See more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred Source If Andy O’Brien can do for the Maple Leafs what he did for veterans Sidney Crosby and John Tavares, the fitness level of Maple Leafs old and young will benefit. Confirming a report last week from the Toronto Sun’s Steve Simmons, the Leafs have hired the high-profile O’Brien, the long-time personal trainer to highly decorated Pittsburgh Penguin Crosby and their own former captain, Tavares, as new head of Sport Performance.
In his role as a hockey office vice-president, O’Brien will oversee “all areas pertaining to performance optimization, including strength and conditioning, sport science, nutrition, injury rehabilitation and mental performance” according to a club news release. Also added were Dr. Craig Slaunwhite as Director of Health and Performance Integration, Jason Martin as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Josh Crouse as assistant and Dr. Jordan Shallow as Human Performance Consultant.
General manager John Chayka continues a major overhaul of the entire hockey department, with an eye to more use of analytics. The three top names listed in the team’s conditioning department, Louis Rojas, Artie Hairston and Trevor Bartoli, were let go last week. “We are thrilled to welcome Andy and his team and look forward to the impact they will have on the organization,” Chayka said.
“Providing every resource possible to help our players perform at their best is the highest priority at every level of the organization. Our ownership group has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to investing in player care, the player experience, and the resources required to help our players succeed every day. “Andy’s record as an innovator and winner, coupled with his values, philosophy and vision, are wholly aligned with what we are building here in Toronto.” SIMMONS SAYS: Is Macklin Celebrini ready to handle his new status as the NHL's highest-paid player?
Maple Leafs bolster front office with several additions WHO IS ANDY O’BRIEN? The 49-year-old Charlottetown, P.E.I., native O’Brien is founder and president of O’Brien Sport with 25 years’ experience in various roles of athlete performance. Most recently, he was with Cizzle Brands Inc.
as their Chief Performance Officer since 2024 and Junxion Performance as Director of Sport Science, Player Health and Performance since 2021. In addition to his ties with Crosby, he has been High Performance Consultant for the Florida Panthers since 2021, building much of the program it’s hoped he can bring to the Leafs. Prior to that, he spent six years with the Penguins after first coming to Florida in 2005 as head strength and conditioning coach.
That’s four combined Stanley Cup winners and five appearances in the final. His private training practice has several clients in the pro and Olympic fields, including Crosby, who turns 39 this week and Tavares, who reaches 36 next month. O’Brien holds high performance camps annually in both Vail, Col., and Halifax, N.S., whose attendees include Connor McDavid, Cale Makar and former Leaf Mitch Marner.
Crosby has credited O’Brien with shaping his Hall of Fame-bound career. O’Brien, who has an M.S. in Kinesiology from A.T.
Still University and a B.A. in Psychology from Western University, said in the release he’s “incredibly honoured” to join Toronto. “From my first discussions with John and the leadership group, it was clear that this organization is dedicated to industry-leading player care and supporting the individual athlete in every way possible.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with such an exceptional staff as we serve our players en route to our ultimate goal.” WHO ARE THE REST Of THE NEW STAFF? The well-travelled Slaunwhite was most recently in high performance roles for the Shanghai Dragons of the KHL, the Jordan Basketball Federation and Acadia University. In the NHL, his employers included the Columbus Blue Jackets, Winnipeg Jets, the Panthers and the NBA Sacramento Kings.
Martin was Player Development Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Pens, while joining O’Brien as Manager, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Toronto-based Junxion. Crouse spent last season as Director of Performance with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL after seven years at St. Francis Xavier, while a skills Instructor in the university’s Human Kinetics Department.
Shallow, a Sheridan College grad, has worked with teams and athletes across the NHL, NFL and MLB, and with athletes in pro tennis and bodybuilding. He’s co-founder and president of Pre-Script, a biomechanics and resistance training certification program, since 2016. Lhornby@postmedia.com On X: @sunhornby RECOMMENDED VIDEO