NHL player creates virtual training program for hockey players currently unable to practice

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Published January 15, 2021 at 5:11 pm

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With the number of new COVID-19 cases reaching new records nearly every day, the province was forced to extend school closures in Southern Ontario.

As a result, many parents are struggling to monitor their children’s education as well as their job.

However, for many parents of athletes unable to practice or play, this task has been extra difficult.

In response, a current NHL player, and native of Stouffville Ontario, has come up with a way to get kids back on the ice… virtually.

Michael Del Zotto, a former member of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues and current member of the Columbus Blue Jackets, has come up with a web-based in-home training program that allows athletes to work on their hockey skills, and fitness while receiving points and rewards which can be redeemed toward tangible prizes such as NHL signed jerseys, sticks, etc.

“When I started this I just thought, hey this will help some kids get off the video games,” Del Zotto said in a news release. “Little did I know demand for this product would go worldwide.”

Dubbed “Virtual Hockey,” the program is an online video-based training one that includes the ability to work through a multi-level platform designed to train hockey players through a series of difficulty levels from rookie to veteran.

While the program is intended to train an athlete’s body, it also appeals to the mental health of players—giving them a sense that the ability to improve in hockey is back within their grasp.

“Why not make it a holiday gift for those kids who don’t have hockey in the foreseeable future, keep them moving and off the couch,” Michael Del Zotto added.

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