from Joshua Clipperon of the CP at CBC,

D.J. Smith knows what the data suggests.

NHL players strapping on their gear for a morning skate seven or eight hours before a game probably isn't the best use of energy.

But in an abbreviated, pandemic-condensed season where practice time is limited and days off priceless, the Ottawa Senators head coach sees benefits in a hockey tradition that, for many in recent years, has come to be viewed as nothing more than an archaic nod to the past.

And he's not alone.

"Science says to not skate on the day of a game," Smith said. "But there's so little teaching time ... you have to use every opportunity."

One of the sport's staples from a bygone era, morning skates that see players handle the puck for roughly 15 or 20 minutes were often used as a kind of roll call to make sure everyone was out of bed and in the right frame of mind.

In a 56-game campaign brought on by COVID-19 where teams might suit up for as many as five games in seven nights — with travel mixed in — those brief on-ice sessions could be more important than ever as coaching staffs look to find a balance between rest and instruction.

"They're going to have value," Calgary Flames bench boss Geoff Ward said. "We have to use them as practices."

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