The Carolina Hurricanes have agreed to a three-year deal to begin using Firstbeat, the leading provider of physiological analytics in sports.
The Hurricanes become the 17th NHL franchise to utilize Firstbeat Sports Monitor to help optimize player performance, reduce injury risk and fast-track player development. Built on over two decades of scientific research, Firstbeat Sports’ team solution uses insights derived from heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) data to unlock the power of individualized training and recovery guidance.
Firstbeat is used by over 50% of NHL teams. Director of Sports Performance Products, Veli-Pekka Kurunmäki, described his excitement at working with the Hurricanes:
“We’re delighted to begin working with the Carolina Hurricanes. In professional sports, there is growing interest in internal load, recovery and sleep monitoring and we are proud to offer accurate, industry-leading insights into player physiology to meet those needs. We look forward to the Hurricanes using our technology to help them in the most competitive hockey league on the planet.”
Bill Burniston, Carolina Hurricanes Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, said of the new Firstbeat partnership:
“Currently we use subjective data to measure and manage player workloads. Using Firstbeat, we hope to get a more accurate assessment of workload by measuring internal load objectively. In addition, we hope to develop better recovery protocols based off HRV readings.”
The Charlotte Checkers, the AHL affiliate of the Hurricanes, will also be using Firstbeat technology. Strength and Conditioning coach for the Checkers, Ryan Wysocki, had this to say on the opportunity:
“The Charlotte Checkers are very excited to incorporate Firstbeat into our daily in-season training regimen. We believe that having real-time HR data and a concrete means of monitoring our recovery will allow us to further personalize training, and truly attack the 1% improvement we strive for daily.”
John Lally of PIVOT Sports, a Firstbeat frontline voice for NHL customers, said:
“I am super excited to be working with Carolina Hurricanes and the Charlotte Checkers. One of our goals at PIVOT Sports is to provide Firstbeat Sports Monitor and quality team support to every team in the NHL and AHL. It’s important that each team understands that we deliver a product that truly helps their athletes achieve better internal balance and this can lead to better performance and results. We believe we have found the right kind of partnership that will suit both the Hurricanes and Checkers’ needs and allow them to become successful Firstbeat users.”
The Carolina Hurricanes will be using the Firstbeat Sports Monitor software and team pack. This includes a Team Receiver and heart rate monitor belts for real-time Training Effect and TRIMP data collection. They will also be tracking player recovery via the Quick Recovery Test app available in the Firstbeat Sports all, and become one of the first Firstbeat team partners to use the Firstbeat Bodyguard device for overnight recovery monitoring.
About Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference of the NHL.
Formed in 1971, they moved to North Carolina in 1997 and won their first Stanley Cup in the 2005-06 season. They will be led into the upcoming 2018-19 season by Head Coach, Rod Brind’Amour, and General Manager, Don Waddell.
About Firstbeat
Firstbeat Sports is a single-platform solution that provides data on training loads, intensity, fitness testing, performance readiness, stress and recovery in one place. Over 22,000 athletes representing over 800 teams around the world rely on Firstbeat Sports for their advanced physiological metrics.
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