Q: Even though I've been doing lowerbody weight training for a while already( 60-120 pound weights) I experienced a moderate amount of muscle soreness in my legs after my first day of playing ball hockey. I thought that my weighttraing would have prevented this.but I would have to conclude that playing hockey targets certain muscles that the leg machines dont target.

A: It's not that different muscles are being used in hockey vs. weight training, but that very different metabolic demands are being put on those muscles in the two cases. Machine or freeweight weight training puts stress on the anaerobic systems while hockey puts stress on aerobic. Not only that, but muscle soreness can be extremely specific to a motion or a set of motions -- even a new weight-training exercise on a muscle that's already been weight-trained can cause soreness.

So it's not really fair to expect weight training in the offseason to eliminate muscle soreness in season. It may or may not have made some difference, but anyway that's not its goal -- the goal of weight training for atheletes is to develop strength and power aspects needed by the sport, not the endurance or aerobic recovery aspect of it. What will most likely happen going forward is that your soreness will diminish after future games and practices as your body gets used to the demands of the hockey season -- though it may not go away completely.