The changing time zones, the sleep interruptions, the long flights and the issues dealing with in the NHL are a big factor.
If you compare the NBA and NHL who play similar a 82 games, the difference with the NHL is how spread apart it is. Vancouver to South Florida for the NHL and that includes LOTS of boarder crossings to play US/Canadian teams. Weather is also a significant factor for the NHL when players travel. The NBA only crosses the boarder when playing Toronto.
I have always been amazed at some of the stupid decisions NHL teams make when taking into consideration travel. If we look at the Chicago/ San Jose trip for the Flames.
Leave Chicago 11:55 pm and arrive at 2:04 am to Oakland International since San Jose airport has a curfew on late arriving flights. By the time the Flames got to their hotel somewhere around the SAP Center, checked in and got to their room, it might have been 3:30 am. A lot of players sleep on the plane or watch a movie or something on their tablets which can cause sleep delay, this non stop changing schedule is a reason why some players get addicted to sleeping pills and then to "uppers" in order to wake up for some dam "team meeting" the next morning.
The CBA mandates that players can't have a meeting until 8 hours after arrival at the hotel, previously some coaches would have meetings only a handful of hours after arriving and then it would throw off the players. I recall Darryl Sutter being a horrible offender back in the day with this stuff. Players sleeping a few hours, some BS 10 minute PP meeting in the morning and then off to morning skate for a 3 in 4 night scenario. Players wear down quickly with this stuff and it leads to injury too.
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