Toronto Maple Leafs -- 1962 Fitness Requirements

[noobman]

I found this gem earlier today and just had to share it.

It's hard to believe nowadays that the minimum requirement was 20 pushups, 20 situps, and 30 knee bends

I'm sure that number was driven up by competition, and that training camp was designed to get you in better shape... but come on!! My university team had steeper fitness requirements than that!

[jacklours]

Can you show up NO MORE then 7 pounds over at university though ???

[Rickety Cricket]

It's amazing how much physical requirements changed. I'd expect those things out of a bantam team. It was a different time I guess, I remember hearing that the 80's Niners had a bunch of lineman that chain smoked during half time.

[wearethegreek]

I like how the Leafs management made sure to have golf clubs handy...

[Pog Form]

Haha, just saw that on DGB this morning. Crazy how much things have changed over time.

[EmptyNetter]

Funny thing is, their expectations were higher than usual because they had just won the Cup.

[RaoulDuke2k]

back then the logic was that muscles would interfere with athleticism

[rtl1334]

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke2k

back then the logic was that muscles would interfere with athleticism

I think in a lot of ways this is still the case and that many coaches are still ignorant to the affects of muscular development relative to on ice performance. The best example I can give is watch the NFL Scouting Combine in the spring and watch these players with explosive speed, acceleration, agility and strength. I do think the mindset is changing as Ovechkin recently weighed in at 237 lbs - which is the size of an NFL Linebacker. He is arguably the most explosive player the game has ever seen. I doubt he achieved this by doing burpees, pushups and lunges.

[Hockeyfan68]

Originally Posted by Rickety Cricket

It's amazing how much physical requirements changed. I'd expect those things out of a bantam team. It was a different time I guess, I remember hearing that the 80's Niners had a bunch of lineman that chain smoked during half time.

There were plenty of NHL players who smoked as well as MLB baseball players .... and NFL football players and .... etc etc.

The last player in the NHL I heard was a smoker was Andre Kovalenko but I am sure there were others somewhat recently. I doubt there would be anybody now which is a good thing. Nikolai Khabibulin still does or did I am not sure but I know he did before in the NHL.

It is still a Russian thing since they did not set the same society type acceptances we have here. I think they just banned smoking in restaurants in France last year or something like that too, maybe 2007 or 2008 but it wasn't long ago. better late than never I suppose.

I smoked when I played back in the day ... I quit 9 years ago thankfully. Absolutely disgusting terrible habit that is not cool at all.

[noobman]

Wasn't Mario Lemieux a heavy smoker?

[Jarick]

Boy even I might be able to meet those requirements...probably not though

I smoked for a few years in college. It was pretty fun. Mellow out a bit, especially in restaurants/bars/casinos at 1 in the morning. Mostly just good memories of hanging with friends than the smoking itself. Then I tapered off to a couple smokes on the weekends (never in the car, ugh), eventually I just had a pack of smokes in my desk that lasted six months, and I haven't wanted one in almost two years.

Guess I'm lucky I don't get addicted to smoking easily. Now drinking is a tougher one to crack...

[Felonious Python]

Originally Posted by noobman

Wasn't Mario Lemieux a heavy smoker?

When he first came into the league, the story goes that at the 1987 Canada Cup, Gretzky confronted him about it, took the advice, Lemieux had his breakout performance there.

Pretty interesting given that Gretzky has since appeared on the cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine.

[NobodysFaulkButMine]

Man, to think I could've been an NHL player back then.

[Hockeyfan68]

Originally Posted by wearethegreek

I like how the Leafs management made sure to have golf clubs handy...

Almost spit out some coffee on that one