Kölner Haie Ice Hockey

How often do you train and what form does your training take?

During the season, we train almost every day between 9am and 1pm. We start with off-ice training, which is a warm-up, followed by stretching. We then hit the weights where we do a lot of work with dumbbells and Olympic-style weightlifting. We are on to the ice from 10:15 to 11:30, where we work on tactics, fitness, and our stick skills. Training isn’t over when we get off the ice – cooling down and regenerating your muscles is important which is why we do some light running or cycling followed by stretching every day; sometimes we even go to the pool or sauna – after we have showered off of course.

Does your team have specific rituals?

As a team, we don't have any particular rituals - it's also difficult to draw the line between what constitutes a routine or a ritual – Each player generally has his own thing - well keep these a secret however ;-)

How do you motivate yourselves before a match?

We have locker room talk before every match. Here we go over special points our coaches want to highlight, to help influence our decision making on the ice. After that we get fired up and can't wait for the puck to drop.

How do you celebrate after a win?

Our season has 52 preliminary – each is important to make the playoffs – that doesn't leave much time to celebrate I guess. Each win is accompanied by a happy atmosphere in the locker and at the rink. Celebrations don't go beyond a few cheers ;-) after all we are hockey players.

What does owayo mean to you?

I am very familiar with owayo as a jersey manufacturer for many years. They have been a fast and strong partner for the Cologne Sharks for a long time now.

What do you like about your jerseys?

The jerseys are very tough just like the sport; they're still lightweight however and are comfortable to wear.