0
QUOTE
It's the single stupidest thing in hockey -- except, perhaps, for Sean Avery's mouth.
It's outdated, unnecessary and counterproductive.
...
Ridiculous.
This is a business in which:
-- The regular season is a marathon.
-- Players have a finite number of productive hours in their legs, meaning there is a fine balance between conditioning and honing skills on one side of the equation, and wasting energy on the ice on the other.
-- Athletes in all sports are in much better condition and generally take far better care of themselves than did their forerunners. The morning skate as a deterrent or punishment for the previous night's partying, or its use as a roll call, no longer makes sense in the NHL.
Once asked about the three worst inventions in hockey, Brett Hull responded: "The invention of the trap. The invention of the morning skate. And the invention of the extremely ugly uniform."
...
Even Colorado captain Joe Sakic, who otherwise revels in the nickname "Quoteless Joe," wants to sign on to this cause. In recent years, Sakic has gone on the ice for morning skates only rarely because of what amounts to a veteran's exemption (and the universal recognition that he is in superb condition), but he has been skating with Colorado in the mornings often this season.
"Oh, I agree!" Sakic said this week. "You're playing later on, why waste energy in the morning? Save it for the game. I've been skating lately." He laughed and added, "But I'm done."
It's outdated, unnecessary and counterproductive.
...
Ridiculous.
This is a business in which:
-- The regular season is a marathon.
-- Players have a finite number of productive hours in their legs, meaning there is a fine balance between conditioning and honing skills on one side of the equation, and wasting energy on the ice on the other.
-- Athletes in all sports are in much better condition and generally take far better care of themselves than did their forerunners. The morning skate as a deterrent or punishment for the previous night's partying, or its use as a roll call, no longer makes sense in the NHL.
Once asked about the three worst inventions in hockey, Brett Hull responded: "The invention of the trap. The invention of the morning skate. And the invention of the extremely ugly uniform."
...
Even Colorado captain Joe Sakic, who otherwise revels in the nickname "Quoteless Joe," wants to sign on to this cause. In recent years, Sakic has gone on the ice for morning skates only rarely because of what amounts to a veteran's exemption (and the universal recognition that he is in superb condition), but he has been skating with Colorado in the mornings often this season.
"Oh, I agree!" Sakic said this week. "You're playing later on, why waste energy in the morning? Save it for the game. I've been skating lately." He laughed and added, "But I'm done."
