Carolina Hurricanes’ Nathan Gerbe has a quiet pregame routine

Carolina Hurricanes forward Nathan Gerbe will be looking for some privacy Wednesday at Denver’s Pepsi Center.

Gerbe will find a place near the locker room to be alone before the Canes’ game against the Colorado Avalanche. No teammates, no coaches.

Different players have different pregames routines. Canes defensemen Ron Hainsey and John-Michael Liles each eat the same meal: salad, pasta and chicken. Forward Jay McClement has the same off-ice workout. Forward Andrej Nestrasil said he watches “Friends” on Netflix.

Gerbe meditates.

“Just calm thoughts,” Gerbe said. “It’s about thinking clearly. Emotion-wise, it’s staying even-keel and composed.

“Mainly, it’s thinking about breathing, breathing the right way. Do that and you can change your heart rate, lower it, so you can recover faster.”

No headphones, no music. No outside distractions.

Gerbe searches the hallways and bowels of an arena, home or away, until he’s sure he can be alone for 10 minutes or so.

“Just my thoughts,” he said. “Mainly it’s breathing control and game thoughts. I think of every aspect you can be in in a game. Play it in your head and it makes it easier that way.”

A better balance

Gerbe, 28, said he first began to use meditation when he played at Boston College. Tony Penna, then the team chaplain, convinced him of the value of the pregame sessions.

“Nathan came to me his first year saying he was looking for a way, any way, to improve himself as a hockey player and as a person,” Penna said Tuesday. “He said he did not want to leave any stone unturned. Not every athlete walks into your office and says the kinds of things he said. His attitude impressed me.”

Meditation, Penna said, was a good way for Gerbe, a Michigan native, to establish better balance in his life.

“In college, there are so many academic pressures, social pressures, athletic pressures,” Penna said. “Any wind can blow you off-center. You need that spiritual and emotional plumb line, where there’s balance in your life. He worked very hard at it, knowing there are days when the winds can blow you in a different direction and you need something to pull you back to center.”

Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2005, Gerbe helped Boston College win the 2008 NCAA championship before turning pro. He became a regular in the Sabres’ lineup, but a severe back injury jeopardized his career and Buffalo eventually bought out his contract in 2013, making him a free agent.

Gerbe signed as a free agent that year with the Hurricanes, but before training camp his brother-in-law was killed in a traffic accident in Michigan. He immediately left to be with his sister and family.

Seeking advice

Gerbe has continued to turn to Penna for advice, for suggestions on books to read and other mental exercises. Penna, now the university chaplain at Boston College, said he talked this week to Gerbe.

“He’s still very eager to learn, to improve himself,” Penna said.

The meditation sessions usually are reserved for game days, Gerbe said. But not always.

“If I think I really need to channel thoughts and get on track, I’ll do it once in a while,” he said.

But game days are the key days. Gerbe will visualize situations that arise in a game – perhaps how best to kill off a penalty against a specific team or how he might react if he has a breakaway.

“It helps with peace of mind, confidence,” Gerbe said. “It helps running everything through your mind before a game. When you’re in a game and in those game situations, it can become repetitive.”

Gerbe said he believed he’s the only one on the Canes to use meditation, and laughed when asked if anyone else in his family meditates.

“Just me,” he said. “I’m the weird one.”

Note: The Canes recalled defenseman Rasmus Rissanen from the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League. Rissanen was to join the team in Denver.

This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Carolina Hurricanes’ Nathan Gerbe has a quiet pregame routine."