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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
GERRY CHEEVERS

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who established himself as one of the greatest pressure goaltenders in hockey history.

Gerry Cheevers was revered for many reasons, one of them being his creatively decorated mask, a piece of equipment he adorned just as goaltenders were beginning to make use of them.

The mask was covered in stitches, as Cheevers would paint a stitch onto the mask every time a puck hit im in the face, to indicate what the scars all over his face would look like had he been tending goal like the maskless old-timers.

Well, mask or not, the man left his mark on hockey history and left his name on the Stanley Cup.

He backstopped the Boston Bruins to Stanley Cups in 1970 and 1972, and his stellar performances in his 88 career playoff games earned him a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame as one of the game’s greatest goalies when it mattered the most.

In the regular season, Cheevers played in 609 combined NHL and WHA games, accumulating 328 wins and 40 shutouts. He was named to the WHA post-season All-Star Team three times and in 1973 won the Ben Hatskin Trophy as the top goaltender in the WHA.

TODAY: LEGS (Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests)

SEATED LEG PRESS (DECLINE) (5 sets)
450 x 15
450 x 15
450 x 12
450 x 12
450 x 12

SINGLE LEG SQUATS (PER LEG) (3 sets)
x 10
x 10
x 8

SEATED HAMSTRING CURL (5 sets)
110 x 12
130 x 10
130 x 10
130 x 8
130 x 8

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Legs): 13

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
RAY BOURQUE

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man whose tireless work ethic and study of the game earned him not only a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but a place in history as the league’s all time leader in goals, assists and points by a defenseman.

Ray Bourque broke into the league by winning the Calder Trophy as the NHL Rookie of the Year in 1979-80, then followed up his inaugural season with a degree of consistency rarely seen in the league.

In his 22 seasons, he never had less than 40 points, and had 50 or more in 20 of them. From the blueline, he had 80+ points in ten of his seasons and finished his career with a remarkable 410 goals, 1169 assists and 1579 points.

His playoff numbers were just as good: 41 goals and 180 points in 214 games, with a Stanley Cup victory in 2001, his final season. He won five Norris Trophies as the NHL’s best defenseman and played in 19 All-Star Games.

After trailing just behind the great Paul Coffey on the career scoring list for defensemen, Bourque’s consistency from year to year allowed him to overtake Coffey in the late stages and retire as the all-time leader among blueliners.

TODAY: ABS (Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests)

CRUNCHES (3 sets)
x 80
x 60
x 60

SINGLE STRAIGHT LEG RAISES (3 sets)
x 60
x 60
x 60

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Abs): 6

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
PETE PEETERS

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who was one of the best goaltenders of his generation, but whose name has regrettably fallen largely by the wayside in the years since his playing days.

Pete Peeters was a star goaltender with the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals during his 13 NHL seasons, and in 1982-83, became one of the few goalies to ever record 40 wins in a single season.

That performance led the league in victories and also won him the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top netminder. He also led the league in shutouts and goals against average, and would again lead the league in GAA five years later.

Peeters played 489 games in his career, posting a remarkable record of 246-155-51. His 3.08 career goals against average was incredibly low for the high-scoring era in which he played, a testament to his focus and strong positional play.

He would also play in four All-Star Games and add 35 playoff victories to his regular season totals.

TODAY: BICEPS (5-5-5 Tempo, 90 Second Rests)

STANDING HAMMER DUMBBELL CURL (5 sets)
35 x 4
35 x 4
35 x 3
35 x 3
35 x 3

STANDING UNDERHAND DUMBBELL CURL (5 sets)
35 x 3
35 x 3
35 x 3
35 x 3
35 x 3

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Biceps): 10

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
CAM NEELY

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who may go down as the most hard-driving and relentless man in hockey history.

Cam Neely’s rare combination of skill, toughness and grit was an impetus for the media to take the term “power forward” and apply it to hockey.

Since Cam Neely’s reign as the toughest skill player in the league, “power forward” has become a regular term in hockey lore, applied to other forwards of similar mold such as Peter Forsberg and Todd Bertuzzi.

Neely achieved one of the rarest of feats when he scored 50 goals in 44 games during the 1993-94 season. Only a select few players have ever scored 50 goals in 50 games and only Wayne Gretzky has scored 50 goals in less games than Neely.

Few players left nothing on the ice the way Neely did, and he became an enduring fan favorite and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame as a result. His #8 jersey hangs in the rafters in Boston, never to be worn by a Bruin again.

Neely played a critical role in leading the Bruins to two Stanley Cup finals, and for all his skill and toughness, he will likely be remembered best for the pain through he which he continually played as his knees deteriorated from years of brutal punishment on the ice.

In the 1991 playoffs, he had his knee injured in two separate games (made possible only by his playing on the already-injured knee after the first incident). As a result, he developed an exceedingly painful calcification disorder in his knee that made any use of the leg painful.

Nonetheless, he staged several comebacks through the pain, playing when he could, sometimes only in every second game in order to allow the knee damage from a single day of use to subside in order to step back onto the ice for his next performance.

For his enduring efforts to fight his way back onto the ice, he was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy in 1994, given to the NHL player who best exemplifies perseverance and dedication to hockey.

Neely scored 395 goals in only 726 games, one of the highest goals-per-game ratios in league history. His 694 career points had him at nearly a point a game, a rate that he would have easily passed had he been able to play more games at the height of his prime.

In Neely’s case, the star that burned twice as bright burned half as long, but burn brightly it did.

TODAY: CHEST (5-5-5 Tempo, 90 Second Rests)
and CARDIO

FLAT DUMBBELL FLYES (5 sets)
35 x 5
35 x 4
35 x 3
35 x 4
35 x 3

FLAT DUMBBELL PRESS (3 sets)
35 x 6
35 x 5
35 x 5

THREE MILE RUN
- Relaxed Pace, Approx. 27:00

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Chest): 8

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
ANDREW RAYCROFT

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man whose NHL career began with an enormous impact, but whose role on the team now is the role most of us face in our gym and fitness battles: training and practice.

Andrew Raycroft emerged into the NHL with the Boston Bruins in the 2000-01 season, but had played so few games that he was still a rookie in 2003-04, when he became the team’s starting goaltender and won the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year by earning 29 victories, 3 shutouts and a 2.05 goals against average in 57 games.

Two years later, Raycroft would become one of the league’s biggest workhorse goalies, playing in 72 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs and setting a career high with 37 wins, placing him among the league leaders in the category.

After a brief stop in Colorado, Raycroft now finds himself the backup goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks, and in a supporting role to possibly the biggest workhorse goalie of them all, Roberto Luongo. On a team with Luongo, the backup plays 10 games per season if he is lucky, and that means his job is to step onto the ice after extended periods of time without real-game action.

It is thus up to Raycroft to find the focus to treat practices and training sessions with a level of intensity comparable to game play, if he is going to maintain the edge required to play at a high level and not show visible rust during the infrequent appearances as Luongo’s backup.

With a winning record so far, to go with a 2.39 goals against average and a .908 save percentage as a Vancouver Canuck, Raycroft’s focus is paying off and allowing him to contribute to the team and participate in one of the strongest goaltending tandems in the NHL.

TODAY: DAY OFF

Well, I guess it’s kind of fitting that on a training day where my inspiration was a backup goalie for Roberto Luongo (who plays virtually every game)…I took the day off from the gym…

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Body): Zero

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
ANDY MOOG

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who, along with Glenn Resch, is widely regarded as one of the two greatest backup goaltenders to ever skate on NHL ice.

Excelling in a role that required the ultimate team player mindset, Andy Moog would backstop the Edmonton Oilers to record seasons during the 1980s, splitting the season down the middle with Grant Fuhr. Come playoff time, however, the glory would go to Fuhr and Moog would usually be sitting on the bench.

Like Resch, however, Moog carved out a reputation for excellence and the day came when he was sought after as one of the league’s top starting goalies. The Boston Bruins traded for Moog in 1987 and they were quickly rewarded. In his first season with the Bruins, Moog led the team to the Stanley Cup Finals. He did the same again two years later.

Moog played in 713 games (21st all-time) over 18 seasons, earning 372 victories (14th all-time) against only 209 losses and 88 ties. He had eleven seasons with 20 wins or more, including 37 in 1992-93, his final year with the Bruins.

To go with his two finals appearances in Boston, he won three Stanley Cups with the Oilers and posted a stellar 68-57 record in 132 career playoff games.

TODAY: LEGS (3-3-3 Tempo, 90 Second Rests)
and CALVES (3-3-3 Tempo, 90 Second Rests)

DECLINE LEG PRESS (4 sets)
360 x 6
360 x 6
360 x 5
360 x 5

SINGLE LEG SQUATS (2 sets)
- Fast Tempo
Body x 10
Body x 10

SEATED QUAD EXTENSION (3 sets)
130 x 4
100 x 5
100 x 4

SEATED HAMSTRING CURL (3 sets)
70 x 10
80 x 5
80 x 5

SEATED CALF RAISE (3 sets)
80 x 8
80 x 8
100 x 6

STRAIGHT LEG CALF PRESS (DECLINE) (3 sets)
180 x 6
180 x 6
180 x 5

REVERSE CALF PRESS (DECLINE) (3 sets)
180 x 7
180 x 6
180 x 6

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Legs): 12
Total Sets (Calves): 9

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
BOBBY ORR

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man whose talent, fearless play and drive revolutionized the game of hockey for NHL defenseman.

Bobby Orr is almost universally regarded as the greatest blueliner to ever play the game, and he achieved heights never seen before or since at his position, made possible with a style of play that exacted a toll on his body, a structure that would reveal its limitations even if his will never did.

Orr won eight Norris Trophies as the NHL’s top defenseman, an incredible total that has never been matched. Even more impressively, he won these eight trophies while only playing nine full seasons in the league (three of his twelve seasons were limited to 20 games or less due to severe injuries).

Likewise, he is one of the few defensemen to ever win the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP (three times from 1970 to 1972) and he is the only defenseman to ever lead the NHL in scoring and win the Art Ross Trophy. He did it twice (1970 and 1975).

The list of records held by Bobby Orr is extensive. His 102 assists and 139 points in a season have never been matched by a defenseman. His plus/minus rating of +128 has never been matched by any player. Only Paul Coffey has ever topped his 46 goals from the blueline in the 1974-75 season.

When it was all said and done, Orr had accumulated 270 goals and 915 points in 657 career games, with an incredible +597 rating over his career. He also led the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup in both 1970 and 1972, before his damaged knees (requiring over a dozen surgeries) forced him from the game at an early age.

At the age of 31, he became the youngest player ever to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

TODAY: CHEST (Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests)
and CALVES (Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests)

BENCH PRESS (5 sets)
135 x 15
185 x 10
225 x 3
225 x 2
185 x 8

FLAT DUMBBELL FLYES (3 sets)
50 x 10
60 x 8
70 x 4

DECLINE DUMBBELL PRESS (3 sets)
40 x 15
40 x 12
40 x 12

INCLINE DUMBBELL PRESS (3 sets)
50 x 8
50 x 8
50 x 10

SEATED CALF RAISE (5 sets)
100 x 10
125 x 8
125 x 8
125 x 6
125 x 5 / 100 x 4

STRAIGHT LEG CALF PRESS (DECLINE MACHINE) (5 sets)
270 x 15
360 x 10
360 x 12
360 x 10
270 x 15

REVERSE CALF PRESS (DECLINE MACHINE) (5 sets)
270 x 15
360 x 10
360 x 6
360 x 10
270 x 15

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Chest):14
Total Sets (Calves): 15

INSPIRATIONAL CLIP

The following is a recent commercial that featured the legendary Bobby Orr and did a good job of capturing the essence of his achievements and sacrifices.

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
DON CHERRY

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who proves my theory that great coaches are made from people who are just barely talented enough to make it to the big leagues…if they work extremely hard at learning and training in every aspect of the game.

The Bobby Orrs and Michael Jordans of the world have access to an athletic repertoire that can’t be taught, but the Joel Quennevilles and Marc Crawfords of the world have the physical building blocks to make it to the bigs, provided that they work harder than almost anyone else at the game.

This statement applies particularly to Don Cherry, who became one of the best coaches in NHL history several years after he reached his potential as an athlete and made it to the NHL for one single game as a player.

In the 1954-55 season, the career minor league defenseman was called up to the Boston Bruins for one appearance. He had toiled in the minors for years (he played 1,180 games in the minor and junior leagues) and made his name as a reliable and solid player who was positionally sound and fundamentally strong.

He had worked at the game and brought it to the maximum level his physical gifts allowed.

Years later, his study of the game would serve him well as he would achieve the highest honor available to a coach and win the Jack Adams Award as the NHL coach of the year. He accomplished the rare feat of taking home this trophy in back-to-back seasons, 1977 and 1978, as the bench boss of the Boston Bruins. He also coached the Bruins to two Stanley Cup Finals appearances.

TODAY: REHAB and REST

Total Sets: None

TRAINING NOTES

The beginning of this training period is called the Tree of Woe after a point in Conan the Barbarian where Arnold Schwarzenegger gets tied to a giant oak and must remain immobile as he is trapped in a mental prison.

I am in a period of inactivity as I let my back and other nagging injuries heal, so in my case, the challenge for the moment is to not be a physical entity…

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
WILLIE O’REE

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who earned his status as the “Jackie Robinson of the NHL” when, for two seasons in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he became the first black player in NHL history.

Willie O’Ree laced up for two NHL games with the Boston Bruins in 1957-58 and came back for 43 more in 1960-61, at a time when people of color had few role models in the game of hockey to look to for inspiration. In the years since O’Ree opened the door, hockey fans have been treated to some stellar careers and inspiring moments from black players, including Jarome Iginla, Tony McKegney, Grant Fuhr and Dirk Graham.

O’Ree has always been modest about his accomplishment, downplaying any racial barriers that may have stood in his way.

And while his NHL career was relatively brief, he enjoyed a stellar junior and minor league career that saw him score 1,050 points in 1,283 games. To these numbers, he added 132 points in 144 playoff games.

And at 74 years old today, he still looks like he could lace them up and put a puck or two in the net.

TODAY: LEGS (3-3-3 Tempo, 90 Second Rests)

SEATED LEG PRESS MACHINE (4 sets)
200 x 10
300 x 8
360 x 4
420 x 2

SINGLE LEG SQUATS (per leg) (2 sets)
- Fast Tempo, 60 Second Rests
Body x 10
Body x 10

SEATED QUAD EXTENSIONS (5 sets)
120 x 7
150 x 5
180 x 5
210 x 4
240 x 3

SEATED HAMSTRING CURLS (3 sets)
120 x 10
150 x 5
180 x 4

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Legs): 14

Well, I would call a relatively brief leg workout like this unsatisfactory, but under the circumstances it was almost O’Ree-worthy.

I tweaked my knee on the way to the gym but worked through that. At the start of quad extensions, however, the back pinched and it was a struggle from then on. I held it together for the rest of quads and some hamstrings but had to pull the plug once I had done enough to call it a workout.

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