How many days per week should I do cardio during the hockey off-season?

The cardiovascular demands of hockey are very high, so pre-season training needs to be well-balanced so you will be prepared for the season but do not peak too early. Throughout the pre-season you should be performing a six-day rotation. This rotation will include two days with high-intensity anaerobic training using forty-five second shift intervals as your base. Another two days will be more endurance training around your anaerobic threshold to build work capacity needed for the long season. Two other days will be low-intensity recovery days to promote an aerobic base and recovery. At the beginning of the pre-season, you can slowly introduce skating on the endurance days to get the legs ready for more advanced skating while still working the cardiovascular system. As you progress in the pre-season, some of the higher interval days can also be on the ice. By the end of the pre-season, three to four days per week should be conditioning on the ice at different intensities, while always keeping the recovery days on a bike or in the pool.