The Pre-Game Meal

My old hockey team started their season yesterday.  To celebrate (prepare?), Anooj (and his ever patient wife, Jalpa) hosted a BBQ at their house.  The game was at 7:45 pm, the BBQ started at 2:00 pm.  When you play at the adult rec level, the pre game meal takes on a different spin.

I brought cookies.

Mark Nemish, the Strength Coach of the Washington Capitals, advises the serious hockey player to eat lightly before the game.   Pre game meal should not be too large…some lean protein like chicken, fish or steak (fillet or very lean strip) that is grilled or broiled ...

Chicken ... we had chicken wings!  Hey, they were grilled brilliantly by Jay along with some awesome burgers, which may not be steak, but meat nonetheless.

... some carbohydrates (brown rice, pasta, baked potatoes) and vegetables (greens or other colorful veggies) ...

OK, it gets a little tougher at this point.  There's a lot of carbohydrates in beer!  There was a lot of beer consumed at the BBQ!  As far as vegetables go ...  well there were corn chips and salsa (salsa has tomatoes in it, yeah I know a tomato is classified as fruit, but really).  There was humus and guacamole, so there you have chick peas and avacado!

I brought cookies.

You know you're getting older, when bringing 24 freshly home baked cookies, evokes more of a positive response than bringing 24 beers.

... If you eat too much at pre-game, your legs may feel heavy in the first period because you are still digesting a big meal.  Eat enough to satisfy but not feel full.

The boys ate handfuls of cookies.  Jay even put his beer down to eat cookies.  The girls didn't eat handfuls maybe, not because of required game performance, but because they're required to be seen most of the time without hockey equipment on.  Yes, hockey equipment hides a multiple of sins.

... Drink plenty of water as well.

Well we already covered the beer issue.  We all know beer contains water ... so it really just the same ...

Nowhere does Mike Nemish include Chocolate Chip Cookies in his pre-game meal menu.  I think it was simply an oversight.

The Thrashers won their game last night. 

I think it was the cookies.