#BruinsGlobal: Learning Importance of Off-Ice Training

BEIJING- The Bruins' 10-day trip to China is well underway, with Torey Krug, David Pastrnak, Tuukka Rask, and Hal Gill helping run clinics for hundreds of local Chinese youth hockey players.
"Bruins Global: China 2017" is all thanks to the company, O.R.G. Packaging, and O.R.G. Packaging Chairman Mr. Zhou. This marks the team's second official trip to China to help grow the game abroad.
Throughout the 10 days in Beijing and Shanghai, more than 200 Chinese youth hockey players will take part in the on-ice clinics run by the players. In addition to learning skills on the ice, the children are also learning about the importance of the work they put in off the ice.

The Bruins' Director of Health, Fitness and Wellness, John Whitesides, is running them through stretching, warmups, and drylands routines with hockey-specific exercises and agility training aimed at improving on-ice performance.

"We're trying to set them up with a routine, so that they know that they've got to warm up, that they've got to stretch before they get on the ice," said Whitesides. "And then we're doing some off-ice body weight workouts with them."
The week is set up like a summer camp for the children, and they spend hours every day both on the ice and in the gym, so it is important that they learn how to take care of their bodies.
"I think all of the fundamentals are huge for kids to learn to stretch, to warm up before you go on the ice - your muscles are loose, you don't get hurt, and you also move better," said Whitesides.
Luckily, they have Bruins to look to for guidance.
"It's good, because the players get to work out, too," said Whitesides. "The kids are working out, Tuukka's working out and I think seeing him, it helps them a lot."

Throughout the trip, there will also be chalk talks with the players giving video sessions to break down hockey strategies and techniques. Rask gave the talks on Wednesday.
"We're trying to create that hockey atmosphere, doing stuff off the ice with them," said Whitesides. "Warming up, stretching, typical even what you'd see with the Boston Bruins, so these kids are getting it from square one - warming up, stretching, to working out, to skating, to instructional, to going in and listening to chalk talks with Tuukka and Krug and Pastrnak, so it's a huge thing for the kids."

"Being able to come over here and spread the Boston Bruins brand and get out there in front of different groups is so important for all of us," said Whitesides.
Watch the video below to see the Bruins in action running the kids through off-ice training.

View more photos below from "Bruins Global: China 2017."