Top 10 things you'll find NHL players doing in the summer

Editor's note:Nolan Muller is a member of the 2022-23 NHL Power Players, a youth advisory board for the League. Muller, 17, from Oakville, Ontario, has been playing hockey for the Oakville Rangers Hockey Club since he was 6 and says his best memories of growing up were spent at the rink or with his teammates travelling to tournaments. In a special article for NHL.com, Muller writes about what NHL players do in the offseason.

Let's be real -- the NHL regular season is challenging and grueling. It's 82 games, and half of those involve flying all over North America, not to mention the Stanley Cup Playoffs that stretch into June for those lucky enough to reach the Stanley Cup Final. With hockey being a physically demanding sport, and with little time for players to rest and recover between games, players take full advantage of the offseason to relax and recharge.

After a deep dive into players' social media accounts, here are 10 of the most popular pastimes you'll find your favorite players up to once the season ends.

1. Sleeping

Hockey players are known for their pregame ritual of a good nap. Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes is a big fan of hitting the hay.

"I take a lot of naps, I love naps, I'm a big advocate for naps so anytime I have time to just shut my eyes at like 2 p.m., sometimes I take them later like 7 p.m.," he said

. "I love naps so I just take as many as I can." The offseason is a perfect time to catch up on all those Z's, right Seth?

2. Going home

There's nothing more relaxing than being around friends and family. During the grueling regular season and playoffs, players don't always have the opportunity to spend time with the ones they love as much as they would like. So, once the offseason hits, they pack their bags and fly home for quality hometown time. Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils said that

, because as he says, "The highlight for my offseason is for sure just seeing friends, family, being back home."

Edmonton Oilers forward Mattias Janmark said that

to Stockholm, Sweden.

"I have my friends and family here, so to come home in the summer to spend time with them, that's what's special," he says.

3. Chilling at the cottage

NHL players love their lake time. Spending as much time as you can at the cottage is a great way to relax in the offseason. Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin loves it so much he goes to the

.

"The most common summer daily routine is waking up, going to the gym and most days it's going up north. Usually the pups, the dogs are swimming with me on the lake," he said in a YouTube video. "It's about an hour and 20 minutes from the gym to the door of the cottage and I'll usually go back to sleep when I get there and then go fishing for a few hours."

4. Eating

During the regular season, players try to stay fit and trim. But when the offseason hits, the feast can begin. Minnesota Wild defenseman John Klingberg said

that he enjoys a Swedish delicacy in the summer.

"Usually in August, you have a crayfish party and you buy a lot of crayfish and shrimps and you like build your own sandwich with onions and squirting some lemon on it," Klingberg says.

For Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Zach Bogosian, it's all about grilling up the red meat. "The guys all know that I love the grill. It's something over the years that I've grown to love. Hockey, hunting, fishing, and grilling are like my four things that I'm obsessed with," he said during his YouTube show, "Bogo's BBQ."

"We'll get everyone together, cook up some meat, have a few beers, some laughs, watch some football … sounds like the perfect day to me," he said.

5. Dog days

There's nothing better than coming home to the face of your furry friend. You'll find a lot of players spending their summer days like Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews, who says on his perfect day he will "maybe play a little tennis. Definitely taking Felix for either a walk or to the dog park and then maybe grabbing lunch or something," he said on YouTube.

Montreal Canadiens forward Sean Monahan also looks for quality time with his pooch, saying "My favorite pastime is probably hanging out with my dog and my wife. And just relaxing."

6. Getting married

Weddings require a lot of planning and are almost impossible to pull off during the regular season, so that means the offseason is prime NHL wedding season. Once the offseason hits, players must jump in and make sure they have everything just right for the big day.

"I'm probably more involved than you'd think,"

Alex Kerfoot on YouTube. "I would be but less involved than my fiancée would want me to be. I've been helping out, doing a lot of stuff, having meetings with our wedding planner and we've been talking about lots of things. We're both obviously really excited for the wedding, but it's a lot of work."

His teammate, Mitchell Marner, says he has tried to

, but he only had one big request: "That it's a party and everyone has a lot of fun and it's talked about. A lot of great drinks, a lot of great company. That's all I'm making sure of."

7. Getting their summer jam on

Summer and tunes go together like a stick and a puck. So of course, NHL players kick back and listen to tunes in the offseason. Maple Leafs captain John Tavares likes

on Lake Ontario.

"I've always enjoyed going to the Budweiser Stage, there for a nice outdoor concert, it's always a good time," he said on YouTube.

Winnipeg Jets forward Cole Perfetti says when the temperatures go up, he

.

"In the summer it's definitely country music, I don't really listen to anything else," he said in a video shared by the Jets on YouTube, adding his favorite "would probably be Thomas Rhett."

8. Watching TV

Sometimes, you just want to be a couch potato, NHL players are no different. Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki says

is "The Office."

"I binge watch it all the time and I have a lot of fun watching it," Suzuki said in the Canadiens "Ask a Hab" video.

Goaltender Antti Raanta, on

, said he agrees with Suzuki; he says he's watched "The Office" 15 times!

9. Golfing

Players tend to go from the ice to the links as quickly as they can. Winnipeg's Josh Morrissey likes golf so much he even named his dog, Ace, for the sport.

"I like to play golf in the offseason, I'm still sort of in search of that hole in one which could be called an Ace," he said on YouTube, "and hopefully I can get one in golf as well."

Golf is a highlight for Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche. He likes time spent on the greens too. "Play some golf, get outside a little bit, see some grass, get a little chirp in, stuff like that. That's the best."

10. And finally ... spending a day with the Stanley Cup

Only one team gets to have the ultimate offseason pastime. And that's spending the day with the Stanley Cup. Each member of the winning team gets to bring hockey's biggest prize to their hometown to do whatever they want. When Mathieu Joseph won the Cup with Tampa Bay, he ate poutine out of it.

Phil Kessel also ate out of the Cup, enjoying hot dogs while golfing after he won the trophy with the Pittsburgh Penguins. And last season, Avalanche forward J.T. Compher took the Cup home to Northbrook, Illinois, and ate his mom's famous chocolate chip pancakes out of the bowl.

No matter who you are, all NHL players agree that a perfect NHL summer involves being outside, family, and food. And for a select few, a day with Lord Stanley.