Pre-Game Meals for Hockey Players: The Ultimate Game Day Nutrition Guide

As hockey continues to get faster, more athletic, and more dynamic – the physical demands on a player’s body has never been higher. 

This also means the preparation is more important than ever before. 

And while most players these days understand the value of a high quality warm-up, many players fail to get serious about getting high quality nutrition to fuel their body in the lead up to stepping on the ice. 

The reality is: if you’re failing to fuel, you’re failing to thrive. 

So that’s why we wanted to create the guide that answers one of our most common questions from hockey players who are serious about their performance: what should hockey players eat before a game? 

Why Game Day Nutrition Matters for Hockey Players

Before we dive into the exact meals you should be eating, let’s just really create clarity on why the fast food or low nutrient meal isn’t cutting it for hockey players. 

Hockey is a unique beast from a physiological standpoint. 

It demands explosive power, sustained energy through repeated high-intensity shifts, rapid recovery between shifts, and mental sharpness throughout the game.

Your nutrition directly impacts every one of these performance factors:

• Energy availability — Properly timed carbohydrates ensure your muscle glycogen is topped off for explosive movements and sustained effort
• Mental focus — Blood sugar stability from smart nutrition choices keeps your brain functioning at its peak for better decision-making
• Recovery between shifts — The right nutrients help clear metabolic waste products faster, getting you ready for your next shift
• Delayed fatigue — Strategic fueling pushes back the wall that many players hit in the third period

So while you can be dialled in at practice all week, if your nutrition sucks – you’re robbing yourself of optimal performance on the ice. 

It’s like tuning up an F1 car and then putting low grade gas into it. 

The Complete Game Day Nutrition Timeline

Alright so let’s actually get into it. 

First, it’s important to note that with our players – we never just consider the “pre-game meal” when it comes to performance nutrition. 

We want to create an entire day of optimized nutrition & hydration so that your body has exactly what it needs to perform – not just a last minute carb dump for some short-term energy. 

So let’s look at what an optimized full day of nutrition looks like for hockey players on game day: 

Meal #1: Morning (Breakfast: 7:00-8:00 AM)

This meal sets the foundation for your entire day. Your goals are to:

• Begin rebuilding liver glycogen that was depleted overnight
• Provide stable energy for school/work
• Start your hydration process

Overall, this is what sets the tone for the rest of the day. A healthy & protein rich breakfast also has been shown to lead people to making better decisions later in the day. 

Sample Meal:

• 3-4 eggs with veggies (and potentially cheese)
• Handful of nuts & berries or some sort of fresh fruit
• Either the eggs on wraps or toast 
• 16-20 oz water with a pinch of salt

Meal #2: Mid-Morning Snack (10:00-11:00 AM)

On game days, we like to ensure our players aren’t getting hungry or thirsty throughout the day. This means fuelling throughout the day without huge meals that will lead to bloating or spikes & crashes. 

Sample Snack:

• Greek yogurt with granola and fruit
• Handful of mixed nuts
• 16-20 oz of water

Meal #3: Lunch (12:00-1:00 PM)

Lunch is a secret key for hockey players. Because it’s further away from game-time, it’s the perfect  opportunity to get in high quality nutrients from higher fibre, protein, or fat sources without concerns of bloating or digestion issues. 

Plus, we’ve found that some of our elite players hate eating large or feeling too full heading to the rink. If that’s the case, we’ll really prioritize lunch & make it a generous portion and then taper down meals towards game time.

Sample Meal:

• Turkey or chicken sandwich on whole grain bread (bonus points for avocado)
• Side salad with olive oil dressing
• Piece of fruit (apple, orange, or banana)
• 16-20 oz water

Meal #4: After-School/Work Pre-Game Meal (3:30-4:00 PM)

Now we're getting into the crucial pre-game window. Here we want to taper down fibre, fats, and proteins, and start to increase carbs. While other players think of this as a snack & then have a meal closer to the game – we prefer our players to consider this a meal & then have a smaller snack closer to game time. 

This ensures that they have ample time for digestion & nutrient absorption. 

Sample Meal:

• 4-6 oz grilled chicken
• 1-1.5 cups white rice or pasta
• Optional: Steamed or roasted vegetables (small portion)
• 16-20 oz water or electrolyte drink

Meal 5: Pre-Game Snack (5:30-6:00 PM)

Alright so this is considered our “pre-game meal” – and while it looks more like a snack, we’ve found that this lighter, but carb focused, meal can be a real performance boost for hockey players 60-90 minutes before game time. 

Keep it light, easily digestible, and carb-focused. We’ll often borrow Sidney Crosby’s favourite pre-game meal, the peanut butter and jam sandwich. He often gets to the rink & makes this before his warm up. The peanut butter serves as a nice fat/protein source to slow carb absorption so it’s not too much of a glucose spike. 

Sample Meal:

• Peanut butter & jam sandwich
• Berries or fruits like oranges
• 8-12 oz of sports drink (sipped, not chugged)

During Game

Okay so we’re not done there. 

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Once we get on the ice, we’re still focusing on hydration. 

We like our players to be sipping some sort of electrolyte mix both before the game and then in-between periods – while also continuing to drink water on the bench. 

Some sport nutritionists will recommend sugar sources for players between games (this is typically a banana, but we even met one nutritionist who recommended candies/soda). 

Generally we don’t recommend this to players (and never recommend the candy/soda approach).

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While some players respond super well to banana or oranges in-between periods, we’ve seen other players say it upsets their stomach and bloats them.

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This is something worth testing yourself as it seems highly individualized. 

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Meal #6: Post-Game Recovery (Immediately after)

Alright so despite being an article about “pre-game meals” – we’ve definitely hijacked the topic in hopes that you’ll consider “game day nutrition” instead. 

Not only does that mean the lead up to game, but it also means the post game. 

While the importance of nutrition has become mainstream for hockey players, it’s still shocking the amount of teams that order pizza post game. I was with an OHL team last season when their assistant coach brought 28 pizzas to the bus. 

Insanity. 

The post-game window is key for recovery – and fuelling that recovery is key. 

We typically like our players to aim to get in a medium-sized meal after a game. This means some sort of protein (beef, chicken, fish) along with some sort of carb (rice, pasta), and some sort of veggie. 

This is typically what you’ll see post-NHL game, where they have high quality and nutrient dense meals aimed at replenishing their body of key nutrients. 

But we know this often isn’t always possible. Sometimes players are on the road with mom & dad, or on the bus with 28 pizzas. 

If this is the case, we hand a small handful of priorities where if you hit this – you’ll still be giving your body what it needs to recover (and be ahead of 90% of players).

1. 30g of protein. Some of our players prepare meals (steak wrap, ground beef with rice) while others just straight up throw protein powder into a shaker and fill it up before leaving the rink. This should be the priority (and then could potentially justify post-game pizza). 
2. Some sort of light carb. This is especially important if you have a game the next day as you need to start now to replenish your glycogen storages. 
3. Hydration formula. Try and get some sort of electrolytes in post-game.

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Alright so that is what we consider the perfect game day nutrition for hockey players. 

We’ve been fortunate enough to work with countless dietitians and nutritionists through different professional teams, and routinely this formula really has become the best practice for players. 

Game Day Nutrition Priorities

So when it comes to nutrition – we rarely prescribe exact meal plans or diets. 

Nutrition is hyper individualized & it’s important that players find what works best for them. Some players won’t digest rice well. Some need veggies to slow carb digestion, while others will bloat and feel bad. 

It really comes down to understanding the priorities and then testing to find the foods that work best for you. 

There’s a lot of value in finding your ideal meals & sticking to it. 

So let’s define these key priorities so that you can start to think how to best fuel your body: 

1. Glycogen Maximization

Your muscles store carbohydrates as glycogen, which fuels explosive skating, shooting, and checking. To maximize these stores:

• Consume 1-2g of carbs per kg of bodyweight in your pre-game meal
• Choose easily digestible sources like white rice, pasta, or potatoes, find what works best for you. 
• Add a small amount of protein to stabilize blood sugar, we rarely want just carbs. 

2. Hydration Optimization

We’ve written entire articles on hydration. But it’s important to consider it a full day focus. Dehydration of just 2% can significantly impact performance. 

Strategic hydration includes:

• Starting early in the day (pale yellow urine is your goal)
• Adding electrolytes, especially sodium, to maintain fluid balance
• Consuming 16-20 oz of fluid 3-4 hours before the game
• Sipping 8-12 oz of fluid in the final hour before competition
• Considering hydration formulas pre-game & in-between periods

3. GI Comfort

Nothing derails performance like digestive distress. 

If you head to the ice feeling like you have an epic fart brewing – trust me, you’re not eating properly for your body. 

Double down on testing the foods you feel best with & prioritize:

• Foods you know work well for your body
• Reducing fiber intake as you get closer to game time
• Minimal fat in the pre-game meal to speed gastric emptying
• Avoiding potential irritants like spicy foods, excessive dairy, or gas-producing vegetables

4. Mental Focus Fuel

Your brain runs on glucose, so stable blood sugar equals better decision-making on the ice:

• Avoid high-sugar foods that cause crashes
• Combine carbs with small amounts of protein and fat earlier in the day
• Opt for easily digestible carbs closer to game time

Sample Pre-Game Meals for Hockey Players

So despite saying that we don’t prescribe exact meals to players, we still continue to get asked by players & parents for sample meals. 

So we’ve created 3 options that can serve as a good place to start while testing your own pre-game meals. 

These meals are so common amongst our pros & elite junior/NCAA players that it’s rare a player says they’re eating something other than these 3 things. 

So let’s explore some examples: 

3-4 Hours Before Game

Option 1: Chicken & Rice Bowl

• 4-6 oz grilled chicken breast
• 1-1.5 cups white rice
• Small amount of steamed vegetables
• Olive oil (1 tsp) and low-sodium soy sauce

Option 2: Pasta Performance Plate

• 1.5-2 cups pasta
• 3-5 oz lean ground turkey with minimal sauce
• Small side salad with light dressing

Option 3: Sandwich & Fruit Combo

• Turkey or chicken sandwich on white bread
• Banana or apple
• Small handful of pretzels/crackers
• 16-20 oz water or sports drink

1-2 Hours Before Game

Keep it simple and easily digestible at this stage:

Option 1: Smoothie Solution

• Banana
• 1/2 cup berries
• 1 scoop protein powder
• Water or almond milk
• 1 tbsp honey

Option 2: Carb-Focused Snack

• Rice cakes (2-3) with honey/peanut butter
• Small banana
• 8-12 oz sports drink

Option 3: On The Go Pre-Game

• Peanut butter & jam sandwich (opt for high quality bread)
• Apple or orange
• 8-12 oz water

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Putting It All Together: Your Game Day Nutrition Gameplan

At Relentless – we believe in doing the simple things savagely well. This is our approach to our hockey training programs & it’s the approach to nutrition. 

Skip the gels, potions, and secret sauce and commit to getting in high quality & whole food nutrition. 

If you’re looking for more game day resources, make sure you check out more of the Relentless blog – and if you’re ready to get serious with elevating your performance to the next level, make sure you check out hockey training systems. 

Stay relentless! 

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