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The Toronto Maple Leafs have been ramping up their physical activity after being relatively dormant following the league shutdown in mid-March, as the opening of training camp is less than a month away and the tentative start of the play-in round is in six weeks.
"I think we're ready, I think we're excited. Everybody across the league is excited for the potential of coming back and we're no different.… Leafs forward Zach Hyman said in a conference call on Tuesday. “We have a big group of guys who are in town and skating. I think that'll be an advantage for us, having some familiarity with each other and being able to skate and workout together even though we're distancing."
The Leafs have as many as 20 players in town participating in workouts and on-ice drills at the Ford Performance Centre, while some NHL clubs have only a few working out together. Due to league guidelines and necessary precautions because of COVID-19, the club has set up a very structured routine for small groups of players.
"I'll get there today, 12:15 will be my check in. You go in and you see the doc, you get your temp taken. (If) it's your testing day, you get tested.… Hyman said. “You go into the change room, you have three hours, so you go and get ready and get treatment if you need it. Then you're in the gym for probably 45 (minutes) to an hour. Then you've got to rush over, get changed to go on the ice…for 40 minutes or so, and then you hop off and quickly shower, but you take turns because you (can) have only a couple people in the shower (at) once."
Athletes are creatures of habit and nearly every NHLer has not been able to maintain a normal workout regimen or skate in three months. While players have a significant block of time to ramp up towards the start of camp or playoff competition, there are concerns that deviating from routine could cause a drop in performance level or injuries.
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"I think everybody's still getting up to speed. For guys who don't have injuries or things like that, this is probably the longest guys have been off their skates maybe ever, because kids nowadays are skating all through the summer.… Hyman said. “If you were in Toronto, all the rinks were closed. I can tell you I feel much better this week than I did last week and I'm sure a lot of the guys do too. I think every week you're gonna feel a little bit better. It's almost like riding a bike, you get back into things pretty quickly and it's trying to get your puck touches and your feel back."
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