Sharpen up: It’s time to start thinking about the rink

It’s that time of year again. Your group chat’s buzzing. You’ve been eyeing your gear since August. You’ve treated the off-season worse than the old NHLers used to with a steady program of beer curls and burger raises.

Recreational-hockey season is back, and if you’re over 40 like me, that first skate is a reality check. The lungs burn. The legs give out faster than you remember. And your hands… well, they feel like they haven’t touched a puck since the Jets came back.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. As a fitness coach, I want to help you make this your best season yet.

Whether your goal is to drop a few pounds, get your wind back or just avoid pulling a groin in warm-up, this column’s for you.

And to double down on the hockey wisdom, I brought in former NHLer J.P. Vigier to share what he tells his players — and himself — about staying sharp after 40.

Q: What should beer-leaguers do to improve their skating?

J.P.: Edge work and balance drills are crucial. The more efficient you are, the less you have to think about skating and the more you can focus on the game.

Translation? You don’t need bag skates. You need drills that improve your control, not just crush your lungs. Use what little time you have on the ice before games to work on your edges.

Try this plan:

● Work on inside/outside edges and weight shifts

● Practise quick transitions and stopping on both sides

And if your cardio is lagging? It’s not just age — it’s usually inactivity.

That “heavy legs” feeling after one shift? That’s your VO2 max talking.

● VO2 max is a fancy way of measuring how much oxygen your body can use during intense activity.

The good news? You can train it without running marathons.

Here’s how to improve it off the ice:

● Zone 2 cardio (think brisk walks, incline treadmill, cycling at a conversational pace for 30-45 minutes)

● Hockey-style intervals like 30 seconds hard effort, 90 seconds recovery (on a bike, rower or even hill sprints). Be careful with these if you’re already playing one to two times per week.

● More daily movement (10,000 steps isn’t just for fat loss — it builds your aerobic engine).

You need to rebuild your engine off the ice, which brings us to …

Off-ice habits to keep you game-ready

Most of the folks I coach aren’t athletes. They’re parents, business owners, shift workers, but they all want the same thing: to feel good again in their skin — and in their gear.

Here’s what actually works:

1. CAP control (calories plus protein): Not keto. Not a cleanse. Just eating for fuel. Aim for 1g of protein per pound of body weight per day and a calorie target aligned with your goal. You can’t outskate pizza and beers.

2. Water (three litres per day): Hydration impacts energy, recovery and even joint health. Most people are living in a low-key state of dehydration without realizing it, especially during and after games. It affects on-ice performance a ton.

3. Sleep (seven-plus hours): Not sexy, but critical. Poor sleep wrecks your reaction time, co-ordination and motivation. You may need to sit out that 10:50 p.m. ice-time once in a while.

4. Strength training (two to four times per week): This is the real performance-enhancer. Stronger legs equals better skating. Stronger core equals fewer back tweaks. Don’t skip it. This plays a bigger role than most account for.

5. Steps (8,000-10,000 per day): Cardio doesn’t have to mean burpees. Daily movement builds your aerobic base — the thing most guys over 40 are missing. As I wrote above, VO2 max drives the conditioning bus, and it does drop with age. If you don’t use it, you lose it.

These five habits are simple, but they stack fast. They’re the reason people we work with see such a marked improvement in their game without skill work.

Q: What’s the most neglected skill in beer league?

J.P.: It varies by player, but puck skills are often ignored. The good news is, you can work on them solo. Stationary stickhandling in your garage is better than nothing.

So if you feel like you’re wearing oven mitts on opening night? Don’t panic.

Try this 10-minute routine:

● Figure 8 stickhandling with a puck or ball that feels similar to on-ice movement

● Toe drag to forehand/release

● Stickhandling to both sides (simulate catching passes)

● Wrist shots against the wall, net or a shooting pad

Even doing this 10 minutes, two to three times a week, will pay off. Basement or garage floors are fine, but you may find the feel is better with a roll of sock tape than a heavy puck. But you can always invest in synthetic ice panels and a net, and pass it off as an investment in your kids’ futures.

Q: How can you boost your hockey brain between games?

J.P.: Use LiveBarn or other recordings to review your own games. Watch for patterns. Did you make the right read? Were you out of position? Watch NHL games too — but not just the puck. Watch what happens away from it.

You can get smarter without skating more. And if watching yourself is painful (I hear you), stick to the pro game. Just try to pick up a few key things.

What to look for:

● Positioning without the puck

● Line changes — are you timing yours right? (Probably not)

● Decision-making on entries and exits

Q: Any warm-ups to help avoid injury?

J.P.: Mobility matters more as we age. We’re not as stretchy or bouncy as we used to be!

Translation: Skip the pre-game beer. Work on mobility instead. I’d advise against static stretching pre-skate. Go dynamic. You want to activate, not relax. Save the longer holds for after the game when recovery is the goal.

Try this:

● Hip-openers

● Body-weight squats (hold the bottom for an extra benefit)

● Thoracic spine twists

● Groiners or world’s greatest stretch

● Over-and-backs with arms fully extended (with your hockey stick)

Mindset shifts after 40

Look, I get it. You’re not 25 anymore. Neither am I.

But if you want to play the sport you love, it takes just as much effort off the ice to stay in the game.

J.P. said it best: “Things don’t come as fast or easy. You need patience, diligence and realistic expectations. It’s not impossible, but it takes more time.”

If your goal is to “get back in shape” — that’s not going to cut it.

You need to define what success looks like now.

For me? It’s being able to show up on the ice with energy, confidence and zero fear of blowing out a hamstring. It’s fitting into my gear without grunting. It’s having the stamina to finish shifts strong and recover fast between them. It’s playing the game I love — without paying the price the next morning.

Once you’ve clarified your goal, put together a plan on and off the ice. Lean on the Big 5 framework I shared to drop some pounds and regain some fitness so you’re closer to game shape once you do lace ’em up.

Keep the spark alive

For me, it’s about more than goals and assists, even though I monitor my career ASHL stats on the regular (kidding, sorta).

It’s about momentum. Discipline. A challenge that reminds me I’m still capable of doing challenging things.

So if you’re skating this fall — whether it’s Division A or E with a cooler — don’t just show up. Prepare. Not with extremes. Not with fads. But with the Big 5. The small, compounding habits that keep you in the game — and off the IR list.

Mitch Calvert is a Winnipeg-based fitness coach (mitchcalvert.com).