Welcome to PHATS/SPHEM

With Jon Geller, Assistant Athletic Trainer, Toronto Maple Leafs Brent Smith started his career in professional hockey as an Athletic Therapist with the Halifax Citadels. After a 20-year journey with stops in Toronto and New Jersey, Brent parlayed his experience in professional hockey into a successful career in medical sales with DJO Global. Brent remains […]

By John Forget, Head Equipment Manager, Ottawa Senators Introduction This will be my fourth time working with Team Canada at an international event.  This will be my first with the Olympic team as the first three were at World Championships. I found out about this great opportunity some time ago.  It was in conjunction with […]

By Jamaal Baribeau, Director of Equipment, University of St. ThomasQuestions provided by Zach Richards What is going on within the supply chain right now?  The supply chain is just a mess – from manufacturing to getting the items off the shipping containers.   What factors are contributing to the issues in the supply chain currently? […]

Changes Got a phone call from John Doolan, who wanted to know if I could write an article for the alumni about life after hockey.  Guess I never thought about a life after hockey.  For years we live out our dream and never think that it will end.   The first time it ended I […]

By Mike Booi, Head Athletic Trainer, Seattle Kraken PHATS:  When did you find out that you would be joining the Kraken? MB:  About 5-6 months ago. Somewhere in the middle of October 2020. It’s been a blur. It actually happened quite quickly. We were fully immersed in PPE ordering after the bubble experience when I […]

By Herb von Schroeder MD, Liam Plewes, and Steve McCabe MD In the 1980s, the shift from laminated wood hockey sticks to aluminum-wood composite sticks with aluminum shafts and wooden blades was a technological advancement that changed the game. In the late 1990s, full composite sticks were introduced, balancing the flexibility and lightness of wooden […]

After nearly four decades in junior and pro hockey, the Winterhawks’ head equipment manager is calling it quits, and you can just call him “Peaches.”. Click here to view the article on kptv.com. For these articles and much more be sure to Like our Facebook page, phats.sphem

By Alex Menezes, Asst. Equipment Manager, Ottawa Senators          As we all know 2020 has been kind of a strange year, from ending our hockey seasons in mid March to watching a Stanley cup being raised in October, in a Bubble, who would have thought.          Some of you reading this may or may not […]

By Grace Heidinger             It has been almost eight months since the world was hit by the coronavirus. For the sport’s world, that meant no live games, tournaments, or championships during this time. However, since then, the pause on sports has been lifted, but the industry is still facing challenges as a result of the […]

Mike Poirier, Asst. Athletic Trainer and Rob Kennedy, Asst. Equipment Manager with this year’s Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning take us into the Bubble from day one in Tampa to 91 days later hoisting the Cup in Edmonton! How long where you in the Bubble? MP: For me personally, 91 days. I entered the […]

He’s been with the Carolina Hurricanes’ franchise since 1972. Now he plans to retire. By Chip Alexander. The Carolina Hurricanes could soon be losing their longest tenured employee. Equipment manager Skip Cunningham, who has been with the hockey franchise since 1972, plans to retire, Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said in an interview […]

By Kelly Lockwood, PhD and Colin Dunne MSc, Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Brock University Traditionally, the cowling on a goaltender skate boot has served to protect the foot and hold the blade in position. Consistent with current innovations in players’ skates, the material properties of the goaltenders’ skate boot have evolved from leather to […]

By Grace Heidinger   Social distancing and self-quarantine have become the new normal for people across the world as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak. Surrounded by uncertainty, people are filled with mixed emotions about what the future holds for all aspects of life, including sports. Once COVID-19 began to rapidly spread across the country, […]

Sports are special for a variety of reasons, one such being how it seems to create bonds between people. In sports, friends become family, families become friends, and family itself comes closer together with fond memories that will last a lifetime. Click here to continue reading For these articles and much more be sure to […]

Firefighters, Paramedics, and EMT’s see and treat more out of hospital cardiac arrests than anyone else.

This article reviews an extremely productive alternative to developing on-ice speed without all of the negative side effects of excessive on-ice work.

Take a look at their behind the scenes photos!

The Anaheim Ducks celebrated some heroes Wednesday.

The Ducks gave first responders and members of their medical staff and the St. Louis Blues staff the Red Cross Lifesaver Award for their role in treating Jay Bouwmeester on Feb. 11 before restarting their game at Honda Center.

St. Louis Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester, a Stanley Cup champion, son, husband and father, is alive because the right combination of people…

Earlier this season, Linesman Scott Driscoll had the opportunity to attend the Medal of Honor Society’s Gala held in Tampa, FL.  For more, click here: http://www.nhloa.com/articles/view/200 For these articles and much more be sure to Like our Facebook page, PHATS/SPHEM Offical

The Dallas Stars & Nashville Predators faced off for this year?s Winter Classic, the first NHL outdoor game for each team. ?The Stars came out victorious with a 4-2 win over the Predators in front of a record breaking crowd of ?85,630! ?The 2nd-largest in NHL history. ? ?Here they share with us a few […]

Caring for athletes is Chris Kingsley?s job. Cancer forced the Kings trainer to take care of himself. The Kings? video room was eerily quiet one morning last November. A man stood at the front, a lump in his throat, his voice cracking. Dozens of eyes stared back at him, somber and soggy, tears welling in […]

I had been waiting for it.  For ten years, I had been tracking my Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) levels. As a medical professional, I knew I needed to be proactive since my father had prostate cancer. So, when I reported to the team’s physical in September 2018 and found out that my PSA level was high, […]

BUFFALO, N.Y. ? Dominik Hasek, the most acrobatic goalie of all time, was also an all-world manicurist. Before cutting down shooters, Hasek trimmed his nails. He?d sit at his stall before every game and whittle away at his fingers, working the clippers with an intense stare, click here to continue. For these articles and much […]

Congratulations to long-time PHATS member Pete Demers on his induction to the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame! Click here to read all about it! For these articles and much more be sure to Like our Facebook page, PHATS/SPHEM Official

Mercyhurst University?s longtime hockey equipment manager Mike Folga died Saturday at the age of 63 after fighting a courageous battle with cancer…more For these articles and much more be sure to Like our Facebook page, PHATS/SPHEM Official

Developing connections over a 35-year career and being in the right place at the right time helped elevate the former Oilers athletic trainer to hockey’s highest honour…more For these articles and much more be sure to Like our Facebook page, PHATS/SPHEM Official

Things That Were and Never Will be Again By John Doolan I asked this question on a sister FB page that includes former trainers and equipment managers.  The responses were great memories of ?Things that were and never will be again.”  Here are some of the gems. Prior to the development of the various blade […]

By Rick Garner CEP, Team Paramedic Arizona Coyotes and Arizona State University Backboard vs. Scoop / Log Roll vs. Lift and Slide It?s Game Time, you?re on the road, and you see your player take a big hit into the boards. He?s lying motionless on the ice, and players are waving you out. When you […]

By Toby PalmiscnoEquipment Manager, Bemidji State Bemidji State University participated in the 13th annual Hockey Day in Minnesota.  The Bemidji State men?s team outlasted Michigan Tech on Friday night with a 4-3 overtime win, and the women?s team fell to Minnesota State on Saturday afternoon by a score of 2-1.  Both games played outdoors on […]

by Bryan BoyesHead Equipment Manager, Oshawa Generals The Winter Olympics are held for a three-week period of time in the month of February every four years. Little do people know, the journey for Hockey Canada, staff and players, begins much sooner than you may think. The call came in June 2017 from Oshawa Generals owner […]

By TD ForssHead Athletic Therapist, Edmonton Oilers and Jeff LangHead Equipment Manager, Edmonton Oilers As the 2017-18 regular season was winding down, we began to hear rumors of our team traveling to Europe for an exhibition and possibly a regular season game to start our 2018- 19 season. During the month of May 2018, the […]

By Tony Da CostaHead Equipment Manager, Minnesota Wild The beginning stages of the Minnesota Wild?s new practice facility started long before the brick and mortar were laid. Since the beginning our organization knew it was important to keep everyone that would call the facility home on a daily basis involved TRIA Rink is located in […]