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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
CLARK GILLIES

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who played a central role in one of the greatest dynasties the game of hockey has ever seen, earning himself a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Clark Gillies served as captain of the New York Islanders, playing in an era where he, Mike Bossy, Bryan Trottier, Billy Smith and company enjoyed a run of four consecutive Stanley Cups, with an appearance in the Finals the next year.

Gillies played a game of both skill and physical impact, and enjoyed a string of seven straight seasons with 50 points or more, accumulating 319 goals and 697 points in 948 career games.

He was a force in the playoffs as well, playing in 164 games and scoring 47 goals and 94 points, while racking up 287 penalty minutes.

He was one of the all-time league leaders with twelve game winning goals in the playoffs, when it matters the most.

TODAY: TBD (Fast Tempo, 90 Second Rests)
and CARDIO

TBD

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (TBD): TBD

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
BOB NYSTROM

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who achieved the relatively rare hockey feat of playing a long career with only one team. Furthermore, that team was the New York Islanders and included the height of their dynasty (four straight Stanley Cups).

Bob Nystrom played 900 games with New York over 14 seasons, scoring 235 goals and 513 points, and earning the nickname “Mr. Islander.”

On a team laden with Hall-of-Fame talent, Nystrom was revered for his tireless effort and work ethic, such that, upon his retirement, the team instituted the Bob Nystrom Award, given to the team member who most exemplifies leadership, hustle and dedication.

Nystrom is recognized as one of the best clutch players in league history, bringing his best when it counted the most, and his four career playoff overtime goals are second only to the great Maurice “Rocket” Richard.

These qualities were never more apparent than when Nystrom scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal in overtime, to give the Islanders the first of the Cups they would enjoy during their glory years.

His career playoff numbers were excellent, with Nystrom recording 39 goals and 83 points in 157 games.

Notably, the Bob Nystrom Award was given in 2008 to fellow training inspiration Richard Park.

TODAY: TBD (Fast Tempo, 90 Second Rests)
and CARDIO

TBD

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (TBD): TBD

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
BRENT SUTTER

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who, among the legendary hard-working Sutter Brothers from Viking, Alberta, six of whom made it to the NHL, may have been the best of the group.

Brent Sutter played in 18 NHL seasons with the New York Islanders and Chicago Blackhawks, winning two Stanley Cups with the Islanders and becoming one of the team’s scoring stars with a 42-goal, 102-point season in 1984-85.

This was one of nine straight seasons with 50 points or more, and over the course of his 1,111 career games, he would score 363 goals and 829 points.

Brent Sutter was also a strong playoff performer, compiling 30 goals and 74 points in his 144 career playoff games.

He represented Canada in three Canada Cup tournaments and appeared in the 1985 NHL All-Star Game.

His knowledge of hockey served him well in his post-playing career, as he coached Team Canada to two straight World Junior Championships and converted this success into stints as the head coach of both the New Jersey Devils and Calgary Flames.

TODAY: TBD (Fast Tempo, 90 Second Rests)
and CARDIO

TBD

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (TBD): TBD

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
BRYAN TROTTIER

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man who proved during his NHL career that a man can redefine himself, his game and his role, rather than simply succumb to the expectations associated with advancing age.

During his prime with the New York Islanders in the 1970s and 1980s, Bryan Trottier was one of the league’s true scoring elite, earning himself a place in the Hall of Fame with 1,425 points in 1,279 games over 18 seasons.

He twice led the league in assists (including 87 in 1978-79) and also led the entire league in points that season with 134, winning the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion and the Hart Trophy as league MVP. It is worth mentioning that he also led the league in +/- that year with +76 (one of the +70 or better seasons that would foreshadow the later evolution of his game into a defensive specialist).

Trottier was a central factor in the Islanders’ four consecutive Stanley Cups (1980-83) that would make them one of the most legendary teams in pro sports. But one should also look a little further down his resume and note the two Stanley Cups and aging Trottier won with the Pittsburgh Penguins (1991 and 1992).

No longer so fleet of foot, nor a scoring machine, Trottier now capitalized on his extensive knowledge of the game and positional play to become a specialist in neutralizing the other team’s best scoring stars. This adaptation earned Trottier a longer affair with the game he loved and required him to utilize both hands if he ever wanted to wear all of his Stanley Cup rings.

TODAY: TBD (Fast Tempo, 90 Second Rests)
and CARDIO

TBD

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (TBD): TBD

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
KEN MORROW

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man whose skill and whose dedication to both competition and training saw him become one of hockey’s consummate winners, at the highest level and on several stages.

As a young college player, Ken Morrow was one of the youthful group that produced the Miracle on Ice, a Team USA gold medal in ice hockey at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

This feat was especially memorable because the underdog American squad had to defeat the powerhouse Soviet team (backstopped by the legendary Vladislav Tretiak) in a one-game eliminator to make it to the gold medal matchup.

Also named the 1979 Central Collegiate Hockey Association player of the year, Morrow would go on to a stellar professional career, becoming a key part of another legendary team: The New York Islanders dynasty of the 1980s.

Due in no small part to Ken Morrow’s solid defensive play, the Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983, etching their names in history as possibly the greatest pro hockey team ever assembled.

TODAY: DAY OFF

Rest and recovery day. My legs are still mad at me for that two-hour jump rope marathon…

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Body): Zero

INSPIRATIONAL CLIP

The following clip is a selection of highlights from the legendary 1980 USA vs USSR game, featuring Ken Morrow and company.

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TODAY’S TRAINING INSPIRATION:
BILLY SMITH

Today’s Colin Timberlake Training Inspiration is a man whose unquenchable competitive fire earned him a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame as one of the greatest goaltenders in the history of the game

Billy Smith was the netminding centerpiece of the New York Islanders dynasty of the late 1970s and early 1980s which saw the team win four Stanley Cups in a row.

One of the few goaltenders to ever win 300 games in his career (305), Smith led the league in victories (32) in 1981-82 and ties (17) in 1974-75. Over five straight seasons in which he led his team to the Stanley Cup finals, Smith accumulated 69 of his incredible 88 career playoff victories.

Smith’s refusal to lose was evident in his fiery style of play, one that saw him accumulate 489 penalty minutes as by far one of the most aggressive and penalized goalies in the game’s history.

He also has one goal scored to go with his 12 career assists, as he was the first goalie in modern history to be credited with scoring a goal.

Smith has no shortage of hardware either, having won the 1982 Vezina Trophy as the game’s best goaltender, the 1983 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and the 1983 Jennings Trophy as goaltender for the team with the least goals allowed.

TODAY: INJURED / DAY OFF

REST / HEALING PERIOD

TRAINING NOTES

Total Sets (Body): Zero

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The following clip is simply a video that was put together by the New York Islanders organization to commemorate and honor the career of one of their greatest stars, Hall of Famer Mike Bossy. The man was only the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in 50 games, to which he added the Conn Smythe, Lady Byng and Calder trophies.

Bossy retired with the best goals-per-game average in the history of hockey, a mark that he still holds. One of the classiest players in the history of the game was rightfully the recipient of a classy gesture on the part of one of hockey’s great organizations.