The Canucks have a secret weapon: sleep

The Vancouver Canucks have been wearing the latest in sleep technology, the ReadiBand, to help be their sharpest at game time. June 15, 2011. (CTV)

The Vancouver Canucks have a hidden advantage when they hit the ice against the Boston Bruins in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and it comes from how much time they spend on their backs.

That secret weapon is sleep.

As the team with the most away-game wins in the NHL this year, the franchise knows that a good night's sleep is critical and they've brought in a sleep consultant to ensure that happens.

Players have been wearing the latest in sleep technology, the ReadiBand, 24 hours a day for months. They're the only team in the NHL to do so.

The watch-like device measures minute movements of the wrist, second to second, even when you're asleep. Too much movement at night means players aren't getting enough deep sleep, a key factor in on-ice performance.

The ReadiBand data is downloaded and analyzed. It helps the Canucks decide the best times to travel, train, sleep and hopefully win.

"Especially with our travel, just knowing how to recover, what to do to be best prepared to play-- it's been good," said winger Tanner Glass.

Right winger Jannik Hansen agrees.

"It's something carried over to the playoff, so we're just trying to optimize the way to make sure we're travelling at the right times and sleeping at the right times," he said.

The director of Fatigue Science, Pat Bryne, said having effective sleep habits gives the boys in blue and green a significant competitive advantage.

"Whether you're a Canuck, or any other kind of player, if you can see a report that shows you how you sleep, that affects your reaction time during games, that gives you an opportunity and impetus to change your sleep patterns, because every professional sports player I've worked with around the world wants to beat the next guy," Byrne said.

London Drugs pharmacies are already dispensing the bands and follow-up data for $40 a week. Safeway pharmacies will begin carrying the bands later this summer.

With a report from CTV British Columbia's Peter Grainger