Ice hockey is a sport with worldwide appeal. According to the sport`s national governing body, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHB), organised ice hockey exists in 74 member associations across the world, from the traditional powerhouses of Canada and the USA to Australia China, Mexico, and Great Britain (IIHE 2016). In addition to adult men`s leagues, there are a range of female only leagues and age banded leagues for children. In total, the ITHF`s most recent player survey recorded over 1.8 million registered players worldwide (IHE 2016). As is the way in any professional sport, hockey organisations will look to employ a variety of methods to improve and succeed. Performance analytics, nutrition, psychology and sports science are all incorporated to various degrees, depending on the organisation. Ice hockey is a fast paced, physically demanding, full contact sport. The provision of strength and conditioning to ensure players` readiness to undertake such stress varies widely, depending on the leagues and Organisations. A well-developed strength and conditioning program for an ice hockey athlete needs to be mul- ti-faceted to match the demands of the sport. Based off the time of the year, the athlete should be following a well-structured and balanced training plan that includes elements to improve aerobic and anaerobic fitness, upper and lower body strength, lower body power, and speed, agility and quickness. By following a well-structured and progressive strength and conditioning plan, ice hockey athletes will improve their physical fitness, in turn decreasing their risk of injury and increasing their ability to perform on the ice during competition.
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