The Sports Physical Therapy Podcast · Mike Reinold

Working with Hockey Players with Kevin Neeld - Episode 37

·59 min·3 clips

Kevin Neeld ties ankle dorsiflexion and hip abduction directly to skating speed and stride length.

1. The Sports Physical Therapy Podcast episode centers on Kevin Neeld and hockey performance with the Boston Bruins. 2. Mike Reinald hosts Kevin Neeld, who is the Bruins' head performance coach and works with assistant Tim Labossiere. 3. The episode asks how NHL performance staff manage workloads, recovery, and hockey-specific movement demands across an 82-game season. 4. Neeld says the Bruins' off-season program is built after the season ends and adjusted to the team's uncertain playoff timeline. 5. He describes how players with children in school often stay in town longer and begin training earlier than teammates who leave immediately. 6. Neeld says about 10 Bruins players are training in town during the off-season, which is about half the roster. 7. He compares the in-season environment to a "fog of war," with constant competing demands on players and staff. 8. Neeld says the off-season gives more room to collaborate with players on what they want to accomplish before the next season. 9. He explains that his current role covers performance training design, sports science, Catapult, and heart-rate monitoring. 10. Neeld says the data are used to track whether players are trending toward desired levels of speed, power, strength, and durability. 11. He describes using workload data to decide when to change training stress, recovery recommendations, or on-ice demands. 12. Neeld says an NHL schedule averages about 3.5 games per week, with at least one day off and only one to two practices that can be manipulated. 13. He contrasts that with his private-sector work, where much of the athlete's total load happened outside the facility and was harder to control. 14. Neeld argues that the modern challenge is not just injury prevention but managing the interaction of performance, volume, and available recovery. 15. He says ankle dorsiflexion and hip abduction help players get lower in skating and create longer stride contact with the ice. 16. He adds that thoracic spine rotation matters for skating, shooting, passing lanes, and using the stick around a wider arc. 17. Neeld says lower skating positions allow longer strides, more blade contact time, and more force into the ice. 18. The interview style is detailed and technical, with Mike Reinald pausing to note how much hockey-specific knowledge Neeld packs into each answer. 19. Hockey strength coaches, physical therapists, and youth coaches working with skaters would get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners looking for casual NHL fan talk and light sports banter will probably skip it.

As heard by us

A technical hockey conversation with practical training detail and a clear sports physical therapy lens.

Kevin Nealds Bruins perspective keeps the episode grounded in the day to day realities of hockey. Mike Reinald steers the conversation toward the practical side of the job: what Kevin does inside the Bruins, how strength coaching in the NHL has changed, and the specific demands…

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Why you'd press play

If hockey footwork and hip mechanics are your lane, this goes straight to work.

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