Game On Magazine 2017 Nov Game On low res | Page 88

The Canada Games Sport
for Life Performance Centre
opened this past summer and,
for all the right reasons, it
has become a hub for the top
hockey players in our province.
While the Centre was one of
the most popular venues at
the 2017 Canada Summer
Games and focuses on athletes
from all sports and disciplines,
there is very little question
that hockey is at its heart.
Jeff Wood grew up in
Winnipeg, played his hockey
in the River East AAA
system, graduated from
the University of Manitoba
and started his career at the
downtown YMCA. He left
the Y and founded Focus
Fitness in 1997 (now in its
20th year). The next year he
bought a personal training
studio on Academy Road,
but came to the realization
that folks who live in River
Heights, “Go to the lake in
the summer. They don’t work
out.” So with that, he started
training hockey players.
“My first client was
(former Winnipeg Jet) Russ
Romaniuk, who I grew up
playing hockey again,” Wood
explained. “Then I worked with
Ryan Bonni and Bruno Zarillo
and started building my
hockey training business. By
2000, I had six kids, bantams
and midgets, in a group at
Gateway Arena. Then in 2001,
I started training 16-year-old
Travis Zajac and then a couple
of years later, Jonathan Toews
and it just grew from there.”
“We started to train out of
the Winter Club and did that
for four and half years and
built a big hockey following
there. Everybody who was a
hockey player and was good,
was training with us at the
Winter Club. In 2010, we
were bought by True North
and moved to the Iceplex. I
worked there for two years,
left and did some personal
and group training and then I
sat down here with Adam and
we started training athletes
and now, here we are, in this
tremendous new place.”
Prokop grew up playing
at Gateway and moved
up to the AAA Sharks and
Thrashers and was drafted
fifth overall in the WHL
Bantam Draft by Moose Jaw.
He played with Moose Jaw,
Regina and Tri-City in the
WHL, but suffered a serious
injury in his 19-year-old
season and eventually went
the scholarship route to the
University of Manitoba where
he earned his undergraduate
Kinesiology degree.
He went off to McGill to
do his Masters and while in
the lab one day, the Redmen
goaltender asked him to try
out for the university team.
He agreed to try out and
not only made the team, he
helped McGill reach the U
SPORT national semi-final.
He played for a year
in Australia and then
returned to Winnipeg and
got into the strength and
conditioning business.
“I definitely see myself as
a coach,” Prokop said. “It’s
really no different than if I
worked with a hockey team
and helped the young athletes
coming up. I was in their
JEFF WOOD, A SPORTS PERFORMANCE SPECIALIST AT THE CANADA
GAMES SPORT FOR LIFE PERFORMANCE CENTRE HAS MORE THAN
20 YEARS OF ATHLETE TRAINING EXPERIENCE
8 8 | G AM E ON | N OVEM BER 2017
* PLAYER APPEARANCES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.
position as a young player and
I know exactly what they’re
going through. I want to make
sure they’re having fun and
becoming better athletes.”
The new Canada Games
Sport for Life Centre is
located right in the heart of
the city to serve all athletes
and those who would like to
be athletes. But at its heart
are two hockey coaches
who combine personal
experience with education
and the proper training
methods to help the best
hockey players in the region,
people such as Adam Brooks,
Adam Hughesman, Brendan
Shinnimin and Bailey Bram
become the best they can be.
There is very little
doubt that Manitoba’s
shiny new Canada Games
Sport for Life Centre has
hockey at its heart. ❍