Fuel, 8 of 9. From Week 8 of the Hockey IQ book.
From the locker room: My mom doesn’t do post-game analysis in the car. She asks three things: what do you think happened, how did you feel on the ice, what did you eat today. I hated the third one until I noticed it explained the other two.
The rule: Your brain needs fuel to recognize patterns, process information, and make fast decisions. A fueled brain reacts faster.
Why: Everything Hockey IQ teaches (reading the play, anticipating the pass, staying calm under pressure) happens in your brain. The brain runs mostly on carbs and it’s the first thing to slow down when you’re under-fueled or dehydrated. A tired brain reads the play a half-second late, forgets the system, and makes the low-probability choice. The coach calls it unfocused. It’s usually the tank.
Smart choices:
- 🟨 Fruit, oatmeal, whole-grain toast
- 🟧 Nuts: a small handful = healthy fats for focus and energy that lasts
- 🟥🟨 Eggs and whole grains for B vitamins (turn food into energy)
- 🟪 Colorful fruit and vegetables: training creates stress, antioxidants clean up after it
- 🟦 Water. Mild dehydration slows reaction time.
Sleep counts. A well-fed brain that slept six hours still reads the game slowly. Fuel and sleep work together; fuel is the one you can fix on a Tuesday.
The three questions. After a flat game, before anything about effort: Hydrated or dehydrated? Fueled or hungry? Rested or tired? Answer honestly. Fix that one first. Most of the time that’s the whole conversation.
Make it: Brain-Fuel Trail Mix. 1 cup mixed nuts, ½ cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds, ½ cup dried fruit, ¼ cup dark chocolate chips, ½ cup whole-grain cereal or pretzels. Shake in a container. A handful a day in the backpack. Nut-free: extra seeds and pretzels.
Parents: the long version, with the stories, is on the Athlete Nutrition guide.
FIND. A. WAY.
