THE NHL’S BACKROOM HEROES

The long NHL season is up there with sport’s greatest endurances challenges. If a team goes all the way to lifting the Stanley Cup then they face the possibility of playing 110 games in a whole season over the course of just nine months. That would roughly work out at one game every 2.4 days.

Five of the most common injuries in hockey include concussion, shoulder separations, groin strains, high ankles sprains, and medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries. The odds of them occurring can also be drastically reduced with the correct medical and coaching methods.

WHAT DOES A STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH DO?

In short: the S&C coaches are responsible for building and rebuilding hockey players' bodies. They work on things like strength, speed, agility, nutrition and post-match recovery to ensure the NHL's most valuable assets stay valuable.

Strength and conditioning coaches help players to discipline and understand their bodies so that they can cope with the strains of excess play. From monitoring weight and hydration levels to analyzing heart rates, their role is highly varied.

CAN INVESTMENT IN STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PREVENT INJURIES?

You might think that if a team invests in a greater number of strength and conditioning coaches, players are less likely to get injured. This could ring true for the Chicago Blackhawks, who have 18 strength and conditioning coaches and have only had two injuries this season.

Then again, the Anaheim Ducks only have two fewer coaches but they've had six injuries. Injuries are so common in hockey and no matter how much you prepare players physically and mentally, there is only so much prevention a coach can do.