New Maple Leafs Vice President of Sport Performance, Andy O’Brien, joined First Up to discuss his decision to join the Toronto organization, his history with Cup-winning teams in Florida and Pittsburgh as well as some of the Leafs’ current players, and his long-standing relationships with Nate MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby.
Take us through how this process played out. It wasn’t something that a lot of people were expecting. You have a lot of experience with various teams around the NHL. How did you land in this role with the Leafs?
O’Brien: I am at a stage in my career now where I’ve done a couple of different things in the NHL and outside the NHL with respect to businesses and different gigs I take on. Anything that kind of comes across my plate, I take a look at and ask questions. I try to get to know the role from a fit standpoint.
When John (Chayka) took over and started the process of trying to make the changes to the organization, it started to become clear exactly what he wanted to do and what the organization was headed for.
For someone like myself, to have someone at the top who is progressive and has an understanding of the nuances of a role like mine and a department like mine really stood for a lot. When I was working with the Panthers, I felt that the Panthers had that in Bill Zito. He wasn’t interested in doing things simply because that is what other teams were doing or that was the way it was done before. He was always really good at asking the question, “What is the best way to do it? What is the best way to structure and approach it?” I really appreciated that.
I felt like John is very bright, as I think everybody understands now, and he is very progressive. I thought it was just a great opportunity to be a part of that. There are a lot of really good people in the Maple Leafs‘ organization. I am excited to work with everybody there.
You were a part of the Penguins team that won back-to-back Stanley Cups. You have a long-standing relationship with Sidney Crosby. You were a part of a Panthers organization that won back-to-back Cups as well. With the title that you carry and the new role in Toronto with the performance team, what type of impact do you feel you make in terms of performance?
O’Brien: I look at all of the trainers and training staff as a big piece of the puzzle, obviously. Maybe I am a little bit biased or see the day-to-day impact that the group around the players has. You are sort of in the bowels of these arenas. It’s kind of like being in a submarine. People are sort of stepping over and tripping over each other.
Relationships matter. It is a business of human beings. Although they are expected to perform and are some exceptionally gifted athletes, it really boils down to the day-to-day environment and the positivity of that environment. I don’t look at it as gurus with secrets. I look at it as a day-to-day process of helping people be at their best, day in and day out.
I really think the training staff has a big role to play from that standpoint. When I first got into the NHL in 2005, you could count the trainers on one hand. Now, there are a massive number of trainers — 20-25 people in the locker room. To the extent that this team can be a team within a team, and actually have a massive amount of cohesion together and create momentum within its own group, it counts for a lot.
I am really looking forward to being a part of this group. I think there are a lot of good people. I was able to bring a few people with me who are really good hires as well.
MAPLE LEAFS SPORTS PERFORMANCE STAFF
Joining O’Brien’s staff are Dr. Craig Slaunwhite as Director, Health and Performance Integration, Jason Martin as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Josh Crouse as Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach, while Dr. Jordan Shallow will join as Human Performance Consultant. | Title | Role |
|---|---|
| Vice President, Sports Performance | Andy O'Brien |
| Director, Health and Performance Integration | Dr. Craig Slaunwhite |
| Head Strength and Conditioning Coach | Jason Martin |
| Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach | Josh Crouse |
| Human Performance Consultant | Dr. Jordan Shallow |
| Lead Sports Dietitian | Landon Hong |
| Roving Strength & Conditioning Coach | Tom Crowhurst |
| Assistant Sports Dietitian | Stefanie Di Tella |
| Sports Science Consultant | Steven Hirsch |
| Head Chef | Je Marr Wright |
| Culinary Staff | Nigel Batson, Zachary Iannizi, Roxann Pantin |
Can you take us through your relationship with current Maple Leafs players? You have a long-standing relationship with John Tavares. Is there anybody else? How did it factor into the decision to take the job in Toronto?
O’Brien: I don’t know if it factored into taking the job, but certainly, working with Sidney in 2015 when I joined the Penguins was really cool for me. I had an opportunity to work with him in the season. I had been his offseason trainer for over 10 years at that point, but I actually found I was able to support him much better as an athlete when I had the ability to see what he goes through in-season. That really changed the lens I had in terms of how we prepare the offseason. That 12-month continuity and getting to understand his needs — mentally and physically — made a big difference for me and my ability to support him.
When I went to Florida, some of the familiar players I had there: Sam Bennett was a long-time client of mine who I worked with for more than a decade. Kyle Okposo ended up there at the tail end. It was really cool to win a championship with those guys.
That is how I look at it: My ability to support them is enhanced by being around them and seeing what they go through. I am just looking forward to doing that with John Tavares. He is one of the best people in the NHL and is an incredible professional with a lot of leadership. He is all-in with respect to his dedication and his process. If I can help him, I think that helps the team. That is really the first name that comes to mind.
With my experience in Florida, Sergei Bobrovsky is a big one. That was pretty neat when they signed Bob. He is one of my favourite people to be around as well. I think Bob is a guy who is in his late 30s, but his biologic age is younger than his chronologic age, if you ask me. He is young because he takes such good care of himself. He doesn’t have the same wear and tear as a goalie who is 37-38 years old. I am a big fan of Bob as a person and as an athlete.
A couple of other familiar faces: Oliver-Ekman Larsson, Anthony Stolarz, Steve Lorentz, and Teddy Blueger, whom I’ve worked with before. There has been a lot of character and good, hard-working people (added). Not that the Leafs didn’t have that before, but I can tell that is a high priority of the organization. I am looking forward to all of that.
Where do you get the best impact with regards to today’s athletes when it comes to performance? Is it off days? Is it practice days? Is it game days? Is it in the offseason? What is the evolution of your job when you are looking after a team of players?
O’Brien: It gets pretty expansive, as you can see. If you look at the department, you can see all of the different names. For a lot of fans, I am sure it is hard to imagine what everybody does and what their role is.
The traditional role of looking at it is that you come in as a strength and conditioning coach so you are putting people through off-ice workouts. But nowadays, players are doing a lot of what we call micro-workouts. They’re lifting on a game day, very often in the morning and sometimes before or after games and practices. Even on a day off, you’ll have people come in and have multiple, hour-long routines that are training- and recovery-based.
Some of this is more about maintaining speed and power and the things that help with performance, but a lot of it is just about movement, maintaining the body’s durability, and fine-tuning small muscle groups. Sometimes it is unloading the body and going through various movement routines. They could be in a pool, a cold tub, a sauna, or there is red-light therapy now.
There is a lot to it, so it gets complicated. The better you can get to know a player, understand their needs, work with them, and help them devise a routine that works for them—by going through that trial-and-error and feedback process—the more effectively you can manage all of that stuff.
There is now no longer mandatory fitness testing at training camps. In your role as a performance coach, how does it change the way you prepare for camp? How does the idea of no fitness testing impact you?
O’Brien: It is a great question. It has evolved so much over the years. Early on, probably when I first came in with my career, the majority of teams had fitness testing, but there was always this risk that it could get misinterpreted. The tests that teams selected may or may not be related to the game of hockey. One of the challenges with the fitness testing, if it wasn’t that relevant, was that you would often have players training for the test as opposed to training in a way that was best for what they needed to do as a hockey player.
It was always problematic, and some teams got it right. The ones that got it right had an advantage. Some teams like that—they like the fact that they can have an advantage with that—but it has evolved now to the point where a lot of teams have good staff and have spent money in these departments. People are gaining a better understanding of it.
Actually, I have probably seen, for every one player at a disadvantage because of those tests being misinterpreted, I probably have eight or nine players who are gaining opportunities in the NHL because of it.
In Florida, we had Gustav Forsling, who is a player who moved around a little bit and wasn’t necessarily a high-profile player, but he has become one of the top defensive defensemen in the NHL. I remember Sam Reinhart specifically having a really high estimated VO2 test. He was about a 69 on that VO2 test, and Gustav Forsling was in the 70s. In Pittsburgh, guys like Patric Hornqvist and Carl Hagelin were in the 70s. Luostarinen was another guy.
When coaches see good data, what they think is, “I can utilize this guy more often.” Sam Reinhart is on the PK, on the PP, and five-on-five. Sometimes, you might have a player who doesn’t look good on the ice, and you can look at the data and say, “His fitness testing is actually really good. This is something I’m going to do well at, and it will serve me well.” From a coach’s standpoint, that data is really valuable because it helps us how to individualize programs for players and what to focus on.
Some players don’t need a lot of additional conditioning. They get that naturally through the way they play the game of hockey, and it is enough just based on what they’re doing on the ice. We can focus on other things. Other players do need to support that system, and that helps them stay injury-free.
It is unfortunate for us. We feel like we get a lot of good information. But I have a feeling that a lot of players are going to be open to doing things. There are just a lot of rules around it now, so we have to be very careful and compliant with the CBA and all of the rules that have been put forth.
The camp you run with the likes of Crosby and MacKinnon has a lot of secrecy around it. Many around the hockey world are interested in what goes on and how it operates. Can you maybe take us behind the scenes with this?
O’Brien: This camp’s venue is typically in Vail, Colorado. It is high altitude up there, so it is really hard. Even simple plays that shouldn’t feel hard feel hard. You kind of get humbled a little bit, but everybody is going through the same thing.
The best way to describe this is just that it is a group of players who love the game isolating themselves where there are no coaches, management, or media. It is just a group of people in a place that is very quiet and very beautiful doing what they love. It is incredible when you strip away the business and professional parts of it. It is just guys playing hockey, enjoying each other, having laughs, and pushing each other. It is pretty amazing what you see. You just see the joy of it come out. That is a really infectious thing.
I would say it is more the experience of the players and how much they enjoy it. A group of talented guys doing it together is pretty fun to watch.
You are close with Crosby and MacKinnon. You’ve seen their relationship grow and the competitiveness between them grow. Does it still impress you that they are just as competitive now as they were when they started?
O’Brien: Oh yeah. It is amazing. Even for someone like myself, who has been with Sid for over 25 years now, and Nate for over 15 years, if I am watching a practice or seeing how they train and prepare, it is honestly amazing, just with the level of continuous foot-on-the-gas pushing and making themselves the best they can make themselves every day.
Occasionally, I’ll see things where I’ll just start shaking my head and can’t believe what I am seeing. It is incredible how talented they are. They are so talented that even if they didn’t work hard, they would still be among the best players, but the consistency that you see is a reflection of their continued work ethic on an everyday basis. That is what has been so impressive, especially from working with Sid throughout his career.
