Confirmed with Link: Maple Leafs hire Director of Sports Science (Dr. Bettle)

[ACC1224]

Is this new Doc for the Leafs only or will he oversee all MLSE Teams?

 

[SprDaVE]

Is this new Doc for the Leafs only or will he oversee all MLSE Teams?

Leafs/Marlies only. Raptors have their own guy.

 

[trellaine201]

http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=769460

Interesting. Seems we stole him from the Nets

Nutrition?? our team err *cough* player doesn't need nutrition guidance.

 

[Muston Atthews]

Damian Cox has put out around 3 or 4 articles bashing/calling for Kessel's head, yet he'd make up a fact to make Kessel look good? Right...

I also find it funny how people question what kind of fitness testing was used. I'm fairly certain NHL teams have a much better gauge on what kind of tests determine "fitness" than on here.

 

[ACC1224]

In Future Greats and Heartbreaks book they touched upon Kessel at the combine and gave insight on his interview with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Kessel did pretty well on the bench press, did 15 reps of 150lbs.

He did not last long at all on the Vo2 bike.

Columbus Management asked him about that and he didn't own up to coming out of shape, he just made excuses. Many scouts and GMs who saw him at the combine for his draft year were pretty shocked (in a negative way) about his appearance.

There is no doubt Kessel is an enigma but I think his lack of conditioning is over stated.

 

[diceman934]

Great hire....something that was long over due.

As for Kessel being in shape.....round is a shape....and he was round.

The fact that the Leafs released a statement speaking to his conditioning was a joke. He was not the 3rd most fit players on the Leafs...that is a joke. What was said that was he was among the fittest....which includes all Leaf players, as they were among the fittest as well.

A fit player has stamina and can recover fast....Kessel had neither. It is ok as Kessel will be gone and we will not have to worry about him. Nothing has changed for Kessel, he has always been among the least fit players in the League and it started long before he arrive at the Draft Combine.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

I think his lack of conditioning is not just over stated, it's complete BS.

Did anybody take biology in school? Because it seems like a lot of people have no clue as to what happens to a male's body after they survive testicular cancer like Phil Kessel has. Not only that they are ignorant and flip about it despite the fact he can skate like the wind and tests high in pre-camp evaluations.

Testosterone is one of many factors involved in the development of muscle bulk and strength. Testosterone increases neurotransmitters, which encourage tissue growth. It also interacts with nuclear receptors in DNA, which causes protein synthesis. Testosterone increases levels of growth hormone. That makes exercise more likely to build muscle.
Testosterone increases bone density and tells the bone marrow to manufacture red blood cells. Men with very low levels of testosterone are more likely to suffer from bone fractures and breaks.
Testosterone also plays a role in fat metabolism, helping men to burn fat more efficiently. Dropping levels of testosterone can cause an increase in body fat.
-
See more at: http://www.healthline.com/health/low-testosterone/effects-on-body#sthash.v2KTR8of.dpuf

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Great hire....something that was long over due.

As for Kessel being in shape.....round is a shape....and he was round.

The fact that the Leafs released a statement speaking to his conditioning was a joke. He was not the 3rd most fit players on the Leafs...that is a joke. What was said that was he was among the fittest....which includes all Leaf players, as they were among the fittest as well.

A fit player has stamina and can recover fast....Kessel had neither. It is ok as Kessel will be gone and we will not have to worry about him. Nothing has changed for Kessel, he has always been among the least fit players in the League and it started long before he arrive at the Draft Combine.

more conjecture and inane ramblings about a Leafs conspiracy to lie about Phil Kessel.

this is disturbing.

 

[Daisy Jane]

There is no doubt Kessel is an enigma but I think his lack of conditioning is over stated.

i don't think it is.
I find it very hard to believe that you can look at this entire season, and go "yeup. Kessel was well conditioned & in shape." and I think it is one thing to have media people questioning you, but when it is former NHL players not just Toronto based questioning his conditioning and saying it needs to be better (which was the case on the radio programmes), I think i would defer to those who played the game.

to me, Kessel did not look in the best shape of his life this season, and to me - when the season wore down the more out of sorts he was (shrug).

in regards to what this Dr. Bettle can do, I think it is interesting that he is also good with nutrition, and injury prevention and all of that stuff, because as we're seeing with Keith (who is a freak) - the first thing that Quennville states is that he knows what to eat and how to take care of himself that allows him to take on all of those extra minutes. having that in our arsenal should be cool.

 

[Cor]

Bettle Juice! Bettle Juice! Bettle Juice!

 

[Swervin81]

I was waiting for a Beetlejuice reference.

 

[ACC1224]

i don't think it is.
I find it very hard to believe that you can look at this entire season, and go "yeup. Kessel was well conditioned & in shape." and I think it is one thing to have media people questioning you, but when it is former NHL players not just Toronto based questioning his conditioning and saying it needs to be better (which was the case on the radio programmes), I think i would defer to those who played the game.

to me, Kessel did not look in the best shape of his life this season, and to me - when the season wore down the more out of sorts he was (shrug).

in regards to what this Dr. Bettle can do, I think it is interesting that he is also good with nutrition, and injury prevention and all of that stuff, because as we're seeing with Keith (who is a freak) - the first thing that Quennville states is that he knows what to eat and how to take care of himself that allows him to take on all of those extra minutes. having that in our arsenal should be cool.

He didn't look much different to me than any other year. I'm not saying he couldn't be in better shape, I don't think his shape is as bad as some are making it out to be.

IMO, if his compete level was higher, few would mention his condition.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

I also would like to laugh at people's suggestions as evidence to Phil's lack of fitness.

"Look at him on the bench he's winded"

Guess what, he plays top line minutes against the best defenders in the world. Any player is winded like that after a hard shift. Kessel may not do much in the defensive zone but he skates his butt off trying to get shots off and make plays for his linemates. The fact you see him breathing hard at the end of a shift leads you to conclude he is a fat mook that is out of a shape. Brilliant observations.

"Look at that video of him and Dion on the bike"

You guys do know that after game/practice biking is done to cool down and avoid injury and the building of lactic acid in the muscles right? They are not trying to train themselves to be fitter lol. It is a simple routine that is mandated by teams for health. Yet people want to say look at how slow Kessel is going, he's a bum.

"I have inside sources on his fastfood addiction" laugh

You mean you watched 24/7 and heard Dion make jokes about Kessel and how many cookies he can have?

"Phil Kessel likes to fish and play ping pong instead of running iron mans"

Get a grip.

 

[Daisy Jane]

I think his lack of conditioning is not just over stated, it's complete BS.

Did anybody take biology in school? Because it seems like a lot of people have no clue as to what happens to a male's body after they survive testicular cancer like Phil Kessel has. Not only that they are ignorant and flip about it despite the fact he can skate like the wind and tests high in pre-camp evaluations.

okay. and how did he perform in game from the end of November until the 2nd week of March?
or that Phil's conditioning (or the lack there of) has always been a concern. it's not this massive Leafs-lynch mob - it's been with him his entire career.

 

[Daisy Jane]

He didn't look much different to me than any other year. I'm not saying he couldn't be in better shape, I don't think his shape is as bad as some are making it out to be.

IMO, if his compete level was higher, few would mention his condition.

(shrug) that is fair.
to me - it's very moot.

because Beetle isn't here just for Phil, he's here for the entire organization prospects included so it will be interesting to see what he does with them.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

okay. and how did he perform in game from the end of November until the 2nd week of March?
or that Phil's conditioning (or the lack there of) has always been a concern. it's not this massive Leafs-lynch mob - it's been with him his entire career.

no it hasn't. you heard a story about a GM not liking how Phil looked at a pre draft combine 9 years ago. he is fit. always has been. He is a gifted skater, how do you explain this? Do sour-patch kids have some sort of magical turbo juice in them?

 

[The Winter Soldier]

I don't think anyone would disagree that the Leafs were long overdue to hire a new strength and conditioning coach.

Simply being in shape is not enough in this league anymore, (though I would argue with the Leafs fades these past 6 seasons they were in shape) having an edge is what you want. Being in the top 5% of the league. That amounts to points that can be gained in 3rd periods. Flames pulled out a lot of games late. We want to do the same, not give up leads. This can only be viewed as a positive move.

 

[Daisy Jane]

no it hasn't. you heard a story about a GM not liking how Phil looked at a pre draft combine 9 years ago. he is fit. always has been. He is a gifted skater, how do you explain this? Do sour-patch kids have some sort of magical turbo juice in them?

because being properly conditioned and fit isn't just about being a gifted skater.
however you are entitled to your beliefs. you think he is fit. and feel he always has been. that's your prerogative.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Not wanting to come across as Kessel bashing, but to me he seemed more sluggish than usual. Not the same explosiveness that he has had before.

With that said, I do feel that some really overstate his conditioning, most often on rather loose grounds.

 

[Pyromaniac3]

i don't think it is.
I find it very hard to believe that you can look at this entire season, and go "yeup. Kessel was well conditioned & in shape." and I think it is one thing to have media people questioning you, but when it is former NHL players not just Toronto based questioning his conditioning and saying it needs to be better (which was the case on the radio programmes), I think i would defer to those who played the game.

to me, Kessel did not look in the best shape of his life this season, and to me - when the season wore down the more out of sorts he was (shrug).

I don't think Kessel wasn't in a good condition. I think he just stopped competing considering where we were in the standings.

 

[RoyalGremlin]

 

[Darcy Tucker]

So did Seguin, 5 years his junior and one of the top athletes in the league, let him win?

 

[diceman934]

So did Seguin, 5 years his junior and one of the top athletes in the league, let him win?

Being fast on skates does not equate to being in shape....never has never will!

 

[The Winter Soldier]

Not wanting to come across as Kessel bashing, but to me he seemed more sluggish than usual. Not the same explosiveness that he has had before.

With that said, I do feel that some really overstate his conditioning, most often on rather loose grounds.

He's 27 soon to be 28. He is not a young kid anymore. He needs to prolong his career by doing the right things that Toews and Crosby do.

He looked tired to me also at the end of last year, his skating(which is 80% of what makes him elite was not what it was the past 3 PPG seasons)

I always said, his game is predicated on his skating, once that goes he is a very ordinary player. Best to get him back on track.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Being fast on skates does not equate to being in shape....never has never will!

so Kessel's ability to skate like that and play 20 minutes a game has nothing to do with him being fit. It's some gift from the Thunder Gods and his ankles are enchanted with the blood of Cheetah cubs. ok then.