TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS GET FIT FOR A WIN

By JOANNE RICHARD
SPECIAL TO THE TORONTO SUN ... April 22, 2004

"A PROPER DIET can't make an average athlete elite, but a poor diet can make an elite athlete average." So says sports nutritionist Denis Collier. And nutrition is incredibly crucial for the Leafs as they enter the second round of playoffs. "The more time they go, the more time they have to falter and deteriorate in body weight and performance," says Collier.

The name of this game is energy -- getting in enough calories to perform, says Collier, a registered dietician at SHAPE Health and Wellness Centre on Davenport. "In the past two weeks, these players have already burned a ridiculous amount of energy, and only stand to keep doing so. It doesn't get better the farther they go, it only gets worse."

Players can require as many as 6,000 calories per day in order to meet the energy demands of an NHL season, says Collier. And "meeting these demands is particularly crucial during playoff time when the intensity, frequency and importance of games increases," says Collier, a registered dietitian with a Masters degree in kinesiology.

Last year's play-offs against the Flyers is a prime example: "With games three, four and six of that series going into multiple overtimes, the Leafs essentially played the equivalent of six games in one week," says Collier. "It's easy to see why such an enormous amount of energy is required."

Meeting the demands can be a challenge. "If players do not consume an adequate number of calories, they will begin to gradually lose weight," says Collier. "A famous example would be Doug Gilmour who, already under-sized by NHL standards, was rumoured to have lost a significant amount of weight by the end of his heroic run through the 1993 playoffs."

According to Collier, the playoffs are a two-month battle for survival: "Players should look for any means that might give them an edge -- and proper nutrition could be that edge."

For optimal performance, the bulk of the calories should be in the form of carbohydrates. "Carbohydrates are the body's best energy source, particularly for fuelling a fast-paced sport like hockey," he says.

NHL players will usually have a pre-game meal five or six hours before the drop of the puck, he says. Right after the game, energy stores are topped up again.

Meanwhile, a more immediate way players lose weight is through the loss of fluids via sweating. "A player can sweat out as much as 10 lbs. of fluid during a game or practice. Of all the nutrients, none has more acute and drastic consequences when under-consumed than water," says Collier. Once dehydrated, there's a decrease in aerobic power -- the ability to perform over an extended period of time.

REHYDRATE

"Every pound lost during a game or practice is roughly equivalent to 500 ml of fluid lost. So if Mats Sundin weighs 220 lbs. before a game and only 216 lbs. afterward, he is in a state of negative fluid balance by two litres and should rehydrate by drinking this quantity. Granted, hockey players do attempt to keep hydrated through the use of water bottles, but it is difficult for athletes to keep pace with their rate of fluid loss.

"This may be especially true for hockey players, as they are often seen spraying the water on their faces or spitting it out. Post-game rehydration is of utmost importance."