Professional hockey players are truly living the dream life. Their livelihood is playing their favorite sport in front of thousands of adoring fans. But make no mistake, playing sports at such intensity, especially hockey, puts a lot of strain on the body. It is critical for hockey players at all levels to make sure they’re eating enough to fuel themselves for long game days, and to keep enough muscle to prevent injuries. Here is what fans’ favorite players, from the juniors to the NHL, have on their plates to make sure they’re bringing their A-game.
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Throughout the NHL, players have some pretty diverse diets. Usually, players stick to the healthy stuff with plenty of protein, vegetables and complex carbs. Take Connor McDavid, for example, who is arguably the best player in the league right now. In an interview from his first NHL season back in 2015, McDavid described a typical day of eats. He likes eggs and vegetables for breakfast, chicken and rice for lunch and steak and salad for dinner. For snacks, McDavid likes trail mix and berries. His favorite sweet treat is candy, especially licorice. Regarding his favorite pre-game meal, McDavid says he sticks to the basics.
“I’m a pretty boring person, I usually eat the same things before every game– chicken and rice,” he said. “It’s pretty light and makes you feel good. I just stick to what I know.”
This diet seems pretty standard for what most would expect professional athletes to eat. It’s pretty balanced and plain.
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On the other hand some have taken health to the extremes. The other stellar Connor in the NHL, Connor Bedard, has kept his diet to a very strict regimen. Bedard’s diet is similar to McDavid’s in the fact that he eats a lot of protein and vegetables. Seems pretty normal, right? Wrong. Before he was drafted in 2023, it was revealed in an interview with his parents that Bedard had never had fast food before.
“He’s never had fast food,” his mother, Melanie, said. “He probably will at some point, but he hasn’t eaten at McDonalds or anything yet.”
Courtesy of Bleacher Report
Another NHLer who took his health seriously was former standout Zdeno Chára, who was known for being the biggest player in the NHL during his career, standing at 6-foot-9.. As the “Hulk” of the NHL, many would suspect him to eat tons of protein. However, Chára ate a plant-based diet, only eating fish and eggs occasionally. Though it’s crazy to imagine how someone Chára’s size could get what they need from mostly plants, he claimed it actually made him feel stronger than ever.
Raw diets are everywhere nowadays, so of course pro hockey players have taken notice. For instance, Jakob Chychrun eats a diet that is mostly raw meat… including beef liver and beef heart.
“The guys think I’m crazy. My family thinks I’m crazy. My girlfriend thinks I’m crazy” Chychrun said. “The taste is awful, but your body almost craves it when you eat it consistently because it’s just so nutrient dense.”
Um, yuck.
Courtesy of Nick Wass/AP
Though these are the healthy extremes, there are some other extremes that we’ll get to. Let’s talk about Alex Ovechkin, or “The Great 8.” His favorite pre-game meal is from a local Washington D.C. Italian restaurant called “Mamma Lucia,” consisting of chicken parmesan with a large side of spaghetti. Ovechkin loves it so much that, apparently, he’ll walk into the team meal area yelling “Mamma Lucia! Mamma Lucia!” He has also been quoted to eat this meal at all times of the day, morning or evening.
Courtesy of Nick Wass/AP Photo
Another great player who had a very strange diet was Wayne Gretzky. For being, arguably, the greatest NHL player of all time, Gretzky’s diet is quite appalling. Before all of his games, Gretzky went with something convenient, which for him was four hotdogs with onions and mustard.
“My secret to being the best on the ice is bad breath!” Gretzky is quoted to have said.
As gross or weird as eating hotdogs with mustard before a game might sound, Gretzky might have been onto something with the mustard. Apparently, junior hockey players in the OHL have been seen squirting straight-up mustard in their mouths during games. Why? The saltiness of the condiment helps with muscle cramps!
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Adequate hydration is an extremely important part of any athlete’s diet. Gretzky would especially take his hydration very seriously. For game time hydration, he had a strict and weird lineup. In the dressing room, he would drink a glass of ice water, a diet coke, and a gatorade, in that exact order.
Not only do the NHL greats have weird diets, but some have childish ones. Sidney Crosby’s favorite pre-game meal is a childhood classic: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. No slight against him– they are perfect because they are simple and provide the perfect amount of quick energy. He isn’t called “Sid the Kid” for nothing.
Courtesy of Jeff Chiu/AP Photo
From the standard athlete diet, to extremely healthy, to the weirdest things imaginable, hockey players have interesting palates. But, no matter how strange or healthy, they all deserve respect because these have been the eats that have fueled the greatest NHL players.
Edited by Jenna Mandarano
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