Rem Pitlick pulled a pair of blue surgical gloves from his backpack and snapped them onto his hands.
Usually, those hands are ensconced in bulkier maroon hockey gloves and handling a stick. But on this February afternoon, Pitlick's nimble fingers wash mushrooms, chop sweet potatoes and sear a pork loin.
As the protective gear suggests, though, Pitlick's approach to the culinary arts is fairly clinical. While the junior center for the Gophers cooks nearly every meal for himself, it's not always about the fancy recipe, the artful presentation or even the taste. Cooking is simply a way for the NHL hopeful to control what he eats and thus optimize his performance on the ice.
"I eat a lot just to get it down," Pitlick said. "It's not always good."
That might be a bit of modesty showing, as the rosemary-and-thyme pork loin with roasted sweet potatoes, mushrooms and broccolini he later pulled from the oven smelled, looked and, yes, tasted delicious.
But there's no doubt Pitlick's focus on food the past two years has translated to his play. The Plymouth native has led the team in points the past two seasons and enters Friday's home game against Arizona State with 17 goals and 21 assists.
"I can see it in every meal he cooks," said sophomore forward Scott Reedy, one of Pitlick's roommates. "He's got the vegetable, the carb, the protein and different types of fats and seeds. Pretty much everything. And he's got his shakes as well that he does and his salads after his meal. So I'd say it's definitely similar to something Tom Brady does."
Pitlick admitted the six-time Super Bowl champion quarterback has been an inspiration. Brady wrote a book about an intense diet that he thinks will keep him playing at a peak level until his mid-40s. Pitlick said he doesn't follow a specific diet, but he avoids processed foods, eats a variety of fruits and vegetables and drinks at least a gallon of water per day.