile aerobic run, we ran together at a 6 1/2 minute per mile pace for four miles but he stayed right with me stride for stride. With one mile left to go I decided to pick up the pace but he still stayed right along side me ! As we approached the designated finish zone (our driveway) in a last ditch effort to break my dad’s will, I broke into a full speed sprint. Again, he stayed right with me, it even looked as though he was taunting me with sideways glances as if to ask “is that all you’ve got ?” As we approached the driveway I decelerated to warm down speed and that’s when my dad delivered the crushing blow. He told me that he needed a bit more exercise and he was going to do a few more miles ! He did do a few more miles, about four more to be exact. I, on the other hand, quit for the day, in disgust thinking I had wasted all summer because I hadn’t trained hard enough. As I turns out my dad is one of those people that has a resting heart rate of 52 beats per minute ! In other words his heart was very strong and it was capable of  pumping enormous amounts of blood each beat, that means he could exercise for longer periods of time at a higher level of intensity than an average person. In other words, the training program was fine the guy doing it was the problem !

 

The program I have laid out for you will stretch, elongate and strengthen your muscles and strengthen your heart in an effort to increase your V02 efficiency (V02 is the measure of how much oxygen you can get through your system to working muscles during exercise).

So it’s almost time for training camp and you haven’t done one thing to keep in shape since the end of last season. You have made a major error if you think you can hit the local track and run a few miles for five or six days and think you’re in top shape for the new season. Now, almost all professional athletes follow a year round training regiment. The reason for this is that as your body ages it takes longer to get back to top physical condition so each year you will have to begin “getting back into shape” much more early than the previous year. Also, it is much easier on your body and mind to maintain an elevated fitness level year round than to shift from being sedentary back to top physical fitness.

There are a significant amount of athletes that interpret “top physical conditioning” as being both aerobic and anaerobically fit but there is a very important “second dimension” to good conditioning and that is flexibility. Every contact sport requires that it’s participants be flexible in order that they are able to take rough physical contact without becoming injured on a frequent basis. Stretching  muscles prevents injury and actually increases muscle endurance (i.e.) increases the time muscles can be used at maximum output.

The next few paragraphs will take you through a training regiment that will work for the professionals as well as the weekend warriors, it all depends on the effort you put into each workout. It is important to realize that this training regiment is specific to roller and ice hockey and that you should consult your doctor before starting any strenuous exercise program. We have provided a target heart rate chart so that no matter what age you may be you will be you will get the maximum effect from the training schedule. Remember that the stretching and warm up portions of this regime is very important and should not be omitted for any reason.

Warm up is essential before any type of strenuous exercise. Cold muscles do not flex when stretched they tear causing injury. Always make sure to start every workout with a slow jog or brisk walk, build speed as you feel your muscles start to warm and loosen. The warm up should be no more than 5 - 7 minutes in length.

Once your muscles are warm you should begin the stretching routine. Since roller hockey tends to be a contact sport, even when played by non-contact rules, all major flex points of the body should be stretched before games, practices or training sessions. Start with the largest muscle groups, that is the lower back, stomach and legs. Since these three muscle groups are interdependent they should be stretched one after the other. The best method for effectively stretching the gluteus maximus, medius and minumus along with the muscles of the lower/posterior leg (semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femorus) is to sit on the floor with your back at a 90 degree angle to the floor and your legs extended in front of you, ankles 6 ” apart. Extend your arms toward your ankles in an attempt to grab them. Extend  your reach as far down toward the ankles as comfortably possible keeping your knees flat to the floor. Once you feel the muscles in the lower back and the back of your legs begin to stretch push yourself an inch or two further then hold that stretch for a count of  seven seconds. Repeat this 5 to 7 times. Now move to the major muscles of the front thigh (rectus femorus, vastus lateralus, intermeddius and medialus). Kneel to the floor with knees and ankles 6 inches apart, reach back behind you and grab your ankles. Slowly lean straight back in an attempt to touch the back of your head to the floor behind your ankles. Use your arms to support the weight of your upper body. Again, lean back until you feel the muscles in the front of your thighs and stomach begin to stretch then hold, just past that position for a count of seven. Next move to the inner thigh or groin, these muscles are very important to keep limber and long because these are the muscles most used to draw your leg back under the body after extension. Sit as if you were going to cross your legs but place the bottoms of your feet together in front of you with your knees bent. Grab you ankles and pull your heels in toward your behind then use your elbows to push your knees flat to the floor. Push until you feel the stretch then go a little farther and hold that pose for a seven count. The trunk twist can be done from the same sitting position with legs crossed. Cross your arms then slowly twist your body from side to side trying to turn your shoulders 90 degrees from front. Do not stop but develop a smooth swing from right to left. Repeat this about ten times for each side. Next major leg muscles are the calf muscles (soleus and gastrocnemius). Stand about 2-3 feet from a solid wall with back and knees straight and arms extended, lean toward the wall until you feel your calves stretch. If you don’t feel any stretch move your feet further away from the wall and try again. Repeat this stretch 7-10 tomes holding just past the stretch point for 7-10 seconds. Moving up to the shoulders/chest (deltoid, pectoralus, latisimus dorsi and S.I.T.S. groups) full arm rotations, both forward and backward, will do the trick. Rotate 5-7 revolutions each direction for best results. Finally, the neck should not be flexed backward, only forward and down toward the chest. Tuck the chin into the chest and slowly rotate toward each shoulder 5 -7 times. The entire stretching program should last 10-12 minutes.

Now you are ready to begin the aerobic/anaerobic portion of the training program. begin with a two to five mile run (depending on your age and fitness level) starting at a slow pace building pace every quarter mile. By the half way point you should be at 70%-85% of your maximum speed. After the half way point of the aerobic run the anaerobic training begins. If you are running at a track sprint 1/8 of a mile then slow to 50% of your maximum speed for the second 1/8 of a mile. Repeat this until you have finished the entire length of your aerobic run (2 to 5 miles). Alternate this drill with  “lightning”  type wind sprints (20 yard, then 40 yard, then 60 yard, then 80 yard, then 100 yard sprints in succession) on a six day schedule, 3 days drill number one three days drill two. The seventh day is rest day.

Agility drills improve reaction times and speed. Using a sturdy bench or box, you can improve your leg speed and strength. Straddle jumps are done by keeping legs and ankles together jumping from one side of the bench to the other without touching the bench. “Step ups” are done by alternating legs stepping  as you would climbing tall stairs. Step up with one leg then end up standing, with both legs straight, on the top of the bench. Anaerobic strength and agility can be gained through doing simple stair sprints too.

Upper body strength is important and should be developed through pull ups and push ups. Weight training is not necessary but if you prefer to use weights avoid building muscle bulk by doing light weight with high repetitions. If you develop a bulky muscled upper body you will also experience difficulty handling, passing and shooting the puck with accuracy.

Following this program will develop your strength, agility and endurance before training camp but it is important to make sure that you adopt a less strenuous version of this program year round. Make sure to increase the intensity and frequency of your workouts as training camp draws closer. A good rule of thumb is to be able to work out at 80% three weeks before, 90% two weeks and 100% of maximum one week before training camp begins.

 

Good Luck

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