Them’s fighting words! Here’s some more, “I believe Dallas is the only team to have a player dumb enough to try and through the Stanley Cup into a pool and miss have it hit the side of the pool, thereby damaging it”
Plook, I have not skated in 3 years ( I am scared to go back) I might try to skate like the days of old and end up in the hospital :eek:…as for what you said yes skate and sprint…sorry to nag you guys but have you guys ever read Blatherwick’s book? There is a whole chapter in it entitled " To skate faste…Train like a sprinter?" Just to add there is also reference to Ben Johnson in it about how hockey players can learn from his training methods!!! It is an old book and talks a lot about overspeed work( I think this kind of training was really coming on strong at the time this was written) but it does have a lot of good stuff in it in my opinion… 
Do you know anyone that uses the hockey treadmill?
I was actually already considering using one for fall conditioning before it was mentioned in this topic.
I know many people that use the hockey treadmill. I train people on it every day.
What improvements does a hockey player achieve when after such use on this treadmill?
Is it better than alternatives such as sprinting?
I am guessing that the treadmills emphasize overspeed training (just a guess), also they can slant uphill to make the player skate up an incline.
Just guessing here but the one plus might be that the player gets a closer actual movement in skating, whereas sprinting does not replicate the exact same movement that is performed when your skate blade cuts into the ice. When you puch off in hockey your feet are kindof pointed outward. A lot of hockey players have that carryover when then sprint, their feet are pointed outward when they run. Other than that I am not sure what improves are made on them…one problem younger hockey players have is getting ice time where they go out and work on skills or skating speed, the only options in the summer time is usually open hockey (where people just want to scrimmage and do not want one guy using up the ice to practice specific skills, or hockey camps that cost mucho dollaros and often have a set “cookie cutter” type routine where each player is not really taken on an individual basis, so maybe the treadmill allows more ice time specific training for those who cannot afford camps and or cannot practice on their during open ice times. Not sure if any of this is right but just some thoughts…peace
Sprinting is way better. You can’t accelerate on a treadmill, and that’s all hockey is.
I have not personally done any studies on the hockey treadmill vs. sprint training, and I have not read any (I’m sure that John Frappier has done them). Improvements are numerous; skating technique, energy system training, skate stride strength, and so on. Is the treadmill better than sprinting in my opinion? That depends on the training effect that you are looking for.
This is a fairly good assesment of the benifits of the treadmill, although the training isn’t overspeed training.
Since you seem to be an expert on this, what does sprinting do that you can’t train on the hockey treadmill? And, what does the treadmill do that you can’t train through sprinting? You can’t skate on the ground (inline skating is completely different from ice skating), and that is all hockey is. Like I have told many people, at least try and learn a little bit about something before you begin trashing it.
Firebird, What kind of training do you do on the treadmill, I knew a guy that said he used one and they would speed it up, to an uncomfortable speed and he would skate…that is what I was refering to , maybe overspeed is not the correct term, sorry bout that! 
I just thought that one bad thing about the treadmill might be that you do not practice turns and acceleration, which is really important in hockey, you are cutting and turning all the time, and often successful goal scorers can accellerate into and out of a turn (so they can increase speed, not lose it when turining). I guess that the treadmills are good for straight away speed, I wonder if the Karyia bros use them, those guys have some serious explosion! 
asd,
You are absolutely correct. The treadmill doesn’t work on acceleration or on turns, but as far as the speed, stride strength, and other linear tachnique, the treadmill is a great tool for GPP. We do not do overspeed training (your description of overspeed training is spot on) at our facility. Now, remember, much in the same way that weight training can increase a sprinters’ speed, other aspects of the sport must also be worked on. The treadmill will train the aspects that I have mentioned, so the acceleration and turns should be trained by other means. The treadmill is merely a component of the overall program (just as the running treadmill that everyone on this site hates).
Well, thank you… I did play college hockey 
Hockey is mostly about short accelerations and agility. These factors cannot be trained very well on a treadmill. I don’t see how you would achieve any benefit from a treadmill because skating a top speed would be rediculously dangerous and skating at lower speeds would be nothing but a tempo session.
Your hockey experience is not in question here. It is your knowledge about treadmills and their benifit that you are profoundly ignorant about. We do not train at top speed and we do not train overspeed.
If you think that the treadmill would be nothing more than tempo, I challenge you to find a facility near you and do a trial skate. Just ask all the pro and college hockey players and teams if the treadmill is nothing more than tempo work.
You still didn’t answer my question. What can you do for hockey with sprints that cannot be achieved on the treadmill, and what can you achieve on the treadmill that cannot be achieved with sprints (since you are the treadmill expert)?
Well I just asked 2 guys that I train last night. One plays Jr A and the other finished his Freshman Year at St Cloud State.
When I asked them if they’ve used a skating treadmill and if they like it or not. Their eyes both lit up. They loved the crap out of them. The one from St Cloud says the whole team is addicted to them and says “he feels” they help his stride. The other says that when you get on the flat ice after being on an incline skating with a full stride feels effortless.
So who knows. I don’t think these kids know what kind of a training response they’re getting but they seem to like the thing. The one kid is determined to buy one.
This would be a good topic for Charlie to add some input. He may have some enlightenment on the subject.
What work are you doing on the treadmill that you find valuable?
Are you still avoiding my question? Since you are the expert on the hockey treadmill you should know every way there is to train on the treadmill!
That’s great that the kids enjoy it so much!
I hope that one kid has about $50,000 to spare, because that’s how much they cost!
I’m interested in hearing Charlie’s ideas on this topic too.
I am no expert in Crappier Acceleration (I call it Crappier bc I don’t think does diddly squat for acceleration); however, Frappier treadmill I think may serve as function for GPP and Tempo work. I believe that the function of the hills for GPP work and tempo work in the CF system may well be represented here on the treadmill. The difference however in CF’s system is that hillwork is used for speed work and at the same time it helps an athlete develop a greater start by being able to get in a lower position; whereas, in the Frappier system it is used for tempo work and I think it can also help an athlete get into a lower position as well. So by comparison these are the main differences. This does not mean that a hockey player won’t benefit by doing actual hills instead of the treadmill for the afore reasons mentioned above.
Whe surprises me is why don’t they use the treadmill for acceleration? Answer: For the same reasons athletes don’t use treadmills for speedwork and the treadmill seems more sport specific but it isn’t (at least not in terms of acceleration)! So I still believe that hockey players should do some sprinting but they can substitute actual tempo work and hill on the Frappier treadmill! Here is where sport specificity occurs!
BTW, if you don’t have one in your area I can’t see justifying spending 50,000 on a treadmill!
Accelerations, change of pace drills, agility work, top speed work, hill accelerations, cheaper training sessions…
Skating uphill.
Oh Blinky! You had to be a smart ass!
LMFAO!