Evaluating parameters of a professional hockey team

Abstract

A championship professional hockey team was eval uated with regard to three systems: cardiovascular, muscular, and visual. The cardiovascular system was tested three times during the season, revealing little significant variation in fitness parameters from the preseason to the late-season periods. The visual and muscular testings were performed only during the preseason. Visual functions, especially eye speed and span, were positively correlated to face-off ability, shot accuracy, and goal-tending capability. Muscular testing demonstrated the importance of hip strength in power skating; a rationale for the use of knee extension hip flexion and knee extension hip abduc tion ratios is clearly established. The most striking correlations were found in relat ing skating skills to muscle testing performances of the left lower extremity as opposed to the right. Regression analysis of the data made it possible to predict super-star capability with 100% correlation to only three simple tests.