Sports Med.. Training and Rehab., Vol. 8(3), pp. 251-263 Reprints available directly from the publisher Photocopying permitted by license only © 1998 OPA (Overseas Publishers Association) N.V. Published by license under the Harwood Academic Publishers imprint, part of The Gordon and Breach Publishing Group. Printed in India. PERFORMANCE SKATING CHARACTERISTICS OF PROFESSIONAL ICE HOCKEY FORWARDS M.R. BRACKO a, *, G.W. FELLINGHAM b , L.T. HALL c , A.G. FISHER c and W. CRYER c a Institute for Hockey Research, 516-60th Ave. S.E., Calgary, AB. T2H 0P9, Canada; b Department of Statistics, c Department of Physical Education, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA (Received 3 June 1997; Accepted 1 April 1998) The performance skating characteristics of the typical National Hockey League forward have not been investigated to the best of the authors' knowledge. The purpose of this study was: (1) to establish an observational protocol and perform motion analysis to identify the individual per- formance skating characteristics of the high and low, point scoring, National Hockey League forward (n= 12), (2) determine the percentage of execution time spent in each skating char- acteristic measured by time and the percentage of occurrence of each skating characteristic counted and (3) identify each variable that differentiates a high from a low point scorer. A two- tiered slow-motion observational protocol was used to analyze each skating characteristic adopted during a game. Fifteen timed, and 12 frequency, performance skating characteristics were identified and analyzed. The highest mean percentages of time spent by a player in a game were on a two foot glide (39.0%), a cruise stride (16.2%), medium intensity skating (10.0%), a struggle for puck or position (9.8%), and low intensity skating (7.8%). The highest percentage of total occurrences were a left crossover turn (20.2%), a gliding left turn (17.8%), a right cross- over turn (17.7%) and a gliding right turn (16.4%). The primary difference between a high and a low point scorer was that a high point scorer spent more time on the ice, and had a higher mean percentage of time spent in a two foot glide with and without a puck. A low point scorer had a higher mean percentage of occurrence in transition from forward to backward skating, and a higher mean percentage of occurrence in a gliding right turn and a left cross over turn while stickhandling the puck. Keywords: Ice hockey; performance skating; skating characteristics; time-motion analysis Corresponding author. E-mail: mosquito@cadvision.com. 251