Hey there, sports fans, coach Frank here. Now I know it’s not the predators this year, but hockey fever is alive and well. And the run for the cup. And I have a former predator right here in the studio with me today, but it’s a lot to say about what it takes to be a pro, but also some advice that anyone can follow to live.
The healthiest version of themselves. My guest is going to body-check what you think about wellness and health and challenge you to apply what he knows to your health, fitness, weight loss, and overall wellness goals. And you’ll find out how this pro and you have a lot in common, especially after retiring from the sport. So let his life during and after hockey serve as a guide for how you can crush your own personal Stanley cup finals,
no matter what that is for you, whether you’re an athlete, fitness enthusiast weekend warrior, or just crushing the game of life late up and get ready to make a run for your goal, because I’m going to bring all that to you. And more right after this stick around, I’m on sports, fitness, and health fans. With another episode of the Sporting Good Posture, digital radio experience gear up for coach Frank’s advice from the sidelines as he helps you crush your game, no matter what sports health or fitness game you play. This is coach Frank Sporting Good Posture. What do you use for it? Okay, coach, what do you got for us today? Welcome back to another episode of Sporting Good Posture.
This is coach Frank with you here, and I’m super excited for today’s episode. Most of you who know me know how much of a sports fan I truly am as a former very competitive athlete. I’ve enjoyed professional sports of all types. And since I moved to Nashville from New York, predators fever has caught me as well. So you can imagine how star-struck I got when I wind up in this interview with a former predator,
I only hope I can contain my excitement to ask them the important questions about staying fit in shape and well, and being able to perform at your peak kind of like nature design used to do. And we’re about to drop that all on you. And just a minute, right after this short message, Where do you carry your stress? Whether you carry it on your shoulders,
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which often have been accumulating over your entire life to find the real reason things haven’t been working their best. And that means everything. When you’re trying to reach her ideal performance, see where the sources of the stress you carry lie and find out what you can do about them. Call the ideal health and wellness center at 6 1 5 5 6 7 6 6 8 3. Now My guess has been a so-called energy player providing a snarl and a spark as a diligent checking forward,
who kills penalties and wreaks havoc in front of the net. He’s had a physical style ever since he joined the league. And he’s been known as a scrapper as well as a gold score. He appeared in each of the avalanches’ 10 playoff games in 2008 and led Colorado and post-season penalty minutes earning a truly special place in franchise law. Before game two of the second-round series against the red wings,
he picked up one of the traditional occupied tossed onto the ice by Redwings fan, shook it at the Detroit bench, and tossed it back into the stands. The next season, he finished third on the avalanche with 15 goals. He was also one of only three players in the NFL to score at least 15 goals and have all of them come at even strength originally signed as a free agent by Colorado.
He then was traded to the Nashville predators. He ended up playing for the Rangers after that for the next few years, and then traded back to the predators in 2019, and then has been on the Iowa AHL team ever since as a hockey fan, I’ve been able to watch him personally while he played for both the predators and the Rangers over the last number of seasons,
a true pleasure to watch him play. So it gives me great pleasure to welcome Sporting Good Posture, Cody McLeod, Cody, man, welcome to the show today. Thanks for having me today. Appreciate it. You know, I’m a huge prejudice fan now. I’ve, I’ve lived in Nashville for 15 years. I grew up in New York, so I’ve been a hockey fan as well for a long time.
And you’ve played for my two favorite teams, the Rangers and the predators. So you had played for the Rangers a few years ago and then came back to the predators after that when you were on the Rangers was just starking. Was he starting to play goalie then? No, he wasn’t. It was, it was the king still Henrik Lundqvist was there and the backup for the Rangers.
Now I can’t even think of his name, Georgia. Sorry. Yeah, That’s pretty good. Henrik Lundqvist and see him play. That’s pretty cool. It was pretty awesome to get to play with him that guy’s a competitor and he’s awesome. It’s too bad. He never got a chance to win a cup there. He had a couple, I mean,
only they went to the finals of one year, but Chris and had just got drafted and we were, I remember when I was playing there, everybody was talking good things, but I don’t think anybody expected this kind of year out of myth. He’s been awesome. He might even when the Vezina and he was even up for the heart trophy too, He’s given the Rangers their best chance to win.
So it’s, it’s awesome to watch. So you originally played for the avalanche for several years and then you got traded to the predators and it was right before they went on their run to the Stanley cup. So I wanted to kind of ask you, what was it like to get traded? Because you had always played for Colorado before that and what was like to be traded.
And then how was it joining the predators when you did that in 2017? Yeah, I was fortunate enough to play for the abs I get when I was going into my 10th, and 10th season with Colorado and we were pretty young and I, I think I still had one more year left on my contract after that season. And I kinda knew there being a few rumblings that I was going to get traded and,
and I’d played with Joe sack. He was a GM of the, for the abs at the time. And he talked to me and I think we were actually in Calgary on a road trip. And he asked if I’d thought about getting traded or anything like that. And he was, he was good to me about it. Cause I, I think because I’ve been there so long and yeah,
He ended, he didn’t say what team he just said, do you like country music? And I, I kind of figured it was Nashville and told me to think about it for a week and talk to my wife and yeah, and then it happened pretty quick. I got traded on a Thursday. I believe, it was funny because Nashville was coming to town to Denver and we played Colorado on Saturday.
So I talked to David Poile and he told me just to stay at my house in Colorado and meet the team Saturday morning. It was a Saturday afternoon game and we played the abs and it was so weird going to the rink, going to the visiting dressing room. I’ve never been traded. And until that year, and we ended up winning the game three,
two, and I had a scrap and, and a goal. So it was, it was a pretty memorable, memorable day. And I was just happy. We won the game. Yeah, that’s crazy. You played them that first game and didn’t even have to change locations to go to the game there. Yeah. And then, going on to finish that year,
it was probably my most fun year ever playing hockey. We snuck into the playoffs as the eighth seat and Chicago one in the Western Conference and we matched up against them in the first round. And I remember we were going into Chicago and coach Peter Laviolette just said, let’s win one game here. And we ended up smoking them in game one. And then we beat them again,
game two. And we came home one game three and four, and we’d swept the best team in the west. And then guys started believing that we had a chance and I remember the city got behind us and it was so much fun and I got ended up going right to the final and came up a little short, but it was a heck of a run.
And it was just, it was so much fun to never forget it. Yeah, that was incredible too, as a fan watching and just the predators with a history of just coming along and had a hard time when they first joined the league but started getting better the last 10 years they started paying for the free agents and putting the time into,
for drafting and everything. So Poile turned that on and they started spending money and, you know, just as a fan, it was magical to watch that season because I was able to go to a Stanley cup game. I had never been to one. I went to game three when you guys played the penguins and you guys won that, I think it was like five one that you want.
It was a Saturday and they shut down Broadway, like six blocks to Broadway. And they had country music concerts outside of watch parties. And just everybody was over a hundred thousand people outside the arena watching the game or, or partying with everybody. And then inside the arena, man, it sounded like some of the loudest I’ve ever heard at any game in my whole life.
Oh, it was crazy. I remember there’d be like, we’d be calling a timeout. Even in that second and third round against St. Louis and Anaheim, you couldn’t even hear you’re the coach who was going up next or it was, it was awesome. It was. And I remember they kept chanting the, in the all playoffs, the visiting goalie,
you saw cute soccer, it’s all your fault. And I’ll never forget that. I remember my kids, my kids, and my wife were still in Denver and they’d get on the phone. And they were just laughing about that. I guess I could hear her clear as day over the TV. It was pretty funny. It was memorable. Do you still stay in contact with anybody from the Preds,
from the I do still stay in touch with quite a few of the guys? There’s probably only, I don’t know, maybe a handful of guys still left on that team. Maybe a few More guys, Lots of good friendships. They’ll get on the course with them once in a while. And it’s always fun to run into the old boys.
I tell you, I just have a good time going to pres games. You know, New York, when I would go to MSG, when I was younger and go to Rangers games, it was a lot of fun. It was just a cool arena. But going to Preds games was, it was like a different kind of feeling. It was a different kind of atmosphere.
I felt like it was even more exciting. And the fans got into it more, you know, the organ player and the fans would chant along with that. And then the chance they do throughout the game, it’s just like a cool experience to go to a game in Nashville different than any, any place I’ve been, you know, watching hockey before that.
Yeah. As a visitor, when I played for Colorado and we used to play Nashville all the time, I ever thought it was out loud of a building, but that year in the playoffs and we’d clenched all the series at home, the round one, two and three. And yeah. And it just, it was deafening in there. Like your ears would be hurting after the game.
Cause it was so loud in there. It was, yeah, it was pretty special for sure. So you’ve always been a physical type player, you know, you’re always mixing it up with guys, checking people, getting in fights and everything. How have you been able to stay healthy all these years? Cause a lot of guys can’t go that many years playing hockey because it’s such a violent and fast sport.
So what have you done over the years, to maintain your health? So you’ve been able to play this long. I love to work out and I don’t know if it’s a mindset, but yeah. I always feel that the harder, harder you work and the more you put into it, the best chance you have at surviving out there, I guess.
But, and I do, I do put the work in the summer and, and enjoy doing that part of the game too. But I am getting older. I think, I think I probably did play my last year, but we’ll see it’s my kids are getting older, so it’s, it’s hard to, hard to say. Yeah. Do you ever do any kind of power practice or massage or acupuncture or anything like that throughout the season or,
as you’ve gotten later in your career, do you feel like you’ve had to do that more than you did earlier in your career? Yeah, more. I think we’re probably right around when I got to, I don’t know. At the age of 30, I started doing a lot more stretching, whatever team you play on there’s tire practice there that you got a tight knack or whatever it might be,
guys are always getting massages. So yes you do that after a game or before the game gets the blood flowing and stuff like that. And you can just see how it’s over the years, how it’s got more important. I feel like when I came into the league and I was playing with Joe Sakic and older guys that were 35 at the time,
they looked after their bodies. Absolutely. They were always stretching and doing whatever, but you looked at the league now. It is so young guys are 18, 19 20, and 21 playing in the NHL. And, back in the day, guys used to play till they were 35, almost 40 without the exception of Joel sort. And right now playing for the Florida Panthers,
he’s 41 or 42. But yeah, if you, if you take care of your bodies the longer Jevity or if you’re going to have in your career, that’s a huge thing now. And whether they got everybody’s got their physical trainer and weightlifting coach skating coach and, and stuff like that, the game is changing for the good,
so changed some rules to help with some of the injuries and the concussions and, and some of the things even like icing used to be, you know, you’d have to race to the POC, whoever got there first against the boards would, would get possession, but now they, they kind of do it where it’s like, you know, lacrosse where whoever’s closest.
They, they just call it for that, that team. And I think that helps a lot from guys slammed into the boards. You know, a bunch of times dropped the game on icings, and then obviously they’re, they’re cracking down more on, on high hits and elbows and even high sticks, you know, you get a double minor now. So,
you know, I think that’s been a good thing. It’s kind of like what football has done as well, where they’ve, they’ve gotten more strict on, on that. You know, they’re hoping that these guys can play longer and you know, the head injuries, have you ever had a head injury, like a concussion or, or any kind of thing like that?
Over the years I’ve had one, I’ve had one concussion. It was, I fought like a loss. I scrapped quite a bit, but it was my first year coming out of junior. I would have been 21 years old. I got popped pretty well. That was in the minors. And I was the only time I ever really got, I’ve been hit hard,
but that was the only one that kinda, I was a Stanger. I was out, I missed about a month, a month and a half. And it, it is, it’s scary when you get popped like that. And I think the league has done a really good job of, like you said, taking away blows to the head and the repercussions of that is guys getting suspended and losing big pay.
So, I get how fast the game is, and sometimes you can’t stop. And when you’re going that fast and you guys seeing games closed down to ice level, the speed of the game now is crazy. And, And it’s incredible. I’ve been able to go down a little closer over the last four or five years, you know, towards the glass.
And I, and I and everybody look even bigger in person. You know, when you go down that low and then the hits against the glass, just like you, you know, you feel like the glass is going to shatter every time you guys check somebody into that. It’s pretty cool. There are still quite a few injuries, but not nearly as many,
as there were probably 10 years ago or even five years ago. So it’s good to see. Yeah, definitely. And it allows guys to play longer, which is good too because then you don’t have to feel like, you know, guys are retiring in like 28, 30, 31, and you can play a little bit longer and you know, be, be able to enjoy also your retirement.
And you were talking about that. You said you made this may have been your last year’s plan. Yeah, just my wife and kids date. I’ve been kind of going back and forth from Moines to Nashville. They stayed here, they’re in school here and I just didn’t want them moving around, like missing out on their friends and stuff like that. And I’ve had the pleasure of playing in Des Moines for the last three years.
And it’s been great. I was planning on retiring probably three years ago from playing after I finished in Nashville here, but I knew the coach in Des Moines and still love the game and still love competing. But I think the time has come now to move on a little bit, but I’m going to miss it. It’s been a heck of a ride for sure.
Yeah. You, yeah. You’ve been in the league a long time. You’ve seen and played in a lot of awesome games. And besides the Stanley cup, what have been some of your favorite times that you’ve spent either on the abs or the ranges of the Preds? Probably the abs where we used to have those battles against Detroit. I got my first NHL goal against Dominick Cassick so that was pretty cool.
Oh yeah. Nominator The dominator. Yeah. And then we played, my first year was Colorado. We went to the second round. We ended up playing Detroit and the Joe Louis Arena. And we ended up losing, losing to them. They went on to win the Stanley Cup that year, but lots of memories of playing them and gonna miss all the friendships you meet along.
Like yeah, you get to know guys along the way. And guys that you play played with had the pleasure of playing with, like I said, stacking, Forsberg, Adam’s foot, you learn a lot from those guys. And when I was young, they were kind of my heroes growing up and, and getting to play with them, getting to sit by them in the dressing room.
It’s, it’s pretty neat. Wouldn’t change it for anything. I played a hard game and had to work my butt off, but lots of fun. And do it again in a heartbeat, You spoke about Detroit, wasn’t there something about the octopus that you had at one of the games, then you grab the octopus or something. They threw on the ice.
Joel clan bill was our head coach. And he’s, he’s like, I’ll start you on the starting lineup if you grabbed that octopus. So I didn’t when shifted in front of Detroit’s bench and then chucked it into the crowd. That’s awesome. That was cool. I remember reading about that. So if you end up retiring this year, what do you think you might do?
No, want to stay in it. You got a couple of options right now. Just still talking it over and kinda going from there, but want to stay in the game. Well, we look forward to seeing you, whether it’s on the ice or anything that you go beyond this. And I appreciate you taking the time today, you know,
as, as a predators fan and somebody who just enjoys hockey, I enjoyed watching you play when you’re on the Preds and the Rangers and even the abs too. And also, you know, I appreciate everything that you guys did on that Stanley cup run. And I’m hoping that someday here in the next few years, the Preds can definitely raise the Stanley cup and even,
you know, the Rangers as well. They need another one. It’s been a long time since they’ve had one. So those are my two teams. I’m hoping that they can make something happen. I’m ruined for both of those teams and Colorado. Yeah. They got a really good chance this year and like their chances. And I’m always rooting for former teams.
Well, again, I look forward to seeing what you do in the future, and good luck to you. And if you retired, you know, enjoy your family and it’s always a pleasure talking to you and me, and I appreciate you being on here today. Thanks for having me appreciate it, Sean. So thanks again, Cody for coming on here and doing this interview today,
health-wise, he mentioned a few things, how he put the time in and he stretched. He worked out, he put the time in the off-season to make sure he’d avoid those injuries throughout the season. And, you know, it goes to show that somebody can play hockey for 16 years in the league at some of the highest levels and be able to stay healthy is pretty incredible.
And only having that one concussion and no major injuries are pretty incredible for the guy that’s as physical as he’s been over his career. So I gave him a lot of credit for putting the time in and, and working out and making sure to keep his body in good health. And you know, he’s looking at the future now, and that’s the thing.
Everybody comes to the point where you got to figure out what you’re going to do and make sure your body’s ready to do that as well. So for those of you out there, you know, that aren’t professional athletes that are just maybe weekend warriors or just trying to recover from old injuries or old wear and tear on the body. You know, it’s really important to put that time in stretching,
working out, you know, prepping your body, to make sure that you can enjoy it so that you can enjoy your retirement years when that time comes. And also just to be able to enjoy playing golf on the weekends, you know, playing with your kids, just doing the things that you want to do, like travel and just be able to do simple things like climbing up and down the stairs or doing laundry or,
or things like that. It’s just important to keep your body in a good position like that. So as far as knowing what to do, if you feel like there’s something wrong, I’ve mentioned before, just take a look in the mirror and just kind of see where you’re at, see how your balance looks, see how your shoulders look, see if your head’s tilted and see if your hips are level or not.
See if your feet are turning in or your knees are turning in, look at these things and notice if there’s a problem there and wonder where it’s coming from, you know, I can help figure out why that’s happening. And if you notice those things, please contact me. You know, one of the things I love doing is just doing a posture evaluation on somebody just to kind of see what’s going on.
And it usually leads me down a road where I can figure out why this is happening and what we can do to help you fix it. If you notice those things going on, please contact me. Call me at (615) 567-6683. Or you can DM me on Instagram or Facebook at the ideal health and wellness center. Tell me what’s going on and I’ll tell you what I think.
Remember the coach’s door is always open. This is coach Frank Sporting Good Posture. How about you? The Sporting Good Posture podcast is a broadcast wellness production powered by an ideal health wellness center, all content copyright 2021, and all rights reserved by executive producer, Frank Sardella, and coach Frank Pierce, courtesy of the ideal health wellness center in Franklin. For more information, visit SportingGoodPosture.com and follow the coach on Instagram at Sporting Good Posture. Sure. And I hope you’re considering the future mystery as to what I think about it all the time.