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Mr. & Mrs. Brian Fischer

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My Hometown with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin Reid McNeill

<p>A pair of serious neck injuries robbed Gary Roberts of nearly two seasons during his prime, and it temporarily cost him his hockey career.</p><p>Roberts was 30 and a perennial point-per-game producer for the Calgary Flames when neck injuries forced him into early retirement in 1996. It was then when Roberts made a life-changing decision that not only gave him back his health, but his career as well.</p><p>&#8220;At the end of my 20s my body started breaking down because I wasn&#8217;t paying enough attention to the stuff I was doing away from the rink,&#8221; Roberts said. &#8220;When I retired with the neck injuries, that&#8217;s when I studied nutrition and training. I started to re-invent myself to make a comeback in the NHL, and I was very fortunate to return and play those extra 13 years. The reason why I was able to do that was because I changed my lifestyle choices.&#8221;</p><p>Roberts retired for good in 2009 at the age of 42, and is now considered one of the top trainers and fitness experts for hockey players.</p><p>On Monday, Roberts visited the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to deliver a strong message.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s about creating a lifestyle for a chance at success and longevity in the game,&#8221; Roberts said. &#8220;When I talk about lifestyle, it includes the training, nutrition and recovery parts of it. Yes, what you do on the ice is most important, but what you do off the ice supports that.&#8221;</p><p>That includes things like getting enough sleep, eating properly and making the right decisions in life away from the rink.</p><p>Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, who was teammates with Roberts for several seasons in Calgary, said the message is as important as the person delivering it. As teammates, Sullivan said Roberts&#8217; fitness level and training regimen were respected by players.</p><p>&#8220;He lived the right way and he&#8217;s a living, breathing example that if you heed his advice, you&#8217;ll give yourself a chance to have a long career, just like he did,&#8221; Sullivan said.</p><p>Living the right way was a focus of Roberts&#8217; talk, and he said the topic is especially important to players at the AHL level, many of whom have recently turned pro and are living on their own for the first time.</p><p>It&#8217;s a message that Roberts said the Pittsburgh organization supports, and one of the reasons why he decided to come back as a consultant.</p><p>&#8220;It isn&#8217;t about &#8216;no pain, no gain&#8217; anymore. Those days are over,&#8221; Roberts said. &#8220;If you act like a pro, on and off the ice, every day, and do everything you can to take advantage of your opportunity, you&#8217;ll be a better player.&#8221;</p><p>The message resonated with the Penguins, who said the visit from Roberts was a benefit.</p><p>&#8220;It was huge, especially for myself and the younger guys coming from juniors and college,&#8221; said second-year pro Conor Sheary. &#8220;It&#8217;s their first time on their own and it&#8217;s important to learn what&#8217;s good for you and what helps you on and off the ice.&#8221;</p><p>Reid McNeill, who has worked with Roberts for the last two summers in Ontario, said the talk focused on transitioning to a life without parents or a billet family to rely on and how to avoid making decisions that could negatively impact a career.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s no one to cook your meals, for example, and when you get to pro the easy thing is to eat our or buy prepared foods. But that&#8217;s not always the healthiest choice,&#8221; McNeill said. &#8220;It&#8217;s about making lifestyle changes to better your career. Gary talked to us about the nutrition and lifestyle changes he made later in his career, and it will help us at the beginning of ours.&#8221;</p><p>Sullivan said Roberts will visit his team several times throughout the season. Still, after the message is delivered its up to the individual player to follow through away from the rink.</p><p>&#8220;Winning doesn&#8217;t start at 7 p.m. on a Friday when the puck drops. It starts Monday morning at 7:30 a.m. when you wake up. What do you eat for breakfast? How do you shop at a grocery store? Are you staying hydrated?&#8221; Sullivan said. &#8220;If players want to choose the right lifestyle habits and succeed, they should heed the insight and advice that Gary gives them. He walks the walk.&#8221;</p><p>And that&#8217;s why Roberts is more than happy to deliver his message and share his experiences. While he certainly had a successful 21-year NHL career, Roberts is quick to admit that it&#8217;s a career he saved only by making the right lifestyle decisions.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m looking forward to the opportunity to have a positive affect on these young players&#8217; careers and help them avoid some of the challenges I had,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Gary Roberts measures Derrick Pouliot&#8217;s height during Pittsburgh&#8217;s development camp in July. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_20150714_DevCamp_011.jpg</photo0><caption0>Gary Roberts measures Derrick Pouliot&#8217;s height during Pittsburgh&#8217;s development camp in July. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photos </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_20150714_DevCamp_016.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Trainer and former NHL player Gary Roberts leads Pittsburgh prospects through a training session during development camp in July. Roberts recently visited the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to talk about training, nutrition and making the right decisions away from the rink. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_20150714_DevCamp_016.jpg</photo1><caption1>Trainer and former NHL player Gary Roberts leads Pittsburgh prospects through a training session during development camp in July. Roberts recently visited the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to talk about training, nutrition and making the right decisions away from the rink. </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photos </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Former NHLer gives strong message to Penguins</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Former NHLer, Gary Roberts, provides sound advice to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins