TORONTO - It is the end of summer and about a dozen NHL players have just finished an hour-long skate and are now spending the rest of a Friday morning in August tucked inside a windowless workout room at the back of St. Michael’s College Arena, sweating, shouting and slamming weights.
Two giant fans are set to the highest setting and a door leading outside is propped open, but the room, which is about the size of a master bedroom, is still sticky hot and humid. With a mix of hip-hop and dance music echoing off the walls, it feels like a nightclub.