Xhekaj's path to NHL paved with a fork
Eating six meals a day as a junior to gain weight and strength, the 6-foot-4 Hab added 65 pounds to hit his current playing weight of 240.
23.02.02 | by Stu Cowan - Montreal Gazette
Canadiens defenceman Arber Xhekaj says he didnât know about the âdietâ U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps followed while training for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he would win eight gold medals and set seven world records.
In the lead-up to the Games, Phelps was consuming between 10,000 and 12,000 calories a day as fuel for his 6-foot-4, 195-pound body and the intense training sessions he went through.
Phelpsâs day would start with a bowl of rice pudding, followed by his âHungry Manâ breakfast, which consisted of three eggs, hash-brown potatoes, five sausages, wheat toast and a side of bacon, along with lots of water to drink.
Xhekaj was only 7 when Phelps competed in Beijing (which makes me feel very old), so it wasnât a real surprise that he didnât know about the swimmerâs diet when I asked him about it after practice Monday in Brossard.
The reason I asked is because when Xhekaj was playing junior hockey in Ontario, he ate six meals a day while trying to gain weight and strength.
Xhekaj started eating that much when he was playing junior B as a 16-year-old with the St. Catharines Falcons and it continued after he moved up to the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers and then the Hamilton Bulldogs.
âWhen I was younger, I still tried to play that physical role because I like the tough side of the game,â Xhekaj said. âBut when I was smaller, it was a lot harder for me. I found I was always a strong kid, so that helped.â
The 6-foot-4 defenceman went from 175 pounds during his first season of junior to 190 pounds by the end of that season. By the next season in the OHL, Xhekaj was up to 210 pounds and then 225. He now weighs 240 pounds.
Xhekaj, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on [January 30], has 5-8-13 totals in 49 games during his rookie NHL season with the Canadiens and leads the team in hits with 154 â ranking him 10th in the NHL. He also leads the NHL in penalty minutes with 92, including eight fighting majors.
When the OHL cancelled the 2020-21 season because of COVID-19, Xhekaj really focused on his training and diet.
âThat was a big (year) because I was working out a lot and I had a pretty steady schedule,â he recalled. âMy mom cooked all my meals.
âIâd eat a bowl of oatmeal and a smoothie before Iâd go to the gym (in the morning) and then when I would get home Iâd have two breakfasts to start,â he added. âIâd get home from the gym, Iâd have my eggs and whatever my mom made. Sheâd make something different every day. After that, Iâd take a nap, Iâd wake up and eat, then go to hockey (training). Get home, eat again. It was always some healthy stuff my mom would put together and it was really good.â
Xhekajâs mother, Simona, was a high-level volleyball player while growing up in Czechoslovakia.
âShe loves fitness,â Xhekaj said. âSheâs been in the gym for years now. Thatâs kind of her thing. She loves the gym. Sheâs tried every diet, sheâs tried keto. Sheâs done everything and tried it all to see what she likes and what she doesnât like. Sheâs really helped me a lot with the fitness side of things.â
Xhekajâs mother also told her son to believe in himself, even though he wasnât selected at the OHL or NHL drafts.
âThatâs the biggest thing that I hold, because she always told me if you believe and put everything into that belief then you can achieve your goals,â he said. âThatâs what Iâve held close to me throughout my career.â
Xhekajâs diet came as a shock to his junior billet families.
âThey thought I was crazy when I was eating six, seven eggs every morning,â he said. âThey were like: âHow many eggs do we need to buy for this guy?â
âAt home, it was me and my brother (Florian) eating like that,â Xhekaj added. âSo for my parents it was times two ⊠itâs a lot of food and a lot of money.â
Xhekajâs brother is playing for the OHLâs Bulldogs.
âIf I eat more, train more, I put on weight,â Xhekaj said. âItâs not bad weight ⊠thatâs the most important thing.â
Xhekaj isnât trying to gain more weight, but he still has a huge appetite.
âIf itâs a buffet style, thatâs not good for me,â he said with a grin. âWhen I was eating that much a day, I developed like a tolerance for food. If I donât have just one plate I never get full, so Iâve got to chill. Just stick with my one plate now and thatâs it.â
So, no more six meals a day?
âDefinitely not,â Xhekaj said with a chuckle. âIâm not trying to put on any more weight ⊠just maintain.â
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