Why Islanders can’t get enough of this postgame pizza
TEMPE, Ariz. Stand outside the visitors locker room after an NHL game and you will start to notice something strange.
Amongst a postgame spread that also includes fruit, there will almost without fail be boxes of pizza stacked on the table.
And that greasy, cheesy option does seem to be the most popular.
So, why are some of the worlds most elite athletes filling up on a quick few slices?
Umm, I dont know, Mathew Barzal told The Post following Thursdays morning skate in Arizona. Its quick. I think its probably just been a thing for years. Theres pizza everywhere. I dont really know.
He turned to Anders Lee and Bo Horvat to ask them: Do you guys know?
Horvat gave a nonverbal shrug.
Lee had the answer.
I mean, I love it, Lee told The Post. You dont really have a full meal since lunch. So you have a snack in the afternoon, you got what you need. But all of a sudden, its 10 oclock and you havent had a full meal since noon. So it might be another hour before we get to the plane to have a meal.
4Islanders players are big fans of some postgame pizza. Post photo illustrationSo a couple slices just to get some type of carb in you, so your body can fuel off of it. And it tastes good. Most of the time.
To be clear, this is not just something the Islanders do.
Its league-wide.
And despite the obvious irony, it seems to work for everyone involved.
4Anders Lee said “towns that have good pizza tend to have good postgame pizza.” Getty ImagesDerrek Douglas, the Islanders strength and conditioning coach, is in charge of putting the order in for the team, Lee said.
Usually it includes pepperoni and cheese, though it might change based on the city. In certain locales, the menu could shift with the local delicacies as well.
Buffalos great cause we got some wings there, Lee said. Philly we used to get a Philly cheesesteak, but not anymore. Towns that have good pizza tend to have good postgame pizza.
4Mathew Barzal said “there’s pizza everywhere.” NHLI via Getty ImagesThe goal, essentially, is to replace some of the calories lost over a 2 -hour game as quickly as possible.
Once the Islanders are on their charter flight, theres often a full meal.
But in the immediate aftermath of a game, the easiest option is to order something to the arena that can be eaten quickly before the team catches the bus to the charter.
Which usually means pizza. (For games in New Jersey or Madison Square Garden, its more feasible for the Islanders to get a postgame meal at the arena since there are no flights involved).
Its been that way forever, since Ive been in the league, Kyle Palmieri told The Post. Im sure 15, 20 years before that its been going on. I think for us, you burn so many calories during the game. Its really just something you can get in your body and its easy and consistent, I guess.
4Kyle Palmieri said the pizza phenomenon is nothing new. APEarly in Palmieris career during a team Dads trip, his father noticed the pizza boxes after a game.
He was a little surprised, Palmieri said. But you think about how many calories you burn through, its one of those things that it doesnt really matter what you eat. You just gotta get something in your body.
So, as important as eating right is for every player in the NHL, there are always some exceptions to every rule. And sometimes, any calorie is a good calorie.
As a kid, you always think these pro athletes and stuff only put good stuff in your body, Barzal said. Guys are hammering three slices of pizza after, I dont really know why. I think its tradition.
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