Catering to the new NHL

The rigours of NHL travel have forced some Western Conference teams to change their approach.

In the past, they would leave town in the late afternoon, getting to the destination city in the early evening.

The team bus would take the players to the hotel, then most of them would go out for dinner -- invariably to a steak house.

But now, in order to give the players more time with their families or to allow them to get more rest, the catering is sometimes done on the plane.

The flight leaves in the early evening, rather than late afternoon and, as soon as it's at cruising level, first-class food, catered by one of the best local steak houses, is served.

The players get the same type of high-quality meal they would get on the ground, but they get it in a much more convenient fashion.