Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.
Matt Cunningham, MS, VLCE,
MainStreetVegan.net
April 2018
It is a joy to see that more players are thriving with a plant-based diet in pursuit of hockey glory... With more male athletes jumping on the plant-based bandwagon, this will help to further dispel many preconceived notions regarding masculinity, protein intake and fueling best practices.
I’ve been involved with the great sport of ice hockey — as a player, coach and administrator — for as long as I can remember. The game has taken me around the world while developing lifelong friendships and learning countless life skills.
I found many similarities when I started my vegan journey.
As my health improved, the universe presented new ideas and friends. Beyond
the food, I discovered animal rights, sustainable fashion and the countless
benefits for our planet. However, I often felt like a vegan outlier in the
world of hockey. I often wondered when — or if — these worlds would connect.
In recent years, more high-level athletes have adopted the plant-based
lifestyle. From MMA fighters to professional football players, more
competitors are seeking an extra edge from plant power. The quest for
bigger, stronger and faster is a 24/7 pursuit in athletics. I often refer
back to an episode of Rich Roll’s podcast featuring former NBA basketball
player, John Salley. He recounts working with younger players and using the
analogy of a sports car. If you own an expensive car, you’ll be meticulous
with maintenance and use top-line fuel and oil to ensure said car can
perform to the best of its abilities. Pro athletes, weekend warriors and
everyone in between should follow the same line of thinking. We are all
performing all the time. Whether it’s at work, coaching Little League
baseball, playing an instrument or Sunday night beer-league hockey, we
perform to the maximum of our abilities when fueling and recovery are daily
priorities.
I’ve long thought hockey players would grasp and appreciate the benefits
of plants. Hockey is chaos on ice, a ballet of mayhem. There are no out of
bounds and there is significant body contact. It’s a game of anticipation
where the ability to read and react is paramount. The best hockey player at
any level is almost always the smartest player on the ice. Wayne Gretzky was
not the strongest or fastest man on the ice but he had an uncanny ability to
create time and space in an environment where both are extremely limited.
The physical demands of the game are plentiful, requiring a rare combination
of explosive power, coordination, body control, core strength and balance.
Players at the highest levels, as in all sports, spend extensive time on the
road making energy management a constant challenge.
It is a joy to see that more players are thriving with a plant-based diet in
pursuit of hockey glory. At 6’9” and 250 pounds, Zdeno Chara, the
41-year-old captain of the Boston Bruins, has aspirations of competing until
he is 45. In a league (National Hockey League) trending younger, Chara is an
athlete who approaches his craft (and life) with a growth mindset. He
recently made the switch to a plant-based diet as part of his quest to play
until the age of 45.
Although Stanley Cup winner Mike Zigomanis is retired from professional
hockey, he is continuing his athletic pursuits as a triathlete, all the
while powered by plants. His vegan transition is even more impressive
considering the last years of his career were spent in the American Hockey
League (AHL), the AAA-level minor league circuit one step below the NHL. The
AHL is primarily a bus league for many teams, typically playing 3 games in 3
nights most weekends. Zigomanis’s discipline —
http://nationalpost.com/sports/hockey/nhl/mike-zigomanis-balances-vegan-diet-with-life-in-the-ahl
— shows that with planning and creativity, the lifestyle is an achievable
goal for any athlete.
Hockey players, like virtually all high-level athletes will experiment with,
and ultimately adopt, and methodology that helps them recover quicker,
provide efficient fast-digesting fuel, and gain power and quickness. In
recent years, the practice of yoga has found its way into more ice rinks.
Veganism, being a natural extension of yoga and mindfulness, is bound to
find its way to more hockey players, such as Ryan O’Reilly of Buffalo
Sabres. A noted yogi during his days with the Colorado Avalanche, O’Reilly
and others are citing documentaries such as Food, Inc. as
inspirations while finding improved sleep and digestion.
With more male athletes jumping on the plant-based bandwagon, this will help
to further dispel many preconceived notions regarding masculinity, protein
intake and fueling best practices. With more athletes finding personal
benefits in the bigger picture, we all benefit with more animals spared,
less damage to our planet and increased positive messaging regarding our
lifestyle.
Matt is an MSVA-Certified Vegan Lifestyle Coach & Educator (VLCE). A lifelong athlete and coach, Matt adopted the vegan lifestyle 5 years ago. He is a graduate of eCornell’s plant-based nutrition program, Main Street Vegan Academy, and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition’s Holistic Health Coaching program. He played college hockey at Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he earned a Bachelor’s in Mass Communications and a Masters in Sport Management. He recently spent eight years working with USA Hockey (Colorado Springs, CO) in Coach Education and Athlete Development. Currently based in Carlsbad, CA, Matt is a certified yoga instructor and a two-time Ironman triathlon finisher.
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