I think I might have to take my hug back 
Nah, seriously do ya work online coach hockey 50 year olds that think they are 20 and aren’t in the best of conditioning? I’ll direct him to your site. You do get a happy face though cuz of your book on loading stretching. Killer concept that has been around since I was in my teens. 
Not really… I don’t really have a sports team, that’s the side effect of having worked with a lot of pro athletes. I worked with a lot of Blues players years ago for example. Most recently I worked with a guy from Vegas and one from Tampa Bay.
I like the Canadians because their debacle gave me a lot of material neurotyping-wise… figuring out why Pacioretti had such a horrible season, why Price is a shadow of his former self. I think I pretty much figured it out (well I know I did). But sadly I don’t work with them so the problem isn’t likely to get fixed.
I love football, but I don’t really have a team either, I just love watching good games. The only “team” that I really love in a sport are the Blue Jays.
CAREY PRICE
Price is a neurotype 3. This is obvious because he is:
Type 3 are detail/control-oriented, they have a high baseline level of anxiety which means that their brain is always firing too fast. The reason why these guys are detail-oriented is that it’s a way for them to “objectify” or “intellectualize” a process (in this case, playing hockey). Developing an amazing technique as well as a mode of thinking that goes “when X happens I do Y” allows them to reduce the effect of anxiety, especially in game situations.
This requires things to be as stable as possible. When the situation changes they have a hard time adapting because if X happen and they do Y it might not be the right response anymore.
Type 3 have the highest level of anxiety. Anxiety is simply the brain being activated too much; the neurons are firing too fast. Look at the following graphic:
The more on the left of the curve you are, the less activated/excited your nervous system is. This will be due to low dopamine and/or low adrenaline which are the main excitory neurotransmitters… the more you move to the right, the more amped up your nervous system is (neurons firing faster).
As you can see if your brain is inhibited (left) you will be lazy, unmotivated, not competitive, chill, soft, even lethargic. As the neurons begin to fire faster you will become more motivated and competitive; your brain process speeds up, your are thinking faster, have quicker reaction, strong muscle contractions. Until you reach your peak level of performance (middle of the curve).
If at that point your brain continues to get more activated (neurons firing even faster) these things happen:
So if you go to the right side of the curve you begin chocking or performing badly.
Some athletes are more neurologically gifted to stay in the optimal zone. These are the guys who perform better when the stakes are high. The gamers.
What happens is that these guys have a higher level of serotonin. Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter: it calms the CNS down, is slows down the neurons firing rate. Specifically serotonin is the “balance” neurotransmitter: it brings you back to an optimal state when your brain gets out of control. People with a lot of serotonin can easily adapt to changing situations and do not get anxious under pressure.
Type 3 have a lower level of serotonin. That’s why their default setting is already more on the right of the curve, even at rest. These guys are always thinking, creating scenarios in their head, sometimes bordering paranoia. They also have a hard falling asleep because they cannot switch off their brain.
So when they are playing sports they much more easily fall into the right section of the curve, and the higher the stakes are, the more prone to having a bad performance they will be. Look at Carey Price, even at his best he was awesome in the regular season but a lot worse in the playoffs (you can argue that he did win a gold medal at the olympics, but with that team I could have been the goalie and won) because when adrenaline is too high the cannot control their brains… they feel like they are losing control, they panic, the react too quickly… AND the risk of injuries is higher because their flexor muscles tighten up.
Now, a Type 3 can overcome this anxiety by intellectualizing the game. They basically become hockey robots. It really only work for goalies in that sport because all the other positions are more about adjusting.
A Type 3, if he becomes a true technical master and a student of the game and knows that when X happen Y will follow and I must do Z then he can function… basically taking the emotion out of the game, reducing the anxiety response.
But they will still be more prone to chocking when the pressure is so high that even that intellectualization is not enough to control anxiety. Furthermore, playoff hockey is played differently than season hockey… so a Type 3 who uses game knowledge to automatize his reactions will be lost. That might also be why at the olympics, Price did well: Olympic style hockey is closer to in-season hockey than to the brutish type of hockey being played in the playoffs.
Now, what happened to Price these last 2 seasons?
Injuries… a Type 3 is anxious AND HAS AN INCREASED PERCEPTION OF PAIN. Anxiety/low level of serotonin increases sensitivity to pain, it’s a protective mechanism. When a Type 3 gets injured it creates fear. And even if that fear is subconscious it increases anxiety under “risky” situations. It also make them tense up at the slightest sign of physical discomfort, affecting movement and technique. Price had two severe injuries that likely drastically increased his anxiety levels.
Having a kid … Type 3 are routine-based. They do better when their life is stable and controlled. Ask any new parent and they will tell you that this is the OPPOSITE of your life when you have a newborn kid! This change in his life, albeit positive, had a very drastic negative impact on his mental stability leading to even more anxiety and it reflected in his game and likely his recovery.
COMPLETELY CHANGING THE DEFENSIVE SET: The Canadiens overhauled (more like underhauled their D… out Markov, Emelin, Beaulieu, Webber got injured, etc.). PRICE WAS USED TO HIS “D”… he knew their reaction, how they moved for each situation and molded his own reaction based on the reaction of his defensemen. When that defensive changed, they changed the way they play and react and the game did not happen the same way in front of him which completely changed how the game looked and he lost his keys.
BTW I believe that Price was the main reason why Subban was traded for Webber: A Type 3 needs routine, regularity, predictive… Subban was more of a free spirit, a free lancer, an artist… he never played the same way, he used more instinct that structure and didn’t adhere to the system. For a type 3 goalie this is VERY unsettling. A guy like Webber who is fundamentally sound and plays with the system, have very predictable actions, is much easier to deal with for a Type 3.
Can Price be saved? Maybe… but the 3 factors need to be solved and maybe do something to increase his serotonin levels.
BTW, Price is known for liking alcohol and weed. These two substances are inhibitory on he nervous system… it’s an instinct, a protective mechanism for him to take them… it slows down his neurons and anxiety decreases.
I would not be surprised at all if Price was sent, without the journalist knowing, to rehab by the team. And him being sober actually magnified his anxiety…
VVVery intriguing, as Captain Picard would say. Thanks I learned quite a lot from that. I’m hesitant now to type too much because you’ll “read”me. Haha, actually, I’ve learned that people can put me in one box or another, and I don’t really care. Honestly, I have a team of specialists that are dumbfounded by me. Headed there today to get a full ekg. I have a Kardia, but they want to check my qtc with a full ekg. Afterwards, I’m headed to neurology inpatient and visit someone who’s a friend of a friends daughter that is from Winnipeg and her parents couldn’t come with her. Haha, Chris C edited my title. 
I love it. The grammar police! Sorry, yes I knew about Price, but was laughing at his edit. I met Brent Burns because he was visiting and played at a rink on my husband’s team. I got to wash his jersey he borrowed lol. Super cool dude!
Xanax is inhibitory, too. So, how is it that it makes my heart rate go up and not down? Prozam and seroquel, too. Edit these meds were monitored in Er…no need to answer. All I can take is a good multi and fish oil. To get sleep all I can take is alteril
Dang it, now I have to journal. I got nervous conversing with you because I really liked your article had to go and look up cuz haven’t looked at in awhile but
Was very very helpful for me when I was struggling and really fighting my life
While in waiting room, I began researching because I like to be a sponge. What do you feel about this article?
Thats my favourite quote; Its on the first slide of all my seminars
Watching game, how would you define Brad Marchand?
It’s harder for me to define him since I don’t really follow the Bruins. With the Canadians players it’s easier because I have more personal info. But a guy like that (similar to Brandon Gallagher, and even Sean Avery, but less extreme) tends to me a 1A. Competitive to a fault, will do anything to win, extreme tolerance to pain, likes to manipulate and play mind games, very vocal. super confident. Not the best natural skill, but will power through via sheer will-power and physicality.
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