Everything clicked last year for New Jersey Devils winger Taylor Hall: The former top overall draft pick set career highs in goals, assists, and points, and even embarked on a tidy 26-game point streak, just for fun. It paid off in the important ways, too, as the Devils returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in five years, and Hall finished the season by winning the Hart Trophy, awarded to the NHL's most valuable player every year.
Alas, as the NHL gets faster and more physical, playing in it has become a year-round grind, and so Hall had no time to get complacent during the offseason. We caught up with the 26-year-old Calgary native to learn more about the ways in which he's aiming to improve on a career year; how he learned to enjoy burgers and pizza more than ever before; and why you won't find him on game day without his trusty tennis ball in hand.
GQ: After an MVP season, there is always a microscope on you. Knowing that, what were your focuses for the offseason?
Taylor Hall: Last year was one where a lot of things went well. My focus is on maintaining that success, and making sure that I’m not a player that dips—it’s about consistency, year after year.
I’m always trying to get stronger, and healthier—that’s the biggest thing in today’s NHL. It’s all about speed, quickness, and power. Anytime you have a full summer to work on those things, that’s what you do. I’m still trying to develop my overall skill package and get better as a hockey player. I'm taking skating lessons. I don’t think there’s any age where you can stop doing that stuff.
How does your position affect your training?
For hockey players, it’s a lot of one-leg strengthening, because we spend so much of our time on one leg, whether we're striding out or battling in the corner. Core strength and trunk rotation are big parts of hockey, too. You need to be able to get around the ice really fast.
You’re headed into your ninth year. Over the course of your career, have you altered your approach to dieting at all?
I’ve never really had to mess around with my diet—I never felt like any type of food really gave me a huge advantage. That said, my diet is heavy on carbs and protein, and I try and eat as many vegetables as possible. I stay away from fruit, and I’m not a big sweet-tooth guy. I don’t really like chocolate or ice cream. If I’m going to cheat, it’s going to be a cheeseburger or a slice of pizza.
As you play more and get older, your metabolism can slow down a bit, but mine is still pretty good. I find that if I don’t eat as much, I get low on energy. So for me, after I exercise, it’s about getting as many carbs and proteins in me as possible, and having carbs throughout the day to make sure my energy level stays high. If I do that, usually I feel pretty good.
You’re missing out on sweets! Do you at least enjoy more the cheat days during the offseason?
Oh, I’ll take a couple of weeks and have a few more cheeseburgers or some more pizza than I otherwise would. I try to stay pretty consistent with my diet, though. I like eating well and finding new foods that I like. I live in Toronto, so there’s a lot of food options downtown, whether you want Indian food or Mexican—I think an Australian place recently opened up near me, too. It’s fun to try out new foods and see what you discover.
What does your game-day eating schedule look like?
In the morning, it’s pretty simple: I have eggs with oatmeal and sausages. I try and mix in a green juice with breakfast as well. From there, my pre-game meal is gluten-free pasta. I’ll have some meat sauce with it, and salmon. I really love salmon because it has a lot of protein, and my body always seems to digest it really well. I like it a lot more than chicken because I feel like it has more flavor.
I’ll go home and take my nap and then have a snack when I wake up. Usually, that’s some rice and salmon again, this time with broccoli. I’ll have another green juice as well. When I get to the game, it’s all about getting electrolytes in me and making sure I’m hydrated. There’s a drink called Catalyte and another called Amino Complex—I mix those together, and I have that for about four to five hours during the lead-up to the game, and more during the game. I find that fuels me pretty well.
I’ve heard about an elaborate pre-game stretching routine of yours. Just how elaborate are we talking?
I wouldn’t call it elaborate. I like to warm up pretty well. I wouldn’t say it's any different from a lot of other guys, though. I’m just trying to get my body loose and warm. Besides, we have 82 games a year, so it’s hard to warm up super hard before every game. I find that if you do that, you get a little too tired.
The main components are hamstring and glute stretches to make sure that my thoracic spine is mobile. I also try to carry around a tennis ball, bouncing it off the wall, getting my hand-eye coordination ready for the game.
What routine have you adopted for postgame recovery?
I think the biggest thing is hydration and making sure I get some calories in me. Sometimes I find that even if I go walking around all day during an off day, my legs are a bit tired the next day. So I try to stay off my feet and relax.
Any personal goals for the season?
I’m not going to put any numbers on it or try and come out and win the MVP again. For me, it's just being a top player on a playoff team and performing well. I have a lot of good players to play with, and we developed a lot of chemistry last year. I want to come in with a relaxed mindset—but also be ready to go.
