Gimme 5: The five fundamentals of hockey

By Bob Cunningham
Oct 22, 2001, 17:06

©BBS

Grouped together in general discussion, the five fundamentals of ice hockey—skating, passing, shooting, stick-handling and checking—seem simple enough. You have to able to skate, to get the puck to a teammate, to send the puck toward the goal now and then—to do it with a hockey stick (as opposed to by hand or with a croquet mallet)—and you need to be willing to get physical.

No sweat, right? Where do I sign?

Not so fast. Actually, as most of you know, hockey is one of the most difficult sports of all to play—even at the lowest levels. Sure, hitting a baseball is regarded as the single most difficult task in sports (although my vote might be cast for landing a golf ball in the middle of the desired fairway), but for combining all the necessary athletic ingredients, ice hockey is unsurpassed in the level and quantity of skills required.

“Ours is certainly a specialized sport,” says Jamie Hislop, an assistant coach for the Calgary Flames. “You need to possess an unlimited number of talents to excel—or even to just to play on a team.”

Not only is ice hockey demanding of its participants in the number of required skills, but the sport rarely allows one the opportunity to hone those skills except at the expense of another talent. Work more on your passing, and your skating loses its edge. Focus on stick-handling, and possibly sacrifice your shot.

“You don’t see coaches drilling one area too much without paying attention to everything else,” Hislop adds. “You need to practice your strengths as often as your weaknesses. I don’t believe most sports are like that.”

Even in the National Hockey League, there are players with an insufficient knack for certain parts of the game. It’s not that they outright can’t do something, it’s just that they don’t do it consistently well—and that can lead to games lost.

“I’ve worked very hard on my puck-handling and passing, as well as my shot, for the last few years,” says the Los Angeles Kings defenseman Marty McSorley. “I have my reputation for being physical, but I became a much better player when I was also a threat to score. But that doesn’t mean I put any less of a priority on playing defense and completing my checks. I couldn’t afford to do that, and the team couldn’t afford to have me do that.”

Raw strength must be accompanied by at least occasional finesse. Speed must be supplemented by physical play. Scoring is a product of defense. All these rules and combinations of skills form the makeup of a team as a whole, as well as individual players. Each player must be able and willing to cover all the basics.

SKATING

Most fans take for granted the enormous skating talents of NHL players. But fans and participants of junior level and even amateur hockey witness more skating proficiency than they may realize.

“There are certain maneuvers that you must be able to do to play this game,” says New York Rangers head coach Colin Campbell. “Stopping and turning instantly, skating in reverse, completing sharp turns, and maintaining your balance during confrontations for the puck are a given.”

The best skaters in the NHL—Wayne Gretzky, Theoren Fleury and Pavel Bure to name just three—move about the ice as if they’re not on ice at all. Instead, they sometimes seem as if they’re moving about a grand dance floor, their grace never sacrificed by the balancing act of two eighth-inch steel blades on the slippery frozen surface below.

“He’s the greatest player to ever play, so it’s easy to overlook the more basic things he does,” says former LA Kings teammate Dave Taylor of Gretzky. “He moves about the ice as if he’s been doing so since birth. I guess he almost has, actually.”

Notwithstanding The Great One, however, skating is not a natural talent. It, like all other fundamentals of the sport, is one acquired only through much practice and participation.

Fleury, the pesky 170-pound Calgary Flames winger, has relied on his quickness throughout a productive six-year NHL career. Much smaller than virtually all of his opponents, Fleury routinely beats accomplished NHL skaters to loose pucks.

“You can’t underestimate the importance of being fast on the ice while also staying in control,” said Hislop. “Theo does that as well or better than anyone, which is why he has had such a good career even though he’s so small.”

How can you constantly improve your skating? Only one way, according to power skating instructor Robby Glantz.

“You have to stay low, with your back straight and your knees well out over your toes, and push yourself every time out. If you want to get better, you have to get out of your skating ‘comfort zone.’”

In other words—no pain, no gain.

PASSING

For all the attention he has gained for his skating and his scoring, Gretzky has built his legend around his amazing ability to get the puck to the open man, regardless of the obstacles in between.

“You watch him thread the needle time after time and you’re still wondering how he does it,” says Kings defenseman Rob Blake. “He makes it look so easy that you wonder what it is you’re overlooking.”

The art of passing a puck is not that different than passing a basketball on the fast break.

“Instead of passing to the man, I’d pass to the spot where the man had better be,” Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson said during his brief coaching tenure in the NBA. “A lot of times that spot would be occupied by a guy on the other team at the time I got ready to throw the pass. But when the pass got there, that was another story.”

Like the Magic Man, Gretzky has made a fruitful living anticipating what others simply cannot. His years of experience in the NHL have only helped a skill that was developed at a very early age. The ability to put the puck where you’re aiming takes practice, and the right coaching. It encompasses getting the puck out on the stick, dragging it through, and snapping the wrist at the desired target.

The key is having a good idea where you’re passing to, and learning to anticipate the flow of the game immediately surrounding that pass.

“I’ve learned what spots to go to at certain times during a game if I’m on the ice with Gretz,” says Blake. “And the guys that play up front with him have to know, too. Expect the unexpected.”

There are others in the NHL who have acquired a reputation for deft passing—Mario Lemieux, Adam Oates and Joe Nieuwendyk to name a few—and all have a common trait: they are not only regarded as good passers, but are considered outstanding complete players as well.

SHOOTING

There are numerous types of specific shots in hockey, but to narrow it down to its most basic forms, there are power shots and finesse shots.

In the power category, St. Louis defenseman Al MacInnis may stand alone. In his decade with the Calgary Flames prior to joining the Blues this summer, MacInnis became the king of the one-timer. The Flames would often base their entire power play strategy around the MacInnis rocket from the point.

But how does he do it? Is he stronger that everyone else? Well, no. He just has near-perfect technique.

“Full shoulder turn, excellent body position, keeps his head still, steadies his wrists and arms, and really pulls through the puck,” says Hislop. “Al has the whole package. And he not only hits the (heck) out of it, but he’s usually right on target.”

Developing an effective hard shot takes more than just whacking it at the goal. Timing, and even the position of teammates, can be crucial. Even the hardest shot can be easily deflected by a good goaltender if he sees it from its origination, so MacInnis and other rocket launchers around the league try to time it so that the netminder is at least partially screened.

Another factor is positioning, in that a power shot often produces rebounds. And rebounds often result in better scoring opportunities than the original shots provide.

“We led the league in power play efficiency (in 1992-93) mainly because we got so many power play goals on rebounds,” Hislop acknowledges.

To finesse a puck into the net takes a little more, well, finesse. The best of the NHL have scored by drastically slowing the pace of a shot in order to get the goalie to come out of the net too far, and even by banging a puck off the back of the skate of the goalie from behind the net.

In short, the trick to scoring without overpowering the goalie is two-fold. First, simply try to put the puck in a spot where the goaltender has the least chance of stopping it. Second, camouflage the shot attempt as well as possible, because the extra split-second gained can make the difference.

“I saw that a lot with Mark (Messier),” said Campbell, referring to the Rangers Stanley Cup campaign. “He’d look around as if he were looking to pass or dump it back out front and then suddenly fire it cleanly past the post.”

The best definition of a finesse shot—though some may call it “garbage”—is the one that is tapped into an unguarded net because the goalie and the defense were badly fooled or forced out of position.

“Especially when he was in Edmonton, but also now, Mark was better at that than anyone I can remember,” Campbell says.

“It’s a guessing game, and the more you can get the defense to guess, the better off you are,” says Messier. “It’s pretty basic really. Put it where they aren’t, or can’t get to.”

Messier added that the actual execution of the shot doesn’t change according to level of playing: the components are quickness, positioning and follow-through.

STICK-HANDLING

While sometimes referred to as “puck-handling,” that description ignores the crucial defensive aspect of using one’s stick.

When in possession of the puck, moving across the ice becomes a miniature game of anticipation. The skater doesn’t keep control of the puck by reacting to it, but rather by reacting to where it will be. To watch Gretzky, Bure or Sergei Fedorov is to witness poetry in motion. They rarely look down at the puck, because they know where the puck should be, where’s it going to be, and what the feel is.

But maybe even better than the previously mentioned trio, however, is Pittsburgh’s Jaromir Jagr. No one in the NHL can maneuver a puck through traffic as efficiently as Jagr, who allows the puck to flow along his stick more than most players. It appears that this lack of total control enhances his ability to combine possession with maneuverability.

“He’s certainly as good as anyone,” says Campbell.

“He has really quick hands and always knows exactly where the puck is, even when it looks like he’s ready to lose it,” says teammate Shawn McEachern.

McEachern, the three-year veteran who is himself a pretty fair stickman, notes that the key to successful control is to learn the feel of the puck as well as maintaining it at the base of the stick’s curl.

“Get it on the heel, and you skate right by it,” he says. “(Put it) too far out on the toe, and you can’t go anywhere but straight.” Once you’ve got the right position on the blade, “you move the stick back and forth on each side—evenly when going straight, or (if changing direction) favoring the opposite side of the direction you want to go.

“After that,” says McEachern, “it’s just a lot of practice.”

The puckless part of stick-handling is more than just swatting an opponent on the leg as he goes by. A defender’s number one tool, other than his mind, is his stick. A well-used stick combined with proper footwork and easy-going skating ability pretty much defines good defense.

“I think the most important thing is to keep the stick in control,” Campbell said. “I see too many players, especially younger players, flailing away at a puck they can never reach. It’s okay to poke a guy now and then in an attempt to distract him. But you have to remember that if you’re too busy with the stick, you’re slowing yourself up and maybe preventing yourself from gaining better physical position.

“So many guys drop their sticks, and you see them trying to stop a rush without a stick,” Campbell added. “Virtually any time you see a guy lose his stick, it’s because of poor stick-handling. Keep control, and use the stick judiciously. Maintain your position between the man and the net, and try to get yourself between the man and the puck.”

CHECKING

Contrary to popular belief, the most effective checkers are not the ones that stand at least 6-3 and weight over 200 pounds. Certainly, those attributes can help. But there’s a manner in which you approach necessary contact that goes beyond just hitting the opponent as hard as you can.

“You want to be as physical as possible, but you don’t want to go at a guy so hard that you lose your feet when you throw a check,” McSorley explains. “Because in most cases, you’re trying to force a turnover or stop a scoring chance for the other team. You can’t do that sliding along the ice on your butt.”

The most important aspect of checking has to do with the angle you play. Keep yourself in a position, says McSorley, that allows you to get involved in the play with the least possible effect on yourself. Have a mind to be skating away from the check immediately after it’s completed. If forechecking, be prepared for a pass instantly, because often the area you’re occupying becomes open.

On the defensive end, it becomes more important to finish the checks.

“Don’t waste your time going after a guy if you don’t plan on taking him completely out of the play,” McSorley says. “To a certain extent, you’re taking yourself out of the play. So I concentrate on finishing what I start. But I don’t spend any more time than I have to.”

While that can be especially tricky in the rough-and-tumble NHL, other levels of hockey usually are slower-paced. Still, the message is the same. Complete your check when the situation arises, then go on about your business.

“Complete” is the operative word here, because that’s the type of game it takes to be a successful hockey player—a complete game, featuring all five basics—at every level of play. l

This first appeared in the 01/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2011 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Foot speed and quickness for defensemen

By Tony DiRito

So many defensemen are expected to step-up or take the body on opposing forwards, but very rarely are these defensemen taught what exactly is involved in accomplishing these tasks. For a defenseman, the first and foremost skill that should be taught is foot speed and quickness. This terminology is applied to every position in hockey, but for a defenseman there are certain areas that are position specific, and need to be taught and mastered if you are planning to elevate your game to new levels.
Can I suggest that the next time you watch a professional game that you pay particular attention to the defense, especially their feet. This may seem like an odd assignment, but upon further review you will notice that a defensemen’s feet never stop moving. They are constantly positioning themselves to prevent a scoring opportunity, or to create one for their teammates. I have decided to break down the areas needed to improve overall foot speed and quickness, which will allow any defenseman to implement these techniques and hopefully improve in his or her position.
Speed and quickness
This may seem like an odd place to start, but if we are trying to build speed and quickness, we must first be able to determine exactly what each skill means and secondly how they differ. Players should possess both skills if they wish to be successful, but they must remember that one can have speed without quickness or vice versa. These two concepts are unique because they can fit together to form a complete skating package, or they can exist separately.
Speed as it relates to hockey is the ability to go fast for longer distances, such as goal line to goal line. Speed usually can be seen when a player races down the ice to chase the puck to prevent an icing or during a full ice race between two players. Historically, players who are considered to have speed are usually bigger players who have strong, powerful legs, that take a while to obtain maximum speed, but when they achieve top speed they are very difficult to stop.
Quickness, on the other hand, is a short burst of speed that allows a player to gain an advantage over an opponent for short distances, such as blue line to blue line. It is this quickness that allows players to pull past another opponent during head-to-head competition. It is players who possesses quickness that are often referred to as players who have quick feet or good acceleration.
These two skills are vital for a defenseman, especially in the defensive zone because you are expected to read and react to opposing players breaking down on you. In order to do this effectively you must possess both speed and quickness.

Lateral movement
This is perhaps one of the most important skills that a defenseman must have if one hopes to be successful. In ice hockey, as we all know, the tempo and pace of the game is always changing, which results in the constant movement of the puck from the offensive, neutral and defensive zones. A defenseman needs to perform lateral movements in order to constantly stay in front of on-coming forwards, and also to be able to react to the puck. In order to improve lateral movement there are certain areas that need to be stressed.
By performing quick feet drills such as the T-circle drill, one can develop agility and enhance the quickness needed to react to the constant change of direction that defensemen are often up against. Remember while doing this drill to keep your head up and your body positioned so that your weight is evenly distributed and your knees are bent. Do not rush this drill, the first few times should be performed at half speed to ensure that proper technique is being used, then progress into full speed.

Agility
One question that I am often asked is: Can agility be taught? My answer is the same always the same…Yes! Agility is a skill that involves performing tedious drills that can be boring as compared to simulating game situations. It is necessary to improve your overall body coordination and to learn your boundaries as a skater. Once you can identify these boundaries, you can work on them, which will allow you to become a better defenseman and overall player.
Proper agility stems from proper body positioning and weight distribution. In order for these to take place remember to bend at the knees and to keep your back straight so you can react quickly and are not caught off balance. By keeping your weight balanced you will be able to react quickly to all situations and constantly keep yourself in position.

Transition
This is a term that is important for all players, but especially defensemen. Being able to quickly shift from forwards skating to backwards skating can determine whether or not you can stop an opponent breaking down on you. Knowing when to change direction is just as important as knowing how to change direction quickly. Foot speed is the key to good transition; you must focus on stopping and being able to quickly move your feet so that you can reach top speed while going the opposite direction. Crossovers are a vital part to good transition because they enable you to change direction quickly and also to gain the edge that you need on an opponent breaking down on you.

Game situations
I have already discussed how to increase your overall foot speed and quickness, now I believe that it is necessary to explain how these skills are used in a game situations and why they are so important. In the defensive zone, it is important for a defenseman to be constantly maneuvering to ensure that the offensive player is taken out of scoring position. A defenseman must always be in the “right spot”—and as we all know this “right spot” is always changing; therefore, a defenseman must be quick enough to react to every situation.
It is the defenseman’s responsibility to be able to move the puck out of the defensive zone either by passing to an open forward or skating the puck out of the zone. These two skills require that a defenseman be able to skate well and also be able to handle the puck at top speeds. In order for a defenseman to skate the puck out of their zone, it requires good acceleration and quickness to be able to avoid on-coming fore-checkers. A defenseman must be able to change direction and speed very quickly to constantly adapt to the changing direction and tempo of the game. (See Breakout Drill in Figure 2)
There are many aspects that go into playing defense, but in order to perform the more complicated aspects of the position it is very important to have an understanding as to the skating mechanics that are involved. In order to improve your skills try performing the drills that I have provided for you regularly and also with and without pucks to constantly challenge yourself. Each skill learned must be used as a building block so that you can piece together and try to build yourself into a better hockey player. l

Based in Plymouth, MA, Tony DiRito is the national director of New England Edge Hockey Clinics, which trains amateur ice hockey players throughout North America.

On Defense with Stu Grimson

ON DEFENSE
with Stu Grimson

When you watched Stu Grimson play hockey, you don’t usually reflect on “The Grim Reaper’s” mental approach to the game. But the 6-foot-5 former Chicago Blackhawk insists that pre-game preparation and on-ice concentration are the key ingredients to success for a defenseman at any level of the game.
“Preparation is a huge part of my game,” says Grimson, who early in his career earned the aforementioned nickname because of his physically intimidating style of play. “It’s very important to know what the opposing teams like to do and what their style is. You have to know your opponent so you’re not taken back by anything they do on the ice during a game.”
Grimson acknowledges the obvious: that he gets into his share of scuffles. But Grimson is quick to point out that he does not take to the ice looking to pick a fight.

Part of the game
“Those confrontations have evolved and are just part of the game,” Grimson says. “My first priority is always to go out and play solid defense and do whatever I can to help the team win. That’s all part of preparation, getting yourself with the right attitude, the right frame of mind.
“If your success comes through a physical style of play, well, some guys take exception to that.”
Another aspect of Grimson’s game is the ability to do more than just bang people. He has worked hard to improve his puck-handling as well as maintaining proper positioning in his own zone. No matter what you’re specific style is, he notes, you must be able to accomplish these two fundamentals of the game.
“No one wants to be one-dimensional,” he adds. According to Grimson, the most common mistake he sees NHL rookies or other inexperienced players commit is, again, regarding the mental aspect. He sees defenders giving recognized scorers too much respect.
“I see a lot of inexperienced players that play in awe of some guys,” Grimson explained. “A certain amount of respect for their capabilities is okay, but during the game you have to put that aside. Otherwise, it takes away from your aggressiveness.

Play with a purpose
“You always have to play with a purpose, regardless of who you’re facing.” An example of Grimson’s approach was evident during The Mighty Ducks’ 2-1 overtime loss to San Jose on Halloween Night in 1994. Whenever the Sharks moved into the Ducks’ zone with momentum, Grimson led a quick assault (sometimes outside the blue line) to knock the San Jose forwards off the puck before they could set up. While that aggressive approach isn’t uncommon, especially for Anaheim, it was especially important against a team with only one recognized offensive gunner — Pat Falloon.
“We felt it was important to keep him screened away from the puck by trying to take them out of their rhythm before they could ever get set,” Mighty Ducks head coach Ron Wilson said after the game. “We did that pretty well… When you give up only two goals in about, what, 64 minutes? You should have success.
And most of the time, you will. Especially when your defensive game plan begins originating well before the first faceoff.

Bob Cunningham a freelance writer based in Southern California writes for various hockey publications.

It’s Where You Want To Be!

Off the ice they are pretty much the same guy—quiet, family oriented and friendly. On the ice they may seem different as night and day—one is aggressive and charges up the ice while the other prefers to stay home and keep an eye on the net—but in reality, they are still the same guy. They are the guy that clears the front of the net and keeps opponents from getting on the scoreboard.

Keith Carney and Scott Niedermayer are two of the top defenseman playing in the National Hockey League today. With his three Stanley Cup rings and his All-Star game appearances, Niedermayer is on everyone’s radar. Meanwhile, Carney slips under it and is one of the NHL’s most underrated players. Whether or not fans are aware of his defensive prowess, few forwards in the league will doubt Carney’s ability to keep them from putting the biscuit in the basket.

“Keith’s success comes from his mobility and his excellent hockey sense,” says GM Brian Burke. “He plays a simple game and stays home.” Over his 13 year NHL career Carney has never had more than 5 goals in a season (2001-2, Anaheim) nor greater than 24 points (1999-2000, Phoenix) but his worth is not for his ability to score, but rather his ability to prevent the opposition from doing so.

Carney(3) and Neidermayer (27) on defense against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Carney does the things that never make it to the stat sheet but can help turn the tide of a game. He may be holding the puck in the offensive zone one minute and seconds later be skating back and breaking up a 2-on-1 attack.

“Carney has so much poise and confidence,” says Mighty Ducks radio play-by-play man Steve Carroll. “The Ducks don’t make too many mistakes with him on the ice. Carney can definitely get you out of trouble.”

Then you have Niedermayer. He has been tagged as being an offensive defenseman—which he is. But many are so focused on his offensive skills that they forget that he is the reigning Norris Trophy winner.

“Scott came up in the New Jersey system,” says Burke. “So that means that he plays exceptional defense. He seldom gets beat 1-on-1 and he takes away the passing lane from opponents.”

Niedermayer is a proven winner. He is the only player in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold Medal, World Championship, World Cup, World Junior Championship and Memorial Cup.

Part of what makes Scott so exciting to watch is not the fact that he scores goals. It is that he scores timely goals. Niedermayer has more overtime goals than any defenseman in NHL history with 8—and he shows no signs of slowing down.

Anaheim Head Coach Randy Carlyle knows a thing or two about patrolling the blueline. He won the Norris Trophy is 1981 as the league’s top defenseman. “The thing about these two,” he said. “Is that they both do things right. They keep things simple and they take care of their end.” Any team in the NHL would be happy to have just one of them, but the Ducks have them both in their flock and that’s just fine with Anaheim fans!

So how did these two get to be so great? Both learned the right way when they were young and both apply those same principles they learned as kids to the game they play today.

“The main thing is to have fun,” Carney said after a morning practice at the Pond. “You need to enjoy every chance you have to get out on the ice. You have to stay patient and play your position. Most goals are scored from in front of the net so you have to watch that area and keep it clear.”

“Communication is something that really goes a long way,” Carney continued. “It is simple and it helps not only yourself but your teammates. If you want to stay in front of the net and you want your defensive partner to go to the corner you need to let him know that. Simple communication goes a long way.”

Neidermayer prepares for a faceoff.

Niedermayer is on the same page with his teammate but had a few other things to add. “Skating is obviously an important part of hockey, even for defenseman. And, I know that it sounds simple, but positioning. If you stay between your net and the puck, then you will be in a good spot to make it harder on the opponent to score a goal. If you let them get behind you then obviously they have a free chance at the net.”

“When you have five of your players and five of their players all skating around in the offensive zone it can get a little crazy. If you communicate then there are no questions. You know what your partner is doing and then you can go from there and make a decision on what you are going to do.”

After all their years of experience and the early morning practices, it all really comes down to the same lessons their pee-wee coaches taught them—positioning and communication.

To some observers these two may look like the Felix and Oscar of defense, but be assured that this odd couple can co-exist and one can compliment the other—making for a great team defense.

Jason Reed is a freelance writer based in Long Beach, CA. A native Southern Californian, he started getting into hockey by watching Los Angeles Kings hockey games back in the purple-and-gold days. He has worked for the Western Hockey network since 2003 serving in various capacities and has been a co-host on the Power Play and Hockey Talk radio shows on CRN Digital Talk. He writes a regular column for www.hockeytalk.biz and his work has been seen across Europe in Face Off, where he has been a regular contributor and across the U.S. in newspapers such as Cincinnati Enquirer, Fresno Bee, Anchorage Daily News, Long Beach Press Telegram and OC Register. He is a regular contributor to OC Metro magazine Jason lives with his 8-year-old daughter Cameron and their dog Lucy.

The Left Wing Lock

The left wing lock is a controlled forechecking system that was popularized by the Detroit Redwings in the late 1990’s. Before I get into the details of this system, it is important to note that there are a few variations of the Left Wing Lock. Off course, a coaching staff should modify any system they feel will better compliment the strengths of the team.

The left wing lock looks like a basic 2-3 formation, where, once puck possession changes in the neutral zone or offensive zone, the center and right wing forecheck aggressively, and the left wing moves back in line (or top of the circles) with the two defensemen to form a three man wall at the blue line. Generally, the left wing is responsible for the left lane, the left defenseman is responsible for the middle lane, and the right defenseman is responsible for the right lane at the blue line. This tactic helps to avoid odd man rushes by having 3 players back at all times.

The Basic Set-Up of the Left Wing Lock (as soon as the puck is turned over in the neutral zone or offensive zone):

• The center and right wing forecheck the puck aggressively, forcing the opposition towards the left side of the ice, and as much as possible take away the middle of the ice by forcing the opposition to use the boards.

• The left wing moves back and acts as a third defenseman, protecting the left lane (either at the blue line or the top of the circles), and being aggressive and ready to pinch if the opposition uses the boards to chip or clear the puck away.

• The left defenseman protects the mid lane (cheating towards his left), keeping his feet moving, ready to react to a successful breakout by the opposition.

• The right defenseman protects the right lane, keeping feet moving, ready to react to a successful breakout by the opposition. Teams vary whether they want their right defenseman to be aggressive or not if puck is rimmed along the right boards. A coaching staff often tweaks the system to fit to the strength of the team.

• Players should maintain this defense until you succeed in getting back possession of the puck, or until the opposition is successful with their breakout (main responsibility for three players back at the blue line is to protect their own lane, do not break the wall)
For the left wing lock to be successful, the following needs to occur:

1) the forecheckers must steer the play to the left boards (oppositions right)

2) The defensive team will need to have a power advantage over the opposition. Part of this advantage is a result of there being more left handed shooters in the NHL (and youth hockey) than right handed shooters. So if the puck is dumped into the left corner, the opponents will have their right defenseman and right wing on the forehand but their center will probably be on his backhand (if they are all fighting for a loose puck in the corner). On the contrary, the defensive team will have their center, left wing, and left defenseman on their forehand.

3) The center needs to prevent any outlet pass through the slot area, forcing the opposition to use the boards on the left side, where the defenders left wing and left defenseman are waiting to intercept the puck. If the puck is chipped off the boards and intercepted by the left wing or left defenseman, and you are pressured immediately, it is recommended to re-dump the puck into the left corner, and begin to battle again. The longer you battle in your opponents end, the less time they are spending in your zone. At the same time you can take advantage of a mistake by your opponent for a direct scoring chance on net.

Although the ‘lock’ was made famous by the Detroit Red Wings and has been used to great success in their Stanley Cup runs in the past decade, they are not credited with inventing it. It is widely believed that the lock was invented in Czechoslovakia to work against the dominant Soviet teams of the 1970s.
How to beat the left wing lock:

Teams needed to work on different breakout strategies in order to penetrate through the left wing lock. Here are some strategies that teams use:

-Have very mobile and good skating defenseman that can quickly retrieve the puck and begin the breakout as quickly as possible.

– Focus the breakout towards your opponent’s right side, where you will now gain the advantage in the “forehand vs. backhand” theory, as well as disrupt the opponent’s set-up formation.

-With the removal of the red line in recent years, you can have the off side winger cheat and leave the defensive zone. This will cause the defensive wall at the blue line to break as one of the defenseman will come out in the neutral zone with you. This is a very aggressive strategy but will keep your opponents guessing at all times.

I once read somewhere where a coach can teach the left wing lock system to his team in a 30 second time-out. Perfecting it, off course, is a different story!

How to Run Practice

Mike Milbury teaches his players NHL fundamentals. ©BBS

We’ve all heard the phrase “Practice Makes Perfect.” But when it comes to hockey that old adage can get you in hot water. And as we all know, hot water and ice hockey don’t mix. A more accurate phrase might be “Practice Makes Permanent.” With that in mind this article looks at how to structure practices and get the most out of them?

I spoke with Guy Gadowsky, assistant coach of the Fresno Falcons of the West Coast Hockey League, who ran most of the daily Falcon practices this past season. The Edmonton natives’ hockey experience includes college, European pro Leagues and the IHL. This summer he was the head coach of the Oklahoma City Coyotes of RHI. He mentioned that every coach has his own style, which may change as needed during the season depending on how the team is playing.

Gadowsky’s personal style is to get a little blood flow going even before stretching, then incorporate conditioning into every drill he runs, rather than trying to cram all the conditioning into the very last part of practice. The coach prefers to go into goalie warmup drills right after stretching, then move to the more “combative” drills, such as 1 on 1’s, and 2 on 2’s, saving “team system” drills for last. Yet he makes sure that each drill includes some element of conditioning.

A lot of sense

This makes a lot of sense when you consider that hockey isn’t a game that’s played in fits and spurts. You want to be able to give 100% effort from buzzer to buzzer. Players who become accustomed to saving their energy for the “end of practice conditioning” will probably have strong finishes, yet may well need them because of a lack of effort early on.

Adds “Gads” — as he is known to his team mates — “With ice time as valuable as it is, plus it’s boring to be on the ice standing around for three hours, I like to keep practices to an hour and a half at the start of the season, then later on no more than an hour and fifteen minutes, so that the guys are still awake and intense. You want to get your skating in every drill.”

He recalls practices in college when guys wouldn’t put out in every drill, knowing that if they did, they might not have enough left at the end, thereby looking bad in the coach’s eye during the tough conditioning drills. “You don’t want guys pacing themselves, and you want to change things frequently enough to keep their imagination; you don’t want to blow their mind, or their body.”

Continuing, Gadowsky points out, “You don’t want guys to be able to do the drills in their sleep; you want drills where players have to think.” No matter how many ice rinks are going up, there will never be enough ice to go around. “As a kid, when parents would say ‘O.K., you’ve got just one hour, so go get ‘em’, then to spend half an hour on one knee with the coach talking just infuriated me!”

One thing that my co-coaches and I experienced with our Mite team this year, was that if we ran drills with just two to four players skating at a time, those standing in line would end up goofing around, and invariably someone would get hurt (at least his feelings) and start crying. As mad as we got at the kids for this, we really just had ourselves to blame since we set up the drills. To avoid this, we learned to set up “stations”, where we were actually running three or four mini-drills at a time, leaving very little time for any player to stand around. It made practices flow much more smoothly and the time seemed to pass more quickly as well. Yet we accomplished much more by not having to discipline misbehavers, who actually had gotten bored. Planning — along with plenty of help from assistant coaches — is the key here.

Precise plan required

Any coach who shows up for practice without a precise plan of what he wants to cover, thinking instead that “I’ve got lots of experience, I can just wing it,” is doing his players a disservice. He might do just as well to stretch them out, then say, O.K., SCRIMMAGE!

Think of it this way. If you were lost in the woods, even if you had a map, it would be difficult to find your way out unless you could determine where you were located. The best way to determine what you need to cover in practice is to do an in depth analysis of each player to determine strengths and weaknesses.

As difficult as this might sound, when my assistants and I sat down with our team manager and took an hour to evaluate what were the most critical individual and team skills for a player, then graded each player on those skills, it was amazing how many of our players needed work on the same areas of the game. Once we knew what our key areas for improvement were, we could then incorporate those skills into as many drills as possible so we could work on them each night.

Another coaching technique, taught to me by long-time youth hockey coach Jack White, who has turned out many pro caliber players, was to take a skill, work on it, then build on it, with each subsequent drill that night having the original skill at its core. By the end of practice we may have completed 15 or 20 different variations of that same skill. This certainly got the players thinking while they worked, and gave practices a good flow.

Good practices seem to go quickly, while bad practices, like bad coaches, seem to go on forever. The coach who sticks with the same three or four drills for a whole practice, thinking this will force his players to “make it automatic,” is really more of a drill instructor than a coach. One needs to be a little more creative, if he is to avoid “blowing their mind, or their body,” as Gadowsky put it.

Since virtually all pro roller hockey players play pro ice hockey through the winter months, Gadowsky emphasizes practices at the start of the roller hockey season designed to get his players more comfortable on their wheels. “Eventually we might see a situation where we will see roller hockey players and ice hockey players, but now the best roller hockey players are professional ice hockey players. You don’t want to get into a lot of tough 1-on-1 battles when guys are still trying to get comfortable with their turns and stops. Initially there is a bit of a difference there, (from ice to sport court), where a lot more emphasis will be on just basic skating.”

Gadowsky also mentions how in ice hockey you can cover up your mistakes by stopping and going the other way, whereas in roller hockey you don’t have that luxury. “A lot of our drills are based in terms of proper angles, and reading the play as early as you can because once you commit yourself to an angle you can’t change it.”

Roller vs. ice

Those who play roller hockey regularly know that at the higher levels of roller you see more side to side movement as opposed to ice hockey which is more up and down your position. For those who can make this transition from the ice to roller, there are a lot of opportunities opening up which didn’t exist as recently as a couple of years ago.

Coaches who demand more from their players, may not be the most popular guys to play for. Players who get in the habit of doing enough to get by, will never be happy with a demanding coach, because what was your best yesterday, isn’t good enough today. “Business as usual” never enters the rink of the demanding coach. Players who seek out that level will never find it from a top coach, because it’s always changing. Players who have trouble accepting this will find it difficult to advance to the top ranks in hockey.

In discussing two brothers, life-long coach John Olver once told me, “This one brother, who appears more talented today, won’t ever make it. The other brother will, because he’s coachable.” You must be coachable, meaning willing to always learn more, if you are ever to make it to the top.

The bottom line for a coach is this: Your players don’t have to like you; they have to respect you. There is nothing that will earn their respect more than being able to get more out of them than they ever thought possible.

If that is what it takes to get the most out of them, coaches must be willing to sacrifice some friendship with their players, . Be it ice or roller hockey, remember, “you play the way you practice.” So get in the habit of pushing players past their level individual comfort levels. It’s only by stretching their boundaries that they can move on to the next level.

Defense zone face-offs

Figures A & B

Your goalie may have just come up with a big save, but now you’ve got a big face-off coming up in your own zone—right in front of your net. The way your team sets up before the puck is dropped in no small way determines what happens after that biscuit hits the ice.

From a recent game between the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Boston Bruins, I’ve mapped out several face-off set-ups the Ducks utilized when they were in their own zone. Hopefully, you can spot something your team is doing wrong, or visualize some better positioning for your team.

Figure A shows the formation most used often by the Ducks which is the traditional 5-on-5 set-up. The right wing and defensemen are huddled close together in a triangle formation. Note that the goalie has a clear view of the face-off. While the wing initially takes out the opposing wing, the two defensemen are prepared for the puck going to the slot, either directly or as a rebound.

Figure B shows a formation the Ducks used several times as well. The only difference I could see was that the opposing left wing had set up several feet up on the face-off circle away from the Ducks right wing. This allows the Bruins center to draw back to the left winger who may have time for a quick release on net. Additionally, it blocks the path of the Ducks right winger if they are planning to cover the Bruins left point.

Figure C shows how the Ducks set up when they were a man down in their own end. It is virtually the same set-up as Figure B, except they are missing the second defenseman. From an offensive standpoint, note how the Bruins left defenseman is right on the face-off circle while the right defenseman covers the boards. The Ducks right wing and lone defenseman must be prepared for either a draw back to the Bruins right defenseman or, if the face-off isn’t clean, for the puck to be loose in the slot with three Bruins (center, left wing, left defenseman) in close. It is essential with this set-up that the Ducks center either win the draw or effectively tie up the Bruins center.

Figure D shows a defensive zone face-off in a 4-on-4 skating situation. The Duck’s defenseman is neither directly behind or to the side of his fellow left winger. He is ready, however, to block a shot if the Bruins right defenseman gets the draw and slides to the center. Notice how the Bruins left wing is set up further up along the circle away from the defending right wing.

Figure E shows the set-up the Ducks used when they were short handed and the face-off took place just outside their zone. The lone defenseman was set-up to the right of the centerman towards the boards. This protects against the Bruins using the boards to penetrate the zone. When the face-off took place at center ice a few minutes later, the defenseman was set-up directly behind the center.

Figures C & D

Figure E

Ice Hockey Gains Popularity in Kenya

Here we’ve got an article from VOANews.com.

You wouldn’t naturally associate ice hockey with Africa, but there are some avid players at the Solar Ice Rink in Nairobi, Kenya, the only ice rink in East Africa. The next closest rink is 2,000 miles from one in South Africa. Even with a small amount of opponents and even less ever seeing the sport played in person, hotel management seems motivated enough to keep spending thousands each month to cool the rink. Some Kenyans even hope to some day have a presence in the Winter Olympics.  Cool Runnings 2?

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Ice-Hockey-Gains-Popularity-in-Kenya-106577889.html

The low-down on line chemistry

The Triple Crown Line (Photo: BBS).

Certain great hockey players are remembered as much for the lines they played on as for their own individual accomplishments. The French Connection. The Triple Crown. The Kid Line. Even the Red Army’s famed KLM line is etched as a unit in our hockey memories.

Sometimes, when the chemistry is right among three players, it seems like there’s no stopping them. And before you know it, they’re tagged with a nickname that links them together forever.

Ron Mason, the winningest coach in U.S. college hockey, has put together many line combinations over the years. The Michigan State Spartans head coach has learned from experience that finding the right line combinations helps improve both team chemistry and individual performance.
Balance your lines

Every team should have checking lines and offensive lines. Within the line itself, you like to have personalities that mesh and can play together. The fact is, some kids just relate to and interact with each other better than others. This is important not only in games, but also in practice where they can work together on a regular basis.

“I like to have a playmaker, a checker, and a scorer on one line, to give it balance,” Mason explains. “The checker gets the puck to the playmaker and then he gets it to the scorer. This is a balanced offensive line. But,” he adds, “you won’t be able to have all your lines like this.”

Therefore, the key to assembling successful line combinations is to make the best possible use of the talents and chemistry you have on your team.

You might want to put together a line strictly for defensive purposes. You will want three checkers on your defensive line, and will use them in specific situations. “You will want this line against (the opposition’s) best line when the games are close,” says Mason.

Combinations aren’t just for forwards either. You should pair your line combinations up front with specific defenseman, as well. Offensive defensemen tend to work better with an offensive forward line. “If you have a defensive defenseman there to start your play up ice, he will never get the puck to the offense,” offers Mason.
Blueline pairs, too

To go along with your line combinations up front, you’ll want effectively paired defenders. Usually that means a strong defensive-minded defenseman paired with one who is offensive-minded. “I don’t like to have two offensive-minded defensemen playing together. I would rather split them up,” says Mason. “You are more likely to give something up defensively with two offensive-minded defensemen.” But by pairing one with the other you can often achieve a nice balance of offensive punch and defensive security.

Mason notes that being able to find two or three lines that are compatible and successful is a real blessing. If you are that lucky, then only slight adjustments will probably need to be made to your lines during the season. But if the trios you’ve put together aren’t gelling, Mason suggests changing line combos until you feel they are working well. “The year we won the National Championship, we changed our lines on a regular basis,” says Mason.
Pick your spots

Youth coaches also need to know what position kids should play. While most parents probably want their kids to play forward (and score all the goals!), Mason disagrees. He feels it is an advantage for kids to play defense at a young age because players will be forced into doing more things on the ice.

The defenseman has to skate backwards, pivot, react, and handle the puck in his own end. Plus, defenders usually get more ice time than forwards. Think about rotating youngsters on defense. You’ll often find that an offensively skilled player can develop even more while playing defense.

Youth players should start to think more about what position they should play on a permanent basis when they reach the Pee Wee age level. However, it is not uncommon to change positions at a later age. Mason recalls moving one of his advanced players to forward from defense, and that player went on to play in the NHL for 10 years.

While picking or assigning a position isn’t an irrevocable decision, it is something that must be done in order for players to fit together as a team. In order to find the right blend. The right balance. And hopefully in the end, the right chemistry.

Give stats-taking a try

Dave Taylor is now starting his fourth year as G.M. of the Los Angeles Kings. (Photo courtesy L.A. Kings.)

How often do you watch a hockey game and think about the statistics being compiled by the coaching staff — probably not very often. And I’m not just referring to “shots on goal” or “saves.” There are any number of stats being created during a typical game, particularly in today’s NHL.

Facing the competition
It is also important to note who the competition is when considering or compiling worthwhile statistics. For example, in a play-off series with Edmonton, their defense was extremely effective in blocking shots against the Kings. Noting the player (by number) who was doing the blocking, and where he was on the ice when the block occurred, became a valuable piece of information (stat) for the Kings coaching staff.

It’s very common to chart shots using the triangle-shaped, high-percentage zone as the key. Shots taken from within this zone are charted as important factors in a game, regardless of whether the shots were in the offensive or defensive zone.

Importance of turnovers
Turnovers by your team are also very important to follow through the course of any game. There are patterns that develop by charting these stats. These patterns tell a coaching staff how to react to problems that occurs as a result of these stats (in this instance, turnovers.) If a player’s number keeps coming up who is involved in turnovers that result in out-numbered attacks, or goals against, that player is going to be looked upon as a potential liability. More specifically, there are certain areas (grey zones) that coaches forbid the puck to lost in. These areas are just inside the blue line, four to five feet on either side when defending, or just outside the second blue line when attacking through the neutral zone.

Specific reasons
The reasons these are considered critical turnover areas are:

If the puck is lost as you attempt to clear your own zone, the opposition has already gained entry, and if your teammates are in the break-out process, you’ll most likely find yourself in an out-numbered attack situation. A high-risk scoring opportunity is thus created for the opposing team.

Moving through the neutral zone, on the other hand, as you approach the second blue line on the attack, attempting to gain entry of the offensive zone presents a similar situation.

Loss of possession four to five feet before entering the final zone, not only stalls the attack, but again, the forwards are now caught up the ice, and the opposition is in a position to outnumber your defense in the transition.

Very simply stated, the puck “must come out” when approaching your own blue line, and the puck “must go in” when approaching the opposition’s blue line.

Some other stats
Other statistics not often considered are: goaltender tendencies, regular puck movements, hits, face-offs and others. Sometimes specific players are tracked: centers, wings, defensemen and even goalies.It’s also common when looking for stats, for a coach to segment the game. Each period’s stats are analyzed to determine what is important for the next segment or period. Shifts are sometimes altered, match-ups are changed, length of shifts become an issue, etc.

Give it a try
The next time you’re watching a game, take the time to chart something that might seem appropriate to you. It might give you a new perspective on the game. At the very least you will have an appreciation for the coaches and assistants who sit up high (perhaps in the press box) and chart every statistic imaginable.