Aside from speed, what attributes do players lose as they age?

[njdevils1982]

/redacted/

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

Stamina and injury bounce back. And puck bunny count. Unless you're Jagr.

 

[SML2]

This is a hot take:

While I 100% agree that hockey IQ is the least likely to be lost as you age and can even be improved (Ekholm being a prime example), I do think it's possible for a player to lose hockey IQ as well. Alzner's physical skills and his decision-making all deteriorated as he aged.

This is a catch 22. As you lose mobility, you find yourself in worse situations, and your choices to get out get worse and worse. It may look like a player is making bad decisions but it's because they are always in positions their younger selves would never find themselves in because of their better mobility.

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

Over the course of a player's career, they gain muscle memory and train for specific ways of succeeding, and sometimes even have natural skill at those ways. Over time the game evolves to counter success, and that can leave a player with less relative skill at the things that are successful in the "new" league. This could look like the aforementioned hands going away or being unable to drive play anymore.

That's an interesting take. This reminds me of the first post-lockout season. Crosby and Ovechkin were elite right away. But I thought they benefited from the drastic change in officiating.
Since the game was ruled differently, veterans lost part of the advantage they had of knowing how the game is played in the NHL. And some didn't have a suitable skillet to even play in the NHL anymore.

 

[Matt Ress]

The ability to sleep through the night without having to get up and pee

 

[The Panther]

I was reading Messier's book two years ago while I was in Canada, and he talked about his decisiion to retire (which, remarkably, didn't officially happen until Crosby / Ovechkin were at NHL training camps in 2005). He played his last game at 43 and officially retired at 44.

He said his drive and passion for the game were basically as great as ever, and also that his skills (stick-handling, shooting, passing) were as strong as ever. However, he said the issue was the mental and physical commitment required to get ready for each game. The recovery time was obviously longer as you get older, so it was mainly that the commitment required to put in the time to be physically ready for games became too arduous by (in his case) 42 or 43.

I'm 48. My amount of hair, my body weight, my head shape, my strength level, etc., etc. are all the same as when I was 25. (I'd also say my virility, though my wife may disagree.) But the one thing I find clearly different about becoming middle-aged is the storage of energy for recovery. It's abundant when you're 22 or whatever -- like, you can go out partying all night, rest a few hours, and be back to normal functioning by mid-morning. However, after 35 or whatever, that's impossible. And at my age now, it's unthinkable. If I don't get enough sleep or if I get too off my normal schedule, I'm a wreck for a few days.

I'd imagine much the same happens to NHL players. As Messier describes it, it's a matter of putting in the time and (increasingly limited) energy to get ready for games that becomes a challenge.

 

[PlayMakers]

Interest.

It must be hard to stay motivated for regular season games when you've played a thousand games, world championships, cups, olympics, etc...

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Having kids does impact their ability. Imagine trying to be at the top of hockey while dealing with poor sleep.

 

[Bounces R Way]

You gotta be nuts to still be playing in the NHL at close to 40. Both in skill at the game and mentally. Crazy fitness as well.

Guys take a beating out there. Gordie playing until 52 routinely blows my mind. That was when an elbow to the chops was called like only half the time.

 

[The Panther]

Having kids does impact their ability. Imagine trying to be at the top of hockey while dealing with poor sleep.

Well, Gordie Howe played pro with two of his kids, so they all had to get sleep...

 

[Paper]

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER

I made it big for the old folks.

 

[Dirty Dan]

You gotta be nuts to still be playing in the NHL at close to 40. Both in skill at the game and mentally. Crazy fitness as well.

Guys take a beating out there. Gordie playing until 52 routinely blows my mind. That was when an elbow to the chops was called like only half the time.

He played in a different era though, im sure guys were always hungover back then. Maybe he was the one sober guy

 

[Acallabeth]

Stamina and injury bounce back.

I don't know about physical stamina, I'd expect it to be one of the last traits to go with age. Chara runs marathons and triathlons for fun, 2024 Olympic marathon medalists were all in their 30s etc.

 

[David71]

a 22-25year could and will recover faster than a 35+ for sure. no questions asked. game is getting faster each year, the players are getting stronger bigger. draft at 18/19 and have a few years to fill out their body to their fullest.

 

[The Andrew Peeke Fan]

Drive

 

[torniojaws]

With age, not everything is lost

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

I don't know about physical stamina, I'd expect it to be one of the last traits to go with age. Chara runs marathons and triathlons for fun, 2024 Olympic marathon medalists were all in their 30s etc.

Did you see Gretzky when he was in the Olympics. He was sucking for air and wash up. Hockey is a game of muscle strength and speed bursts. Exactly opposite of marathon runners. Imho

 

[Craig Ludwig]

The ability to sleep through the night without having to get up and pee

Hallelujah

 

[Acallabeth]

Did you see Gretzky when he was in the Olympics. He was sucking for air and wash up. Hockey is a game of muscle strength and speed bursts. Exactly opposite of marathon runners. Imho

Strength and burst strength particularly isn't really stamina though.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Hfboards is incredible. In one thread it will be praising guys like Crosby and Ovechkin, (or Howe, Jagr, Bourque, Sakic, Lidstrom the list goes on..) for their longevity at a high level in the NHL.

In the next thread the groupthink crowd will be overtly trashing players of the past as out of shape drunks and spend their time parroting the unsubstantiated nonsense that players are continuing to get bigger, stronger, and faster, and that older players could never keep up with the advanced way hockey is played now.

And never do they see the problem with both those things both somehow being true in their minds.

In this thread we got both.. truly remarkable.

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

Strength and burst strength particularly isn't really stamina though.

If you're tired after a 15 second shift it is. Hockey players generally peak 25-27 years of age.

Hfboards is incredible. In one thread it will be praising guys like Crosby and Ovechkin, (or Howe, Jagr, Bourque, Sakic, Lidstrom the list goes on..) for their longevity at a high level in the NHL.

In the next thread the groupthink crowd will be overtly trashing players of the past as out of shape drunks and spend their time parroting the unsubstantiated nonsense that players are continuing to get bigger, stronger, and faster, and that older players could never keep up with the advanced way hockey is played now.

And never do they see the problem with both those things both somehow being true in their minds.

In this thread we got both.. truly remarkable.

Bobby Clarke would slow those young whipper snappers down. Couple hacks here and there.

 

[895]

Ovechkin was never on the same level of stick handling like Semin Panarin or Kuznetsov but he was pretty good before 2012. I don’t know what happened but at some point (maybe 2016?) started noticing that he just couldn’t handle the puck at all and failed almost all the power play keep ins.

At this current point in time I would say his stick handling is like 4th line grinder level. Sad to see.

 

[Samsquanch]

Surprised more people arent saying hands (ie goal scoring ability). Most (not all) offensively dominant guys become more of a disher in the back half of their careers.

And its not because the legs are gone and they cant get to the areas anymore. Not entirely anyways. But the truth is that shooting the puck at a super high level and having a lightning quick release and/or hitting one T's off of bullet passes - are all things that you can do much better as a younger man.

Very, very few hockey players see their shot stay consistently deadly over their careers. And its usually one of the first things to go.

 

[LTIR]

As an old person I would say Agility, reaction time, power and acceleration are top 4.
IQ doesn't decrease, your body just can't catchup to what you try to do.

 

[Crosby2010]

Just a comparison for me personally, but I think high risk things always dwindle as you age. Yes your speed drops naturally but also your reaction time as well. Not to mention the things you can bounce back from. Remember that scene in "Hot Tub Time Machine" before they realize they have gone back to the past and are 20 years old again? They ski down a hill, take a huge tumble but aren't even hurt. Well, when you do that at 20 it is different than at 40. You don't get up as quick anymore at 40. I suspect that sort of thing affects you on the ice as well. What do old timers always say about the game they see today? They think it is so fast! Well, yeah, you're 55 years old, of course it looks fast! But it was fast when they played too. Things just look faster as you get older.