Former Hawks HPC coach lifts Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers

By: Fernando Bossoes
Humber Athletics Communications

Former Humber Hawks High Performance Centre (HPC) coach Anthony Moore is part of the performance department of the 2024 NHL champions Florida Panthers. With a resume that spans three different continents, Moore worked with Humber student-athletes for nearly two years before joining Florida as an assistant strength and conditioning coach. 

Moore's history with the sport dates back to when he started playing hockey at 10 years old. While having a deep passion for the game itself, Moore says the dry land training sessions, where hockey players train to increase power, mobility and flexibility, always captivated him. 

His interest in health and fitness took root during his time playing for the minor hockey organization Scarborough Young Bruins, where one of his trainers used to say that the players should treat their bodies like temples. 

"He was just relentless; he was intense, but I gravitated to it and worked hard. He was probably the one that lit that fire in me," Moore said. 

Moore's career path took several turns. He first attended Seneca College for a recreation degree and took a fitness-related course, which encouraged him to attend York University for kinesiology. 

During his time at York, Moore got his first experience working with players. One of his trainers connected him to a gym in Etobicoke, where he started training hockey players from different age groups during the summer. Little did he know that this experience would change his life forever, as he met then-Maple Leafs' strength and conditioning coach Anthony Belza. 

Moore shared with Belza his plans to pursue a career in firefighting, given his background in lifeguarding. However, he was surprised by the Leafs coach's response. 

"He was like, 'Man, why? You can definitely be a strength coach in the National Hockey League if you put your mind to it,'" Moore said. "To hear that from somebody that was already in that position, just providing some reassurance, I was like, maybe I can pursue that." 

Moore also got a chance to work with the York Lions' hockey team. However, as his degree was ending, one of his nutrition professors emphasized the importance of exploring different environments and perspectives, which triggered Moore to explore other avenues. He travelled to the other side of the globe to attend Bond University in Gold Coast, Australia, for his master's degree in sports science. 

From Australia, Moore went to New Zealand for his professional placement with Chiefs Rugby Club, where he had his first experience working in a high-performance professional sporting environment. There, despite the lows of intern duties – filling up water bottles, pumping rugby balls and doing the laundry – he valued the hands-on experience and day-to-day involvement with the team, running camps and warmups. 

At the end of his program, an opportunity would bring Moore back to Canada. Not completely happy on the sideline of Chiefs Rugby Club, Moore saw an advert for a position as a strength and conditioning coach with the Humber Hawks. Seeing this as an opportunity to be back to coaching and get back involved in hockey, Moore started leveraging his networks in Canada and saw that a familiar face, Joseph Latina, was the head coach of the Humber HPC program. 

"Joe [Joseph Latina] and I played hockey together, so when I saw the advert at Humber, I reached out," Moore said. "There are people you'll meet along the way that can prove to be long-standing relationships. You'll make connections that will help you out." 

Returning to Canada to coach, Moore got exactly what he wanted. "We were coaching all day, basically," he said. He highlights Humber as a great environment in which to gain experience and how the athletic department is filled with "good people." As Moore recalls his days as an HPC coach, he brings memories of working with Latina and former HPC coordinator Teresa Arnini and always interacting with the therapy department. He emphasizes the support the athletic department provides to student-athletes. 

"I've seen that space [HPC gym] transform people's lives. For the athletes, they are so fortunate to be in that [environment]. There's so much opportunity there," Moore said. 

After working at Humber for nearly two years from Aug. 2018 to Feb. 2020, Moore decided to proceed with his PhD, which was not only a quest for further education but a guaranteed three-year placement with a club. He travelled across the ocean once more to attend Leeds Beckett University in England, where he spent nearly three years working with the Leeds Rhinos Rugby League Club. 

"That was probably the most transformative stop in my journey so far," he said. Moore highlights working alongside a great team of sports scientists, nutritionists, sports psychologists and more. In Leeds, he had the opportunity to work closely with the team, running training drills, practices and conditioning the players. 

Moore says the experience was very fulfilling. Working simultaneously with the academy and the first team, he was able to see his players' development firsthand and play an essential piece in their transition from academy to first team. 

As he was going into the third year of his PhD and with Leeds Rhinos, Moore saw a position posted in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the affiliate of NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. Going back to the connections he made during his time at Humber, Moore reached out to apply for the performance coach and sports scientist position. 

The PhD degree would be moved remotely part-time in 2022, as Moore was headed back to North America to work in the AHL. 

A year after working in Wilkes-Barre, Moore's connections would strike again as one of his professors in Australia, Chris McLellan, is the vice president of sports performance for the Florida Panthers. McLellan reached out to talk about an opportunity, and Moore would move again, this time to work at a stage that he had always dreamed of being at as a kid. Being alongside the big guys in the NHL, he scored the position as an assistant strength and conditioning coach with the Panthers. 

Moore says there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work, such as packing and restocking equipment, late nights on the road and rehabbing players. But, he mentions that being surrounded by like-minded individuals and practitioners fostered success. For him, being part of the team that won Lord Stanley's chalice was not only rewarding but also a tremendous learning experience for his career. 

And, if Moore touched the cup? He did better than that. 

"I feel like as a strength coach, it's only natural for you to squat with the cup. So I did that," Moore said. 

As Moore reflects on his time working at Humber, he emphasizes the importance of the Hawks High Performance Centre for student-athletes. He personally recalls an experience from his first months working in the HPC, when a student-athlete approached him saying the gym was not for them and that Moore would not see the athlete frequenting the place. 

He calmly approached the athlete and listened to what they had to say, which he claims is one of his strengths, listening to athletes and making them feel heard and valued. 

"That's really the art of coaching, putting people first, and that's been a big contributor to my career path," Moore said. 

Moore says the athlete was one of the most consistent players in the gym, always present in team lifts and frequently coming on their own. He mentions that a couple of years later, he saw on an Instagram page that the athlete had started their own gym and was doing personal training. 

"I don't know if that was a direct relationship to me. But it's pretty interesting to see that pattern because you went from somebody that didn't care to step foot in the gym to somebody that owns their own gym," Moore said.                     

He goes on to say that the department is beneficial for athletes and coaches, developing their skills and encouraging students who aim for a career in the area to get involved with HPC. 

"There are the work student placements that we offer at HPC, and I'd encourage everybody to get involved in them," Moore said. 

Despite a long resume, Moore's career in professional hockey has just started, and he strives to learn and achieve more. 

Moore says he doesn't want to be just a good coach; he strives to be an excellent coach who delivers results. If a player wants to get faster, Moore aims to provide those results. He mentions his unstoppable desire to learn and refine his coaching abilities.

"I know that if I'm a better coach, I'm a better service to the athletes. I don't want just to be a good person, but I want to see results," Moore said. 

As Moore looks ahead to his future, the first bullet point on his to-do list is to finish his thesis, which, interestingly, would be more fulfilling to him than winning the Stanley Cup. Moore reiterates that he constantly talks about results, and finishing his thesis is achieving results. 

Aside from having the doctor title before his name, Moore wants to gain more experience in the strength and conditioning field, continue coaching and remain immersed in diverse environments. 

As he seeks to broaden his experience and advance his career, Moore remains committed to engaging in research, contributing to publications and entering academia to explore answers to his questions. 

"I want to just get experience in the trenches. I'd like to be involved with research, whether that's overseeing students or being part of publications. Then, eventually, when I'm done, I'd like to see where life takes me," Moore said.