Off-season training a must

Brett Hanna, Salmon Arm, B.C.

Pure talent or brute strength used to be the only way to the NHL, but things have changed.

I am quite proud of the young Steven Stamkos because he realized his talent wasn't enough to allow him to succeed at a high level.

In the off-season, he underwent an extreme conditioning and strengthening program with Gary Roberts. Not only will this make him an elite player, but it should also increase his career by a few years.

Also, in the summer of 2009, Alexander Ovechkin did similar training and put on extra weight. This appears to have helped his game substantially.

I think young players like Pat Kane, Bobby Ryan, Matt Duchene and many others would benefit extremely from this.

The training camps in the off-season have worked for lots of NHLers, especially the younger ones.

This hard work will allow today's young stars to put their best product on the ice.