冰球通常被视为年轻人的运动。但千万别对西德尼·克罗斯比、亚历克斯·奥韦奇金、布拉德·马尔尚、科里·佩里等人说这话——这些年近四旬乃至更年长的球员，如今依然称霸北美职业冰球联赛（NHL）。
37岁的克罗斯比上赛季保持了场均一分的得分效率，而马尔尚同样在37岁时于斯坦利杯总决赛中攻入六球，助力佛罗里达队战胜埃德蒙顿油人队成功卫冕——后者阵中40岁的科里·佩里仍是核心球员之一。亚历克斯·奥维契金在39岁时打破了韦恩·格雷茨基的NHL生涯进球纪录，如今40岁的他有望在本赛季初突破900球大关。
得益于过去二十多年来运动科学、训练方法和技术的发展，运动员保持巅峰状态的窗口期正变得越来越长。而这只会让体育赛事更加精彩。
美洲豹队教练保罗·莫里斯表示：“我们正迎来这样一个时代。过去20年科技进步将使球员恢复得更快……他们终其一生都是体能更佳、训练有素的运动员。”
莫里斯（Maurice）称赞球队老板在球员护理方面投入了大量资金和资源。他的团队在各个年龄段都处于康复方法的前沿，这也是这支位于联盟最南端的球队力争三连冠的重要原因。
所有人都在寻求优势
帕特里克·凯恩将于11月年满37岁，本赛季有望超越迈克·莫达诺，成为美籍球员中得分最高的选手。作为2007年选秀大会的状元，他比今年的头号新秀马修·谢弗早出生三个月。
作为芝加哥队三度捧杯的冠军球员，凯恩（Kane）将自己和其他球员的职业生涯持久性归功于一个决定：如今已不再有休赛期。
凯恩表示：\\"令人难以置信的是，大家几乎把它当作一份全年无休的工作来对待。无论是营养摄入、夏季训练安排、日常训练方式还是恢复手段，每个人都在努力寻找优势。似乎所有人都在尝试不同的方法。\\"
萨姆·莱因哈特在加拿大奥运集训营目睹了克罗斯比和马尔尚的表现，他们“让一切看起来轻而易举”。这位即将年满30岁的球员深受鼓舞。
莱因哈特表示：'这很激励人心——如果你照顾好自己、努力训练，年轻时打好基础，那么年纪稍长时就没有理由不保持最佳状态。他们看起来丝毫没有放缓的迹象，两人在健身房里就像机器一样不知疲倦，依然保持着与以往一样的年轻和敏捷。'
运气固然重要，但努力才是关键
坦帕湾闪电队队长维克托·赫德曼即将在12月迎来35岁生日，在这条年龄曲线上仍属年轻。尽管身高6英尺7英寸（约2.01米）、体重244磅（约111公斤），他依然是NHL最顶尖的后卫之一。赫德曼有望在明年二月代表瑞典队完成奥运首秀。
赫德曼职业生涯大部分时间都保持健康，展现出极强的耐久力。过去四个赛季中，他每赛季出战76至82场（常规赛全勤）。
赫德曼表示："我很幸运没有受过太严重的伤，但这背后是大量的训练积累。这是多方面因素共同作用的结果——运动科学能提供赛季各阶段所需的海量数据支撑，这对保持状态大有裨益...但归根结底，关键在于了解自己的身体状况，并努力跟上年轻球员的节奏，毕竟比赛速度正变得越来越快。"
奥韦奇金（Ovechkin）能够追上并超越格雷茨基（Gretzky），很大程度上归功于他几乎从未受伤。尽管这位华盛顿队队长曾因腿部骨折缺席16场比赛，但他依然完成了任务。
首都队教练斯宾塞·卡伯里表示：他将被铭记的成就之一，便是作为球员的持久力——许多人都会谈起他如何保持健康、极少受伤。
季后赛是老将们大放异彩的舞台
莫里斯在事隔25年后承认，1999年卡罗莱纳队季后赛首战让未来的名人堂成员保罗·科菲坐冷板凳是个错误。科菲在第二场比赛中成为飓风队场上表现最出色的球员之一，这一教训为球队后续赢得连冠提供了宝贵经验。
莫里斯表示：这些老将对待季后赛的态度与众不同。他们更懂得如何应对。年长球员拥有年轻球员所不具备的视野。年轻球员或许天赋异禀，但我认为你几乎可以确信，在季后赛中老将们定会全力以赴。
在克罗斯比眼中，马尔尚（Marchand）整个职业生涯都是关键时刻的可靠执行者——这位球员曾在总决赛第二场双加时绝杀前，于埃德蒙顿的健身单车上热身。但被称为"冰球金童"（Sid the Kid）的克罗斯比本人，则认同莫里斯（Maurice）关于"伟大时刻成就伟大表现"的理论。
克罗斯比表示："毫无疑问，在季后赛中，我认为那种经验和比赛类型往往更适合经历过并理解它的老将。我们需要我们这些老家伙继续坚持下去。"
Hockey is a usually a young mans game. Dont tell that to Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Brad Marchand, Corey Perry and so many others who are still on top of the NHL in their late 30s and beyond.
Crosby produced at a point-a-game pace last season at 37, the same age Marchand was when he scored six goals in the Stanley Cup Final to help Florida repeat against Edmonton, which counted 40-year-old Corey Perry as one of its better players. Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzkys NHL career goals record at 39 and should surpass the 900 mark early this season at 40.
Thanks to changes in sports science, training and technology over the past 20-plus years, the window for stars to remain in their prime is getting longer and longer. And its only making the sport better.
Were coming into an age of that, Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. The science thats changed over the last 20 years will allow these players to recover faster. ... Theyre better fit, conditioned athletes over their entire lives.
Maurice credited owners for investing a tremendous amount of money and resources into player care. His team is on the leading edge of recovery methods at all ages, which is a big part of why the leagues southernmost team is going for a threepeat .
Everyone is looking for an edge
Patrick Kane is set to turn 37 in November and is on pace this season to pass Mike Modano for the most points by a U.S.-born player. He was the first pick in the 2007 draft, three months before this years No. 1 choice , Matthew Schaefer, was born.
A three-time Cup champion with Chicago, Kane credits his and others longevity to a decision that there is no longer an offseason.
Its incredible the way the guys are almost treating it like a full-year job, Kane said. Everyones trying to find that edge, whether its nutrition or what you do in the summer, how you train, how you recover. Everyone seems to be doing something.
Sam Reinhart saw that in Crosby and Marchand at Canadas Olympic orientation camp when they made it look easy. The soon-to-be 30-year-old found it inspiring.
Its motivating that if you take care of yourself, you work hard, you train, you know when youre a bit younger, theres no reason you cant be at your best when you are a little bit older, Reinhart said. It doesnt look like they are slowing down anytime soon. Theyre both machines in the gym and both looking as young and agile as ever.
Some is luck, but more of it is work
Tampa Bay captain Victor Hedman is on the younger side of this curve with his 35th birthday approaching in December, and yet at 6-foot-7 and 244 pounds, he is still among the best defensemen in the NHL. Hedman should make his Olympic debut for Sweden in February.
Hedman has been healthy for much of his career and stayed durable. He played between 76 and all 82 games over each of the past four seasons.
Ive been blessed not being hurt too much, but thats training going into that, Hedman said. Its a combination of a lot of things. The sports science, you can get so much data of what you need at certain points of the season, so that helps a lot. ... But I think its just knowing your body and trying to keep up with these young kids because the game is getting faster and faster.
Ovechkin caught and passed Gretzky in large part because he is almost never injured. Washingtons captain missed 16 games with a broken leg and still got the job done.
Thats one of the things that hell be remembered by is a lot of people talk about his durability as a player and not getting hurt, Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said.
Playoffs are when the old dogs thrive
Maurice acknowledged a quarter-century after the fact that scratching eventual future Hall of Famer Paul Coffey in Carolinas playoff opener in 1999 was a mistake. Coffey was one of the Hurricanes best players on the ice in Game 2, and that provided a valuable lesson on the way to back-to-back titles.
These older players view the playoffs differently. They understand, Maurice said. Older guys have a perspective that young players dont. Young players can be great, but I think you can almost be assured that youre going to get the very best out of your older players in playoffs.
Marchand, who rode the exercise bike in Edmonton prior to his double-overtime Game 2-winning goal in the final, has been a clutch performer his entire career in Crosbys eyes. But the player known as Sid the Kid subscribes to Maurices theory about coming up big in the biggest moments.
Definitely in the playoffs, I think that experience, that type of game probably lends itself to older guys who have been through it and understand it, Crosby said. We need us older guys to keep going.
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43岁宗馥莉的多面人生：从女儿到女帝的进化之路