Every year when NHL training camps roll around the hockey biz contradicts itself so blatantly that the ensuing discourse resembles green leaves changing to red in the blink of an eye.

The two sides of the discussion have been talked through up and down by intelligent people who coach, train, report, and cheer, and it’s a healthy conversation to hold, but it lacks context.

The spotlight is on John Tortorella recently as he put the Philadelphia Flyers players through a tough workout at training camp.

The Rope.

Hockey's hardest skate test returns with the start of 2024 Flyers Training Camp. #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/L5VQ1x9ERO

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) September 19, 2024

The two arguments in question:

Position 1: He’s in the Best Shape of His Life

The media loves to report on the improved fitness of any given player on any given team. It could be a veteran returning from a prolonged injury absence like Max Pacioretty or a young player determined to finally break through and realize his potential by sticking with the big squad. This is positive! We should be highlighting advancements in healthy and wellness, and I’m especially guilty of falling for it when it comes to players who have either been dealt an unfair hand by injuries or previous teams. Players train differently in the offseason all the time - sometimes they get back on the ice earlier in the summer, sometimes they focus on more on skating than strength training - whatever it is, it’s fun to hear about and it’s a powerful example for junior or minor hockey players - if you put the work in, you too can see results.

Position 2: Bag Skates are Evil

John Tortorella is famous for his gruelling training camp skating tests that push players to their limits, and it’s popular these days to accuse him of being an old dinosaur who doesn’t understand what today’s modern player needs.

The problem with that? How do you think all of those players above got into the best shape of their lives? By resting on the couch all summer? Sure, rest is part of the equation, but it should be documented that active rest is what professional hockey players are doing. Rest and recovery in the offseason is exercise. Guaranteed the players skating Tortorella’s test or Paul Maurice’s or Lindy Ruff’s or whoever’s aren’t doing it for the first time at training camp. And if they are then that’s their fault, not the coaches’.

Performing a difficult fitness test on or off the ice shouldn’t be viewed as a punishment. These players are driven athletes finely tuned to their bodies and they should be pushing themselves to new limits. Torts’ test is a challenge to be tackled, not a crime to be shunned. Max Pacioretty probably looked forward to a challenging training camp after losing a year to injury, just like Gabriel Landeskog in Colorado, who’s missed two season of play due to a knee injury. It’s a couple minutes of work for both the coach and the player to find out where they’re at fitness-wise. It’s not the sole indicator for whether or not a player makes the team, but it documents, for everybody, where an individual might excel or where they might need improvement.

Give Them the Answers

All of that being said, if you’re running fitness tests that drive specific elements like conditioning on the ice, then the players need to be aware of what’s coming. The tests should reflect hockey-specific fitness requirements that engage the players during the last days of their offseason training routine.

It’s also important to run appropriate testing. Red-lining eight year-olds for 40 seconds might not be the best use of your time in minor hockey tryouts. And those 40 seconds will look drastically different from a professional hockey team’s. As a general manager in junior hockey in Canada I do wish that fitness testing wasn’t such a new thing when young players first arrive. Testing your conditioning and endurance should be a badge of honour, not a necessary evil to be feared. Pushing one’s self to the limit in a safe environment is a privilege that not everyone gets to experience. Don’t take it for granted. Celebrate it!

Bottom line, as a coach it’s your responsibility to give them the answers ahead of time and you’ll be a lot more pleased with the results. This is a question I’d like someone to ask John Tortorella - do the players know about the on-ice test ahead of time?

The answer, I’m sure, is yes. The players use it as motivation while they’re grinding throughout the summer. Working hard is good, not bad.

After all, they don’t have to do the test.

They get to.