Donoghue Getting Creative as Panthers Strength & Conditioning Coach

If you've been watching "Chats with the Cats" or reading "Cats Check-Ins" at FloridaPanthers.com in recent weeks, you've likely heard Mike Donoghue's name mentioned on more than a few occasions.

Since the NHL officially paused its season on March 12 due to the coronavirus, Donoghue, who is in his first season as Florida's head strength and conditioning coach after spending the previous campaign with the organization's AHL affiliate, has been tasked with keeping players in shape while living under quarantine.

"We just tried to make sure that guys had the logistics to run a program at their homes," Donoghue said in a recent phone interview. "The guys have been doing a good job. With so much time on their hands, I think training helps add some consistency to their day. The training can almost ease your mind a bit."

For Donoghue and his staff, logistics were the biggest hurdle to overcome initially.

Building upon the individualized workout plans he'd already developed for players throughout the season, the first few weeks of the quarantine were spent creating revamped training regimes that players could perform within the safety of their homes and with the equipment they had on hand.

But if players were missing anything from kettle bells to resistance bands, the Panthers stepped in.

"Do they have equipment? Do they not have equipment? Do they have space to run?" Donoghue said of the initial questions he faced. "If they didn't have the resources, we provided them as best we could."

Once players were taken care of, however, the team realized there was another group they could help.

A few weeks after the pause began, Panthers Senior Vice President Shawn Thornton reached out to Donoghue about the idea of creating a series of easy-to-access workout videos for fans that suddenly found themselves sitting at home and sinking into the couch with too much extra time on their hands.

Without hesitation, Donoghue jumped at the idea.

"I think if you can put out anything that's positive or constructive, it's a good thing," Donoghue told Thornton after hearing the pitch. "It gives people something to do to not only take up some time, but also keep their bodies healthy. After that talk, it felt like a good way to give people something to do."

Soon after that call, Donoghue got to work on crafting a series of videos that any fan could enjoy.

"There's a lot of exercise and videos and tutorials and a lot of content out there already, but a lot of the time it can be overwhelming," he said. "A lot of the stuff online is anywhere from a half hour or 45 minutes, which can be intimidating to a lot of people. I wanted to keep my videos to about 10 minutes."

Over the next two weeks, the Panthers released three unique workout videos featuring Donoghue on the team's social media channels. Aside from one video in which he enlisted the help of a cooler, all the clips could be done without the use of any added equipment, which made it easy for fans to get started.

From squats to pushups, the low-impact routines were designed to work as many muscles as possible.

"It pretty much came down to keeping things really simple and making sure that it was things people could do with mainly bodyweight," Donoghue said. "I wanted people to just smile and get in a good workout. You don't have to get to complete exhaustion. You can get as sweat and have some fun."

Looking ahead, Donoghue said that performing these online workouts has inspired him to consider adding an online element to his training with the Panthers. In the past, if a player had a question about something in his program, he'd fire up his phone, get on FaceTime and walk them through the workout.

But as players have become more comfortable using programs like Zoom for media-related purposes throughout this quarantine, the potential to someday hold group workouts online is certainly enticing.

"It's so simple to set up some of these video conferences," Donoghue said. "You can maybe help organize some workouts or informal training sessions. We have guys, especially prospects, scattered throughout the country. If they're on board, it's something that we can consider doing as a group."

In the meantime, Donoghue encourages all fans to put the online video clips he's already produced to good use not only now, but even when things get back to normal. After all, even if you're not a world-class athlete like Aleksander Barkov or Jonathan Huberdeau, it doesn't mean you can't be in shape.

"From getting a good night sleep to getting a little exercise and eating healthy, people are seeing the benefits," he said. "It's a good way to support yourself mentally and physically. It's so easy to sit and do nothing, but then you can get down on yourself and get in a rut. You've got to prioritize yourself and make sure that you have the means to say I'm worth it and I'm going to give myself these 10 minutes."

If you'd like to check out Donoghue's workouts, all three sessions can be found below!