On defense with Alan Leggett

On defense with Alan Leggett
By Bob Cunningham
Oct 30, 2001, 11:08

There are many subtle, and even not-so-subtle, differences between ice hockey and its thawed cousin, roller hockey. And the trick to effectively taking advantage of those variations, says defenseman Alan Leggett, is to know how you’re affected by the differences—rather than just identifying what they are.

For instance, notes Leggett, who skates with the San Diego Barracudas of Roller Hockey International, it is widely accepted that roller hockey is slower than the frozen version. The puck doesn’t move as quickly, and neither do the players. But that comparative lack of mobility in roller hockey is exactly why a defenseman is more likely to get burned if he’s not careful.

“It’s an adjustment to be able to learn to maneuver on roller blades, because you can’t cut and stop and switch directions,” says Leggett, a player-coach for the Barracudas. “I’ve been fortunate in that regard. I’ve been able to make the adjustment pretty easily.”

Not every RHI player, says Leggett, makes the transition so smoothly. Virtually every RHI player has significant ice hockey experience.

“Some guys will go the whole year without really getting comfortable,” Leggett observes. “They get frustrated. They can’t mentally adjust.”

Still, when you come down to the nitty-gritty, a fundamentally sound roller hockey defenseman has a familiar top priority: stop the opposing team from scoring. Then, if the opportunity presents itself, take advantage of your own scoring chances.

“Defense (comes) first,” Leggett confirms. “When the opportunity arises, sure, you go after it. I guess it’s a matter of jumping up in a play rather than leaving a play. Some defensemen, in this league as well as ice hockey, are very offensive defenseman. I’m more conservative.”

Leggett, a native of Wainwright, Alberta, has played professional hockey since 1989. His ice hockey roots go from Virginia to Czechoslovakia to the San Diego Gulls of the International Hockey League to Raleigh, NC. He joined the Barracudas prior to this season.

Before embarking on his professional career, he was a four-year member of the vaunted Bowling Green University ice hockey program.

Leggett’s best season, statistically speaking, was 1992/93, when he garnered 79 points in 64 games with the ECHL’s Raleigh IceCaps. So, he can play some offense, too.

“I certainly try take advantage of the opportunities,” he says. “I just don’t put scoring ahead of preventing the other team from scoring.”

At 6’2” and 205 pounds, Leggett has the prerequisite size to be physical, but he says he bangs only when necessary, again because in roller hockey it’s so easy to get locked out of a play through lack of recovery time.

“I’m not a Scott Stevens sort of guy, where I try to hit everything that moves,” Leggett says. “But I’m not a Paul Coffey, either. I’m somewhere in between.”

“A thinking man’s game”

Leggett notes that, overall, roller hockey isn’t as physical as ice hockey. The reason?

“I really think a lot has to do with not being able to take chances. It’s a thinking man’s game. Not that you don’t have to think in ice hockey, but I believe it might even be more important in roller hockey.”

Adding pressure to the roller hockey defenseman’s role is the lack of a blueline in the RHI. Offenses can pass the puck into the scoring zone immediately upon crossing the red line.

“Without a blueline, they can make a pass from the red line right to the goal,” Leggett says. “That makes it even easier for a defenseman to wind up out of position—and again, once you’re out of position in roller hockey, it’s tougher to recover.”

Leggett believes that, as in all sports, the mental approach to roller hockey is often more important that what a player is capable of physically. And the right mental balance, he says, is an attitude of confidence tempered by realism.

“That’s one thing that I see that gets to a lot of younger players. They go into a game with a lack of confidence,” Leggett explains. “You certainly don’t want to be overconfident. But you have to know you can play. You have to know that if you’re faced with a situation where you’re the only one that can prevent that goal, that you’re up to it.

“A lot of younger players lack that, because they don’t have the experience.”

Now that’s he an assistant coach as well as a player, Leggett, who will be 30 this month, wants to instill that confidence in younger charges on the Barracudas.

“It’s really important to believe in yourself and what you can do.” l

— Bob Cunningham

This first appeared in the 08/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Defense on the Roll

Defense on the roll
By Wayne Anderson
Oct 30, 2001, 07:16

A defensive player’s skills often go unnoticed throughout a game, and sometimes even throughout an entire season. In roller hockey, with the emphasis on offense, most players abandon the defensive concepts and adapt to the glorious offensive style. But the truth is that in roller hockey the two-way player is the player most teams really want.

This article will address some of the simple, basic concepts we need to grasp in order to be a good defensive player. So let’s brush off the cobwebs, and put our playing brains in a defensive mode.

 The basics of good “D”

Some of the basic traits found in a successful defensive player are; good backward skating techniques; the ability to protect the middle of the surface; good use of their stick; good containment skills; dependable front-of-the-net coverage, and good passing techniques.

Obviously, to play good defense a player should have good backward skating techniques. The “C” cut should be the stride of choice for all players who skate backwards. Just as in basketball, you are taught not to cross your feet while defending the player with the ball—you do not want to use crossover strides while skating backwards.

The main reason is because when you cross over your feet, you are committed to at least one more step in the direction you are crossing over to. Therefore, a good offensive player—when they see that you are committed one way or the other—will immediately change direction and go around you. Enough said.

Another stride that will help players pivot to cover the corners is the “Mohawk Turn.” This is a pivot rather than a turn. You execute the pivot from a backward gliding stance. You then lift the leg in whichever direction you wish to go, and point the foot toward that direction. You then place that foot down, while at the same time doing a “T” push with your gliding foot. This maneuver is used mainly to propel yourself into the corners of the rink.

The way we protect the middle of the rink is by forcing our opponents (especially the puck/ball carrier) to the outside (toward the boards). Once the puck carrier gains the middle of the offensive zone, he/she has too many options available. So you want to force the puck/ball carrier to the outside and take away their skating surface and, unless they’re wearing anti-gravity boots, they will need to stop skating or lose the puck.

Camouflage it

Once you take away their skating space, the next thing is the effective use of your stick. This means using a stickcheck to knock the puck/ball away from the offensive player. The first big mistake that a defensive player can make is to show the puck/ball carrier the full length of your poke, or stickcheck. After all, a known quantity is always easier to defeat than an unknown one.

Hold your stick at your side, near your hip. Then, at an opportune moment, release the full length of your stick, hopefully surprising your opponent.

To practice good containment skills you need to do one-on-one drills inside of the faceoff circles. Learn how to go around a player’s body when they are trying to protect the puck/ball, and be tenacious. Never let up, and above all never get “caught up” with the game around you and forget about the coverage in front of the net.

Always keep your body in between the opposition and the net. That way, if you’ve “fallen asleep,” at least you will have a chance to block the shot.

One more skating skill that needs to be mentioned is the change of direction. It does no good to pokecheck the puck away from the opposition, then not be able to change direction and go get it.

Defensive players also need to keep in mind that they must have an attitude—a philosophy. And that is that when we have the puck, we must think defense before offense.

Accept the role, and do the best job you can. And you just might find yourself the most valuable player on your team—and the one who’s sent out in critical situations.

Next month we will talk about responsibilities and techniques during one-on-ones, two-on-ones, and coverage during four-on-four and five-on-five play.

Wayne Anderson is Managing Director of Huron Hockey’s roller hockey schools.

This first appeared in the 07/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

At Forward with Rick Tocchet

At forward with Rick Tocchet
By Bob Cunningham
Oct 29, 2001, 20:55

©BBS

There are forwards who are content to simply outscore the opposition, without much regard for preventing goals.

“Ah,” they say, “let the defensemen worry about that.”

Then there are others who take the term ‘forward’ to mean that they are the first line of defense. These are the type of players who seek out goals only when real opportunities present themselves.

And then there is Rick Tocchet of the Los Angeles Kings.

A veteran approaching the conclusion of his 12th NHL season, Tocchet represents the multifaceted, less specialized but equally effective winger of eras gone by. During his illustrious career, Tocchet has scored power play goals, killed penalties and even garnered his share of five-minute majors. Throughout his career—whether in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or Los Angeles—he has been the epitome of the player who will literally do whatever is necessary to help the team win.

“I try to keep things simple. I don’t want to be thinking about too many things at one time,” he says. “You want your focus to be only on your job at that moment. You can’t be thinking about that dumb penalty you took in the last game or about the game-winning goal you scored. That’s history. All that matters is now.”

Tocchet’s career makes a point for substance over style. He’s enjoyed success everywhere he’s gone, but the game’s most prolific minds are hard-pressed to assess his skills technically. He does everything adequately because he works hard at it, but he’s not better at any one thing than anyone else… except perhaps when it comes to leadership.

“You lead by example, I guess,” Tocchet says matter-of-factly. “You have to be willing to work hard all the time and work at your game. Yeah, I think it’s more important to be able to do whatever is needed rather than be the best shooter or the best skater or whatever.”

Tocchet’s a big believer in the “mood” of a game. Momentum can switch dramatically on a single play, he warns, and the object of a good player—forward or otherwise—is to make plays that either swing the momentum in his team’s favor or prevent it from getting away.

“It might be a key goal or something else that’s obvious,” he says, “or it might be a key hit that gets the guys on your team fired up.”

Despite the fact that Tocchet has scored more than 300 career goals—including an LA team-leading 18 at press time—he is more often regarded as a hard-hitting, enforcer-type. Sure, he’s got the decent scoring totals. But the man has more than 2,200 career penalty minutes.

To that, Tocchet replies, “we’re a tough team to play against this year.”

Tough and touch

At 6’0” and 205 pounds, Tocchet’s frame seems right for an appropriate mixture of tough and touch. But, he says, there are numerous players who play tough and well despite being either too small to be regarded as a physical threat or too slow to be tricky with the puck.

“It’s really about being aggressive, within the flow of the game,” Tocchet says. “Tough and smart. I say that all the time.”

While Tocchet has shouldered more than his share of the offensive load this season, he admits he prefers to see more balance. And the main reason has to do with better play on the defensive end.

“I think it’s a lot more important to have 10 or 12 guys with 20 goals than to have one or two guys with 50,” he says. “If you don’t have to rely on the same two or three guys, you can stay fresher and cover the ice better when you are out there.”

Actually, Tocchet talks and acts more like a rugged, last-line defenseman than as a right wing leading a team—one that includes future Hall of Famers like Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri—in scoring.

“When I came in here, the first thing I realized about this team was that it was allowing too many shots,” Tocchet says. “You can’t expect to win when you’re allowing 30, 40 shots every night.

“And a forward can have a big part in changing that. Good forechecking. Not giving the puck away. Good passing. It’s all important. Last year, this team didn’t do any of that very well, or they wouldn’t have struggled like they did.”

After reaching the Stanley Cup Finals in 1993, the Kings plunged to fifth in the six-team Pacific Division last year, and missed the playoffs entirely.

But with Tocchet in the fold and accustomed to his new teammates, the Kings are currently making a run up the standings that had them occupying the seventh spot in the Western Conference at the end of March.

It’s ironic to some extent that Luc Robitaille was the key player given up by the Kings in the trade to get Tocchet. While he’s certainly a standout NHL performer, with seven All-Star game appearances and four 50-goal seasons to prove it, Robitaille is a completely different type of forward than is Tocchet. Robitaille achieved his excellence and statistics through finesse.

And while Tocchet has never possessed Robitaille’s pure scoring skills, his approach to playing at forward arguably makes him a more complete player.

And, heck, the two were dead even in goals scored at last look.

— Bob Cunningham

This first appeared in the 06/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Protecting the Middle

Protecting the middle
By Fred Pletsch
Oct 29, 2001, 19:50

Mike Kitchen. © BBS

“Protect The Middle” is a common defensive refrain in sports, and a concept constantly referred to by NHL coaches.

“We call it playing the dots,” says Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coach Mike Kitchen. “It means protecting the inside. On any rush you don’t want your opponent bringing the puck down the middle of the ice so you angle him off toward the boards. Some coaches say, from an offensive standpoint, it’s easier to enter the zone along the boards because you have more options.

“But realistically, if you’re a speed team and you bring it down the middle you have even more options to work with when you cross the blue line. So we try to get our defenseman to move over, take the middle away and put the puck on the boards.

“The chances of scoring from the boards are much slimmer than when the puck is brought down through the slot area.”

Kitchen, who enjoyed an eight-year NHL playing career from 1976 through 1984 with Colorado and New Jersey, is part of a coaching staff, under Pat Burns, that emphasizes team defense.

And one drill he likes to use emphasizes protecting the ice between the faceoff dots while skating backwards. It’s a drill diagrammed by Joe Marsh, head coach of the NCAA Division 1 St. Lawrence Skating Saints.

Indicates strengths, weaknesses

Marsh calls it an “indicator drill,” one used to improve backward skating and a defenseman’s pivoting ability.

“You put half your forwards in one corner behind the goal line, and the other half of your forwards in the opposite corner. The defensemen are grouped between the hash marks and take their place, one at a time, facing the end boards on their knees on the faceoff dot.”

The idea is to let the forward get a bit of a jump on the kneeling defender, who then has to spring to his skates and defend the middle all the way down the ice.

Marsh says current St. Louis Blues defenseman Daniel Laperriere had this drill mastered during his days in Canton, New York. “He is such a tremendous backward skater that often times he wouldn’t even have to pivot and still kept the forward to the outside all the way down the ice.” Laperriere, an NCAA East first team all-American and Hobey Baker award runner-up in 1992, is the son of Montreal Canadians assistant coach Jacques Laperriere, who won six Stanley Cups in a dozen NHL seasons.

The drill should serve as an indicator as to your defensemen’s strengths and weaknesses in skating and pivoting. And since it can be quite illuminating, Marsh suggests a tip for keeping up their morale.

“We get the kids together first,” says Marsh, “and tell them not to worry, because this is a drill you are going to get better at over the course of time. We want you to be challenged so don’t be discouraged if you’re getting your doors blown off a few times.

“But you will notice that once they start improving they also start gaining the confidence to stay up on the play more when the situation calls for it.”

Marsh adds if you have a defenseman who is getting burned just as badly after you’ve been doing the drill for a month, he likely has a technical flaw in his skating that needs to be corrected.

“This is a real workday drill and (one that’s) super for conditioning. Your blueline group is usually fatigued after five minutes or so because you have more forwards than defensemen.”

Mike Kitchen and Joe Marsh both agree. Your team will be better if you make a point of getting your defenseman to play the dots and protect the middle of the ice.

Fred Pletsch is a veteran OHL and AHL broadcaster who currently covers the Cornwall Aces for CJFS radio.

This first appeared in the 05/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

DefenceTip: Covering in Front of the Net

Hockey Defence Tip

Protecting the area if front of the net is crucial when you’re playing defense.

Most goals are Scored from the Slot.
When the opposing forwards decides to camp out in front of the net, your job is to make it as difficult as possible for him to get his stick cleanly on the puck.

Position Yourself Between the Player and the Net.
If you let the forward get in behind you, he’s

DefenceTip: Covering in Front of the Net

Hockey Defence Tip

Protecting the area if front of the net is crucial when you’re playing defense.

Most goals are Scored from the Slot.
When the opposing forwards decides to camp out in front of the net, your job is to make it as difficult as possible for him to get his stick cleanly on the puck.

Position Yourself Between the Player and the Net.
If you let the forward get in behind you, he’s

DefenceTip: Covering in Front of the Net

Hockey Defence Tip

Protecting the area if front of the net is crucial when you’re playing defense.

Most goals are Scored from the Slot.
When the opposing forwards decides to camp out in front of the net, your job is to make it as difficult as possible for him to get his stick cleanly on the puck.

Position Yourself Between the Player and the Net.
If you let the forward get in behind you, he’s

Hockey Defensive Positioning

Hockey Defensive PositioningAlways Cover the Front of the Net
When playing hockey in the defensive zone, the key to positioning is communication with your defense partner:
Talk to each other.

Let your defense partner know when he has time, and when he has a ‘man-on.’
Let your defense partner know where you are.
Call for the puck when you’re open for a pass behind the net.
When it comes to

Hockey Defensive Positioning

Hockey Defensive PositioningAlways Cover the Front of the Net
When playing hockey in the defensive zone, the key to positioning is communication with your defense partner:
Talk to each other.

Let your defense partner know when he has time, and when he has a ‘man-on.’
Let your defense partner know where you are.
Call for the puck when you’re open for a pass behind the net.
When it comes to

Hockey Defensive Positioning

Hockey Defensive PositioningAlways Cover the Front of the Net
When playing hockey in the defensive zone, the key to positioning is communication with your defense partner:
Talk to each other.

Let your defense partner know when he has time, and when he has a ‘man-on.’
Let your defense partner know where you are.
Call for the puck when you’re open for a pass behind the net.
When it comes to