Throwing in the Summer

Players like Eric Boulton and Chris Thorbun who have spent the last few summers doing some off-season work with a local boxing instructor named Amir Dodovic who has helped them their fitness as well as their “physical play”. Dodovic is a Muay Thai champion who is originally from Bosnia and Boulton gives him credit for helping him improve his punching speed, punching power, and overall fight defense. The improved cardio has been huge too. Boulton was involved in some extraordinarily long fights last season and he told me that he was more confident knowing he could outlast the other guy if an altercation went long. He didn’t mind taking some punches as much if he knew he’d tire the other guy out and get some solid shots in at the end. Spend a few minutes on hockeyfights.com and you’ll see a trend- Boulton almost always finished strong last season, and that’s thanks in part to Dodovic.

“I don’t even know if there’s been a discussion with Buffalo and my agent at all,” Peters said by phone Monday. “I know that there wasn’t up until July 1, and I don’t think there has been one since.

“It’s unfortunate, but I’ve enjoyed my time here. I’ve loved my time here. I’ve been through good times and bad, with successful teams and not-so-much. I’ve made some lifelong friends and played with some unbelievable guys. If that’s what I come out of hockey with is great friendships and 200 games in the NHL — more than I ever thought I’d play — I did it with a great organization.”