Contributor Bryce Salvador
When I came back from hell in 2011, I had a very specific routine, and most people, including some of my teammates, called me crazy.
On the road, the first thing I would do when I got to my hotel room was unplug all the lamps right by the bed. Then I’d unscrew all the bulbs in the remaining lamps and put them in a drawer. Anything with an annoying power light? I’d unplug it.
Coffee maker, alarm clock, iPod dock, TV, fridge. Boom. Unplugged.
Then I’d unzip my suitcase and take out the good stuff.
The red-spectrum light bulbs.
Once I’d installed those bad boys in the lamps, I was almost ready to go. But just in case I wanted to watch some highlights on TV before bed, I would put my Cocoon blue-light-blocking sunglasses on the nightstand.
If one of my teammates came by to borrow some toothpaste or something, it probably looked like they were walking into a darkroom where I was developing photos as a side gig.
I didn’t care. I was ready for bed. Look, I was 35 years old and I had just missed the entire 2010—2011 NHL season. This is what I had to do each night in order to recover. I couldn’t be dragging ass, I needed to be fresh or I’d become a liability.
Read the rest of my story here at The Players' Tribune.
content ©2016 The Players' Tribune, Photograph by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images. All Rights Reserved.
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