Willie O'Ree started playing hockey in his backyard at the age of 5 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He was a 22 wing man playing for the Quebec Aces when he got the call to play for the Bruins in game against the Montreal Canadiens. O'Ree didn't tell them that he was 95% blind in his right eye - a fact that might have hampered his chances of being recruited. So on the night of Jan. 18, 1958, he turned pro donning jersey #22 on ice at the Montreal Forum, and earned the distinction of being the first black man to play a game in the NHL. He went on to play a total of 45 games with the Bruins, and countless more for the AHL, EPHL, QHL and WHL - where he played for 14 years.

In a recent interview with Toronto Sun reporter Joe Warmington, he admitted he had a lot of problems in the beginning and had to gain the respect of players in the opposition as well as the fans. He succeeded by staying focused on what he wanted to do and setting goals. Today, at the age of 73 he is director of the NHL Diversity program, a non-profit which encourages ethnic minority youth to learn and play hockey. His advice for kids who want to play is simple: get involved and get playing.

He received the Order of New Brunswick in 2005 and the Order of Canada on December 30, 2008. Here's an interview with CTV's Steve Murphy recorded in Halifax on August 23, 2007.

HockeyStars are fluent in the four basic types of shots: the shovel shot, slapshot, the wrist shot and the backhand shot. A fifth vital shot, the snap shot, is a combination of the wrist shot and the slapshot. Players who master these shots are prepared to meet the challenges of the game and increase opportunities for scoring. All of these shots can be practiced off ice. Try using a sheet of hard plastic (like a plastic toboggan) on a flat surface at least 4 feet by 1 foot wide and shoot against a cement wall for a target. Here are a few video samples to demonstrate the techniques of each shot.

The shovel shot is the simplest most basic shot in a shooter's arsenal. Its execution is simply a shoveling motion to push the puck in the desired direction (be it on the forehand, backhand, or in a spearing motion). Players typically resort to shovelling the puck to push loose pucks past a sprawling, or out-of-position goaltender.

The slapshot The slapshot is the hardest yet most telegraphed shot. The player draws their stick back away from the puck, then forcefully brings it forward to strike the puck. The height and positioning of the follow-through determines the trajectory of the puck. NHL players most known for their slap-shot include: Ilya Kovalchuk, Sami Salo, Brett Hull, Sheldon Souray, Al MacInnis, and Mike Modano.

The wrist shot is executed by positioning the puck toward the middle of the blade. From that position the shooter rolls their back wrist quickly, while thrusting the puck forward with the bottom hand. As the blade propels the puck forward the movement of the wrist rolls the puck toward the end of the blade, causing the puck to spin. The tightness of the spin of the puck has an effect much like the spin a quarterback puts on their football pass, resulting in more accuracy. The puck is aimed with the follow-through of the shot, and will typically fly perfectly in the direction of the extension of the stick, resulting in an extremely accurate shot. NHL players most known for their wrist-shot include Petr Nedved, Luc Robitaille, Teemu Selanne, Joe Sakic, and Pavel Datsyuk.

The backhand shot is a wrist shot released from the back of the blade, and on the player's backhand. This shot is not as powerful or accurate as any of the other shots, but often comes unexpectedly. Backhand shots are primarily taken close to the goal. NHL players known for their backhand-shot include: Pavel Bure, Luc Robitaille, Mark Messier, Marian Hossa, and Phil Esposito.

The snap shot is a harder shot to master. It's a combination of both the slap-shot and the wrist shot - like a quick wrist shot. It has a surprising effect which hopefully will give the shooter a better chance to score. The shooter begins by cocking the stick back like a slap-shot (however with not such an exaggerated motion), and finishes with a flicking of the wrist like a wrist shot. NHL players noted for their snap-shot include Wayne Gretzky, Pavel Bure, Teemu Selanne, Paul Kariya, Patrik Elias, and Alexei Kovalev. Click here to see a snap shot demo.

I am making some big changes in the way I eat for 2009 to increase my performance (going from very good to excellent). But I don’t recommend players make any big changes until you have taken care of these 4 simple changes first.

1. Eat Less Sugar
Not all sugars are created equal. You need carbohydrates in order for your brain and muscles to function optimally, and all carbohydrates are sugars. Some sugars are better than others though. Stay away from the processed and refined sugars (aka anything white) and eat carbohydrates with more fiber. Fiber helps to keep you full and are typically present in healthier foods with the complex carbohydrates you need for sustained energy.

Eating a lot of sugar before hitting the ice will take your energy levels through the roof for a short time, and will then send you crashing down faster than you went up on the sugar high. You’ll feel great for the 3 minute warm-up and your first few shifts, and then you’ll feel like the energy just got sucked right out of you.

2. Eat Less Salt
I recently read a research study showing that kids who eat more salt tend to eat more refined sugars (see why that’s bad in #1). Eating too much salt also has a tendency to make dehydrate the body, which decreases mental and physical performance (see tip #4 below). I was never a big fan of salt myself (I am much more of a chocoholic) but here are a few tips on how to reduce your salt intake. First, don’t add extra salt to your food. Second, try to avoid fast food. These restaurants use salt not only to flavor the food, but to help preserve it as well. The food may not taste overly salty, but trust me, it’s in there.

3. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
Did you know you are supposed to eat between 7-13 servings of fruits and vegetables per day? Are you even close to that amount? I definitely didn’t eat enough fruits and vegetables as a young hockey player. I had the occassional apple and the odd salad here and there, but I was no where close to getting 7 servings, let alone 13! An easy way to start getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet is to eat a piece of fruit with every meal (maybe afterwards as a sweet treat) and to have a BIG salad loaded with a bunch of different vegetables. I won’t go into all the science of why you need to eat more fruits and veg, but trust me, you will feel better and play better if you do.

4. Drink More Water
This is my #1 nutrition tip for 2009. Most people are chronicially dehydrated and it has negative effects on all aspects of their lives. Water makes up about just over 60% of your body, 75% of your muscles and 80% of your brain. Poor hydration adversely affects both your physical and mental performance. Symptoms of mild dehydration may include fatigue, reduced alertness and an inability to concentrate. None of which you want when you want to perform your best on and off the ice. Carry a water bottle (with water in it) at all times and drink from it consistently throughout the day. Don’t wait until you are thirsty - by that point, you are already dehydrated. Being adequately hydrated is easiest way to increase your performance so drink up!

Start using these nutrition tips today and take your performance to a whole new level in 2009.

What changes can you make to your current nutrition plan to incorporate these tips?

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

~ Coach Kim

Originally published on Total Female Hockey Club.

When it comes to improving your hockey nutrition, setting specific goals is absolutely critical.

And so is being realistic.

Saying you are going to “eat healthier” is a good goal to have for the second half of the season. But it’s even better to say that you are going to eat 5 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables per day to achieve that bigger goal.

Saying that you are going to drink more water is an great goal, but saying that you are going to drink 2 liters of water a day is even better.

Saying that you are going to avoid junk food is an OK goal, but is it realistic for you? If you only have the occasional cookie or bag of chips, it might be. But if you are a junk-food-aholic (like I was until the age of 14), going cold turkey is going to be really hard. Instead of saying that you are going to avoid junk-food completely, allow yourself to have 2 treats a week.

When you are going to have a treat - be conscious of it. Are you having it just because it is there or because you really want it? Maybe you see it as a reward or a treat that you have each night on the weekends. Just don’t find yourself laying on the couch throwing back chip after chip just because they are there.

What are your specific (and realistic) nutrition goals for the second half of the season?

Share them below and start taking action toward your goal of eating healthier.

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

~ Coach Kim

Originally published on Total Female Hockey Club.

The majority of adults who set a new year’s resolution probably said that they were going to exercise more in 2009. Even though most hockey players don’t have a problem with not exercising enough, they still need to set off-ice training goals for the second half of the season if they want to take their game to the next level.

You might already be on the ice almost every day of the week and may think that you don’t need to get any more exercise to be fit for hockey.

Wrong.

Off-ice training will dramatically increase your on-ice performance, even when you start it half-way through the season.

Unlike what happens on the ice, you usually have complete control over what you choose to do (or not do) off the ice. Ten years ago, girls hockey players who trained off the ice were hard to find. Now it is a necessity if you want to get to that next level.

Setting your goals for off-ice training for the next 12 weeks are just as important as the on-ice performance and nutrition goals that you may have already set for yourself. In fact, they can have an even more dramatic effect than you might think, since most girls hockey players don’t do any off-ice training during the in-season. You can set yourself apart from your competition simply by dedicating yourself to working out off the ice in the second half of the year.

So what will your workout goals be for the second half of the season?

- To be able to hold a perfect front plank position for 2 minutes?
- To be able to do 20 perfect push-ups?
- To do your first chin-up?

If you set your weekly goals properly, you should be able to achieve any of these BIG goals in the next 12 weeks. You aren’t just wake up one morning and be able to rattle off 5 chin-ups.

You are going to have to work for it.

Set a deadline for when you are going to achieve your workout goal and then put together your action plan to get there.

That might mean that you shoot for doing 5 perfect push-ups this week.

And then 10 in 2 weeks.

And then 15 in 4 weeks.

I guarantee you that getting stronger, faster and fitter off the ice will move you closer to any of the BIG goals you have set for yourself on the ice.

Set them and then work hard to achieve them.

What is your off-ice training goal for the next 12 weeks?

Work Hard. Dream BIG.

~ Coach Kim

Originally published on Total Female Hockey Club.