This post began with me wondering why the Silvertips seem to spend less practice time on the ice compared to the time other teams I’ve covered spend practicing on their respective playing surfaces.
I focused Wednesday’s story on the topic of the video and mental repetitions the players do, which head coach Kevin Constantine and his staff believe are just as important as the physical time on the ice.
Another interesting thing that Constantine mentioned was that during the course of his three-plus decade coaching career, he’s learned to take the approach that players need a chance to recover and rest.
Reinforcing that belief was the visit the Tips coaching staff took to the Seattle Seahawks training camp in August. Constantine said that Pete Carroll told him that part of the reason the Seahawks play so well in the fourth quarter (generally speaking) is because the organization gives the players the right periods of rest. That aligns with what the Silvertips try to do.
The Tips are also trying something new this year. Each player grades himself in several “health and wellness” categories that include their energy level, soreness, stress level and how they slept. Constantine said they plan to use the data at the end of the season to see the patterns that emerge, and to utilize that information in subsequent seasons.
The Tips have a big week-plus with four straight U.S. Division games. Everett has a chance to close ground on the teams ahead of it (Seattle, Spokane) and create separation from the teams behind (Portland, Tri-City).
“Our division is so close – so tight,” Constantine said. “Seattle seems to be the premier team based on (record), and if you look at shot differential in each game they seem to be the strongest based on that. I think Seattle is this year’s class of the division, but at the same time it’s reasonably close and all the teams are within distance of each other.”
In other news, the Tips remain fifth in this week’s edition of the People’s Power Rankings. Also, Prince George goaltender Ty Edmonds succeeds Carter Hart as the CHL Goaltender of the Week.
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