Do Hockey Players Sweat in a Cold Rink? Yes. Here's Why
The ice is cold. Under full gear, you still sweat, and you rarely feel thirsty. Here's what the hockey research shows and a simple bench-and-bag routine.
Yes, you sweat in a cold rink. The ice is cold, but you're not: full gear, hard skating and long shifts make heat and sweat the same way they do in any other sport. In one study of elite junior players, the average sweat rate in a 1 hour practice was 1.8 L per hour, in an arena at about 14 °C. Below, you'll see why the cold hides it, where drinks get missed, and a simple bench-and-bag routine for practices and games.
Yes, you sweat in a cold rink.
Cold air changes how you feel. It doesn't change what skating hard does to your body. Muscles make heat. Your body sweats to manage it. That fluid, and the sodium in it, leaves whether the building feels cold or not.
Researchers have measured it. Palmer and Spriet (2008) tracked 44 candidates for Canada's junior men's team through four intense 1 hour practices at 13.9 °C and 66% relative humidity. Sweat rate averaged 1.8 L per hour. Players replaced 58% of it, and sodium loss averaged 2.26 g over the practice.
The game figures come from a second study of 24 elite male junior players. Average sweat loss was 3.2 L, and net fluid intake was 2.1 L.
How to read these numbers: they're averages from elite, male, junior-aged players. Your rate will differ. A study of female players found sweat rates in practice of 0.99 L per hour for Olympic players, 0.67 for varsity and 0.42 for recreational players. Sweat rises with intensity and level. It doesn't drop to zero at the rec level.
Full gear traps the heat.
Helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, shin guards, pants, jersey. Most of your body is covered in padding and layers. Sweat is only useful if it can evaporate, and under gear it has less open skin to do that.
That part is basic physiology, not a finding from the studies above, which measured fluid loss rather than gear. The point for you is simple: the cold on your face is not a measure of what's happening under your jersey.
Add the work itself. Hockey is repeated hard bursts: a stride, a battle, a change. The heat builds under the gear even when the rink is chilly.
Why you don't feel thirsty on the ice.
Nothing on the ice tells you to drink. Your face is cool, the air is cold, and the sweat is hidden under pads. The hockey research shows the gap between what players lose and what they drink.
- In the junior practice study, more than 50% of players started practice mildly dehydrated, based on urine specific gravity.
- Players drank only water during practice and replaced no sodium. One third lost more than 1% of body mass, even with coaches giving plenty of chances to drink.
- In the game study, one third of players did not drink enough to keep their sweat losses under 2% of body mass.
The studies also say what they don't show. Research in many sports suggests a loss of about 2% of body mass impairs performance, but the game study notes this hadn't been tested in hockey. Also, some groups drink enough: in a study of female varsity players, voluntary intake kept body mass losses under 1% in games. Some players do this well. Many don't, and you can't tell which you are by feel.
Shifts, bench time and missed drinks.
Hockey's structure works against drinking. You're on the ice for a short shift, then on the bench with the play going on. In the game study, defencemen averaged about 24 minutes of playing time. The rest of the game was bench, intermissions and stoppages.
That looks like plenty of chances. In practice drinks get missed:
- You're watching the play, not thinking about the bottle.
- Bench time is short, and a quick sip is easy to skip.
- Pre-game, many players arrive already behind. About half of the players in the female varsity study arrived mildly dehydrated.
Sodium is part of the picture too. In the game study, estimated sweat sodium loss was 3.1 g against an intake of 0.8 g, leaving a sodium deficit by the end. Water alone contains no meaningful sodium to close that gap, so what you put in your bottle is worth a look. Check the label of any drink for what's in it.
A bench-and-bag drinking routine.
Don't try to drink a lot all at once. Build drinking into the moments the game already gives you.
Drink with your pre-game meal and keep sipping. Aim to arrive at the rink already topped up, not catching up.
Get your bottle ready before you dress, with the drink you've chosen for the bag. It's easier before the pads go on.
Every shift change, take a sip. Make the change itself the cue. Leave the bottle in the same spot each time so you don't have to look for it.
Drink first, then talk tactics. Check the label of your drink for what's in it, and follow its directions.
Keep drinking in the car and at home. If you want to know roughly how much fluid you lost, weigh yourself before and after in similar light clothing, towelled dry. The difference shows the fluid that left your body during the session.
A cold rink hides sweat. It doesn't stop it. Pick the cue (a shift change, a whistle, an intermission), sip every time, and keep a drink in the bag that you've already checked the label on.
Grab-and-go for the bag
For travel days and tournaments, keep it simple. BioSteel Hydration Mix and the ready-to-drink hydration drinks are the grab-and-go options. Pick one for the bag and read its label for what's in it and how to use it.
Whatever you choose, practise it. Don't try a new drink for the first time in a playoff game.
Hockey hydration, answered.
Do hockey players really sweat that much in a cold arena?
Yes. In the studies above, elite junior players averaged 1.8 L per hour in a hard practice held at about 14 °C, and 3.2 L over a game. Recreational players sweat less, but still lose fluid and sodium.
How do I know if I'm drinking enough on the ice?
Weigh yourself before and after a session, with similar clothing and towelled dry. The difference shows roughly how much fluid you lost, which you can compare with what you drank. It's a rough guide, not a medical measure.
Is water enough for a hockey practice?
For a short, easy skate, water may do. For hard practices and games, players lose sodium as well as fluid. In the junior practice study, players drank water only and replaced none of the 2.26 g of sodium they lost on average.
What should kids and youth players drink at the rink?
Follow the label on any product, and talk to a doctor or dietitian about your child's needs. For the routine, the same habits apply: arrive topped up and sip at every break.
Plan the drinks like you plan the shifts.
You don't feel the sweat, so don't wait to feel the thirst. Get your bottle ready before you dress, sip at every shift change, and drink up between periods. Explore BioSteel Hydration Mix and the ready-to-drink hydration drinks, then pick the one that fits your bag.
References & further reading
Disclaimer: This article is for general information and isn't medical advice. The studies cited measured players' sweat, fluid and sodium, not BioSteel's finished products. Results are averages and don't predict your own sweat rate.
