How sleep and work ethic shape hockey performance with Charlie Coyle

Originally published on June 1, 2021

Sleep, naps, and everyday recovery habits can shape how well a hockey player performs, and this conversation shows what that looks like across an NHL season. In Episode 125 of the WHOOP Podcast, Boston Bruins center Charlie Coyle joined Kristen Holmes, Global Head of Human Performance, Principal Scientist at WHOOP, for a practical discussion about building durable habits, handling travel and late games, and using recovery data to sharpen performance.

Coyle brings the perspective of a veteran NHL forward who has stayed available through the grind of long seasons, while Holmes adds the performance science behind why those habits matter. This article breaks down five ideas from their conversation, from early work ethic to sleep consistency to the game level impact of waking up better recovered.

Note: This article covers WHOOP 2.0 for the latest hardware, see WHOOP.

To listen to Episode 125 of the WHOOP Podcast in full, head to the WHOOP Podcast on Spotify.

How did work ethic shape Charlie Coyle's path to the NHL?

Coyle said his NHL path started with a simple idea: hockey was the goal, so his daily choices had to support it. He did not describe a single turning point when pro hockey suddenly felt real. Instead, he described a long stretch of repeated decisions, including skipping distractions, practicing on his own, and treating every level as a new cut line.

That framing is useful because it moves the conversation away from talent alone. Coyle grew up in an athletic family, had pro players in his extended family, and saw the league as reachable. But he also understood that each step, from high school to college to pro hockey, narrowed the field. His answer to that pressure was extra work, not a backup identity.

Coyle put the point plainly when Holmes asked about college and peer pressure.

"I didn't even drink in college. [...] I just wanted to get where I wanted to get, and I just didn't want to screw anything up."

That same mindset shows up in how he talks about practice. Shooting pucks outside, doing sprint work, and finding small edges were not dramatic moments. They were routine. If you want more background on how WHOOP frames the link between behavior and performance data, this WHOOP Podcast episode explains how WHOOP measures sleep, Recovery, and Strain.

What you should take away

• Coyle treated pro hockey as a long series of daily choices, not a single breakthrough moment.
• Avoiding distractions was part of his performance strategy, even in college.
• Repeated skill work, sprint work, and small sacrifices helped him create separation at each level.

If you want to hear Coyle unpack how those early habits shaped his path, listen to the full episode on Spotify.

What daily habits help hockey players stay durable through a long season?

That early work ethic carried into the part of pro sports that often decides availability: the routines around the game, not only the game itself. Coyle connected durability to strength work, injury prevention, warmups, cooldowns, nutrition, and recovery habits that happen before and after time on the ice.

His point was that staying on the ice is rarely about one magic tool. It is about stacking behaviors that keep the body ready for repeated effort. He specifically mentioned gym work, foam rolling, proper warmups, proper cooldowns, and paying closer attention to what food does to next day readiness. As players get older, he said, the feedback becomes harder to ignore. You feel the cost of getting off track more quickly.

Coyle used memorable language when he described how much hidden work sits around a single practice or game.

"You're not just going to the rink and you put on your equipment, you play, and then you're out and you go home. [...] There's warm-ups to warm-ups to warm-ups to warm-ups and then the recovery."

Holmes added a useful lens here: everything you put in your body either adds to recovery or takes away from it. Coyle agreed with that binary approach, especially for alcohol and food choices. That lines up with other athlete conversations on The Locker, including Alex Killorn on why recovery has become a huge focus in hockey and Rory McIlroy on how alcohol and meal timing can show up in recovery data.

What you should take away

• Durability comes from layered routines, including strength work, warmups, cooldowns, and recovery work.
• Nutrition matters more when schedule density is high and recovery windows are short.
• Small habits around practice and travel can influence how ready you feel the next day.

If you want to hear Coyle go deeper on durability habits and recovery routines, listen to the full episode on Spotify.

How do sleep consistency and naps affect hockey recovery?

Once those daytime habits are in place, sleep becomes the next limit on performance. Holmes pointed out that Coyle's sleep timing had become more variable over the prior few weeks, which is common during heavy travel and tight game schedules. Even so, his WHOOP data showed zero sleep debt, a strong sign that he was finding ways to keep up with the physical and mental cost of the season.

Coyle said the hardest part is not knowing when you will actually be able to fall asleep after a game. Late finishes, travel, and back to backs can leave players wired when they need to wind down. That makes consistency harder. He uses naps to help buffer that strain, especially on game days.

His clearest sleep tip was about timing.

"Don't nap at 4 or 5 in the afternoon."

He explained that late naps can trap you in a bad cycle. A poor night leads to a late nap, the late nap makes it harder to sleep that night, and the next day starts from the same hole. Holmes added one practical guideline from sleep science: keep naps to one ultradian cycle, or about 90 minutes, if you want a longer nap without pushing too far into the day.

Coyle also said he has tried to improve sleep by limiting screen time, wearing blue light blocking glasses when he does watch TV, and reading more at night. Those are simple adjustments, but they fit the larger pattern of reducing stimulation when the goal is recovery.

What you should take away

• Sleep consistency gets harder during travel heavy stretches, so recovery habits around bedtime matter more.
• Naps can help protect recovery when night sleep timing is less predictable.
• Late afternoon naps can make the next night worse and create a repeating sleep problem.
• Reducing screens and other stimulation before bed can help after late games.

If you want to hear Coyle unpack his nap strategy and bedtime routine, listen to the full episode on Spotify.

What does better recovery look like in actual NHL performance data?

From there, Holmes took the conversation from habit to output. She shared a WHOOP internal analysis of one NHL player across roughly 70 games and compared on ice performance when that player woke up above versus below his average Recovery. The differences were large enough to change how you think about "marginal gains."

Holmes explained that WHOOP Recovery is scored from 0 to 100. A score from 0 to 33 is red, which suggests the body is not adapting well to external stress. A score from 34 to 66 is yellow, and a score from 67 to 100 is green, which suggests the body is better primed to handle physical, mental, and emotional demands.

The game data were striking. Holmes said that when the player was above his average Recovery, he averaged 5 shots, 47 passes, 71 puck touches, and 0.41 goals. Below his average Recovery, those numbers fell to 3 shots, 38 passes, 60 puck touches, and 0.25 goals.

Holmes gave the season long version of that difference in one quote.

"If he was above his average recovery over the course of the season, he'd have about 12 more goals on the season [...] he would have touched the puck 926 more times, he would have had 762 more passes and he would have had 163 more shots."

Coyle's immediate reaction was, "That's insane stuff." It is also the part of the episode with the clearest practical lesson. Recovery is not just a wellness idea. In this analysis, it lined up with hockey actions that coaches, teammates, and fans all recognize.

What you should take away

• WHOOP Recovery can be framed as readiness for external stress on a 0 to 100 scale.
• In WHOOP internal NHL game data, above average Recovery lined up with more shots, passes, puck touches, and goals.
• The difference between better and worse recovered game days can show up in season long production totals.

If you want to hear Coyle react to the NHL recovery data and Holmes explain the numbers, listen to the full episode on Spotify.

How do family, mindset, and team culture support performance over a season?

Once the physical side is clear, the conversation shifts to the social and psychological side of performance. Holmes argued that how you treat people, how connected you feel, and how steady your mindset stays can influence recovery too. Coyle agreed, and he traced that back to his parents.

He described his mother as relentlessly positive and generous, someone who notices people who need help and acts on it. He said that kind of behavior helps you rest your head at night with a better sense of how you spent your day. He also linked winning to standards that reach beyond the rink. If you cut corners in training, he said, you are more likely to cut corners elsewhere.

That mindset carried into how he described leadership with the Boston Bruins. The strongest example was a story about former captain Zdeno Chara asking for his practice time preference right after he arrived in Boston, even though Coyle was the new player and Chara was the established leader.

Coyle also offered a concise definition of all in habits.

"You make your bed 100%, you know, you brush your teeth 100%."

That line captures the thread running through the whole episode. Performance is shaped by repeated standards. Some are physical, like sleep timing and recovery work. Some are relational, like inclusion and trust. Together they form the environment that helps a player stay ready for the next shift.

If you want more on how high performers build consistent standards, this conversation on Patrick Mahomes' training week explores similar ideas about leaving some capacity in the tank.

What you should take away

• Recovery is influenced by physical habits and by the quality of a player's social environment.
• Coyle connects good performance habits with everyday standards away from the rink.
• Inclusive leadership can help a team stay confident, connected, and ready to perform.

The bottom line

• Coyle's approach to performance starts with repeated daily choices that support the goal of playing at a high level for a long time.
• Durability in hockey depends on the routines around the game, including strength work, warmups, cooldowns, nutrition, and sleep.
• Naps can help protect recovery during dense travel and game stretches, but late afternoon naps can disrupt the next night's sleep.
• WHOOP internal NHL data shared in this episode linked above average Recovery with more shots, passes, puck touches, and goals.
• Sleep debt and sleep consistency matter for athletes because recovery affects physical readiness and mental sharpness.
• Limiting screens at night and building a calmer wind down routine can help players settle after late games.
• Team culture and personal relationships can support recovery by reducing friction and helping athletes stay steady across a long season.

Frequently asked questions about things discussed in this episode

How does WHOOP measure Recovery?

WHOOP measures Recovery as a daily readiness score from 0 to 100 that reflects how prepared your body is to handle physical, mental, and emotional stress.

What does WHOOP show about sleep debt?

WHOOP shows sleep debt as the gap between how much sleep your body needed and how much sleep you actually got, which helps you see whether missed sleep is accumulating across several days.

How does WHOOP help with sleep consistency?

WHOOP highlights sleep and wake timing so you can spot when variable bedtimes are starting to affect recovery, which is useful during travel heavy stretches.

What does WHOOP track that matters for hockey players?

WHOOP tracks Sleep, Recovery, and Strain, which can help hockey players see how travel, late games, training load, and recovery habits affect next day readiness.

What does WHOOP show about naps?

WHOOP can help put naps in context by showing whether they are helping you keep sleep debt low during demanding schedules.

How does WHOOP connect recovery to performance?

WHOOP can connect recovery to performance by pairing readiness data with real world outcomes, like the NHL game analysis Holmes shared showing more shots, passes, puck touches, and goals on better recovered days.

What does WHOOP do for athletes trying to build better habits?

WHOOP gives athletes a daily feedback loop on behaviors like sleep timing, alcohol, and recovery routines, so habits are easier to evaluate against next day performance.

For hockey players dealing with travel, late starts, and playoff pressure, WHOOP helps make the tradeoff between sleep, Recovery, and next day performance visible before puck drop.