Quote:
Originally Posted by combustiblefuel
I think the fuss over guys in their early to mid 30s is starting to get overblown. Yes they are not mid 20s BUT I think the trend of guys who are going to go into vety late 30s and early 40s will be the norm if they have been good players in the past.
Players and society in general have never been more health focused at another time in the games history. Drinking is declining, smoking is massively way down, player focusing on heath is at an all time high. The Flames have Colman,Backlund, Kadri, Weegar and Hubey all around that age and they don't look ready for retirement. In the past when you saw 30 year old plus aged players and you looked at them you were wondered when they would call it because they were starting to get so behind the speed ,physicality and hockey sense out side of a few elite players. If you look around the leugue now the average age a player stays relevant in the league seems to be way up.
Just as a weird general population observation you go to the gym now vs 20,15 and even 10 years ago the amount of older 50 plus aged guys and gals is a massive difference.
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Huge difference between staying fit and staying at elite pro-sports fitness. The strictest diet and training regiments aren’t going to sustain your fast-twitch muscles and power at elite levels into your late 30s. You see that in every sport involving speed and raw power - Usain Bolt retired at 30.
Lots of recent examples of top players falling off a cliff in their mid-30s: Ekholm, Stamkos, Karlsson.