Reflection: 21 years of High Performance in the NHL with Pete Friesen

The High Performance Hockey Podcast

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

• The keys to sustainability in career and culture.
• What makes a good coach and how to evolve as a practitioner.
• Advice to young strength coaches and performance directors coming up.
• The secret ingredient to a winning team.

Resources + Links:

The Physics of Hockey by Alain Hache

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The High Performance Hockey Masterclass

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Physical Preparations for Ice Hockey: Biological Principles and Practical Solutions

The Gain, Go, and Grow Manual: Programming for High Performance Hockey Players

Show Notes:

What are the key qualities behind 21 years in the high performance world? In this episode, our special guest is a man who wears many hats: Dr. Pete Friesen, certified athletic trainer, strength and conditioning specialist, massage therapist, and dry needler. He is an adjunct professor at Duke, Elon, and Arcadia Universities in the schools of physical therapy and served as the head strength and conditioning coach of the US women’s national hockey program from 2018-2019. During his 21 years with the Carolina Hurricanes head athletic trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and massage therapist, his duties included training & dietary standards, prep of rehab programs, and acute injury for players.

Our conversation today will dive deep into his career of 21 years as a high performance professional in the NHL. We’ll learn his secret to sustainability in career and culture, his advice to young up and coming coaches, his perspective on return to play on stakes, and much more. What is the ingredient to a winning team? How can we evolve further as practitioners and professionals? What is the value of gaining the trust of our athletes? Come and learn how this Swiss Army knife stays sharp and in the game over over two decades!

00:00 Give a big welcome to certified athletic trainer, strength and conditioning specialist, massage therapist, and adjunct professor at Duke, Elon, and Arcadia Universities in the schools of physical therapy, Dr. Pete Friesen!

03:15 How did you get involved in coaching and the NHL?

05:25 What quality allowed you to sustain your position in the NHL for 21 years?

08:45 What lessons did you learn the most from during those 21 years?

11:25 Sustaining team culture.

14:30 Were there any challenges with wearing so many hats?

17:10 If you were to construct your own NHL performance department, what would it encompass?

22:15 How did building trust in your relationships parallel your time in the hockey league?

24:15 What important metrics did you track during your career?

28:50 How do you get valuable and reliable measurements?

30:10 The future direction of measurements.

34:40 How did you feel about getting your name on the Stanley Cup?

40:40 What was the special ingredient in that year?

43:35 What is the value of listening and learning from your athletes?

46:40 What things did you look at concerning return to play on skates?

50:10 What is the significance of knowing the equipment and ice conditions?

52:20 How can we prevent injuries through strength & conditioning?

55:15 What advice would you give to young strength coaches?