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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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