The Days of Summer: Play Hockey!

The days of summer: Play hockey!
By Joe Morales
Nov 6, 2001, 07:21

Soon the Stanley Cup finals will be well behind us and another hockey season will come to an end. In the Eastern U.S. and Canada, it was a tradition after the Stanley Cup playoffs to start putting the hockey equipment away into the attic or basement and begin to steer interests toward summer sports — if you weren’t signed up to go to a summer hockey camp. As hockey grew in popularity in the U.S., so did summer hockey programs, and soon clinics, camps and leagues were offered, providing year-round hockey for the “diehards.”

Today year-round hockey is commonplace for players of all ages. It is also a good time to start learning how to play the game as well as planning a “comeback” if you haven’t played for a while. Even though there are many diehards who play year round, a large percentage of amateur hockey leagues thin out during the summer. Summer interests, vacations, and maybe even chores seem to open large holes in rosters of established teams. For the most part, playing during the summer is not taken as serious as the winter leagues, so it is a good time for the unconditioned player to get into shape. For the novice, it may be a good time to make the jump from a clinic into an organized league.

Summer hockey leagues are normally run a bit more loosely than the highly-competitive winter leagues. Generally, player stats are not maintained and rarely are trophies given, but this may vary from league to league. Summer hockey is also a good time to move to another rink or league, maybe to compare player caliber or just to have a change. Whatever your reasons are for continuing to play in the summer, here are a few tips which may help you choose a team and a league which fits your needs.

Caliber of play

One of the first things you may want to consider is caliber of play. Whether you’re joining a summer league as an individual or with a group of other players, careful consideration should be given to this; especially if you are a novice or intermediate player or a player who feels that it’s time to move into a more competitive level of play. Honestly assess your skills as well as your team and decide if you and your team can compete. The opposite situation exists for seasoned players and teams. Do you really want to play in a league where you totally out-class all of your opponents? I Like to play hockey and win, but it doesn’t feel the same when you play a team and beat them in high double digits.

Goals

Your goals as well as your teammates should be well thought out, and hopefully everyone will have a meeting of the minds. A primary objective is to have fun, but there are many players who are very competitive and take their game seriously. As stated earlier, many of the summer leagues are not tightly maintained, so maybe those highly competitive players might want to “chill out” a bit while playing summer league. At the same time, you (and maybe the rest of your team) may decide that you don’t want to take things too lightly to the point where not enough players are showing up to the games (a common problem) or there is a whole bunch of “fooling around” on the ice and on the bench. To pay up to $300 on a 15-or 20-game summer league and treat the whole thing like a big “joke” is an awful waste of money and is not fair to the other players.

Because most people take vacations in the summer, attendance has always been a problem on summer league teams. When joining a summer league, be up front with the rest of your team when you will miss games. Again, I can’t understand players who put down a hefty sum of money to play summer hockey and only show up for 10 percent of their games. Choose a team which is conscientious about attendance so you’re not wasting your time playing on a team which might forfeit most of the games.

If you’re a novice or intermediate player making a jump into a more competitive division, choose a team where your fellow players might help you develop your skills and work with you. At the same time, if you and your summer teammates are seasoned players, you might want to mutually decide if you want to take on players who are not up to the same caliber as the rest of the team. Again, this all depends on how competitive you want to take your summer league competition.

Experiments

Summer is also a good time for team building. I have seen many players form a summer league team and things worked out so well that they decided to stay together into the winter season. Again, the less competitive atmosphere of summer leagues allows many teams and players to “experiment” with different players and positions. Maybe you’re a forward and want to change to defense, or may-be you had a life-long ambition of playing nets. The summer is a good time to try a new position.

Tournaments and vacations

Because amateur hockey has grown across the U.S. during the past several years, many organizations nationwide host hockey tournaments throughout the summer. In the West, several big tournaments are held in Las Vegas, Santa Rosa, Phoenix, Reno and Carson City. With the popularity of these tournaments, it may be the perfect time to take a vacation and play a little hockey at the same time. I’ve played in summer tournaments in Vancouver, Las Vegas, and San Diego, and although most of the time I didn’t come home a “winner,” I always had a great time.

Well there you have it, hockey in the summertime. It almost sounds like mixing oil and water, but summer hockey will continue to grow despite the change in season. Hopefully, the tips given here will help you get the most out of summer hockey and provide a basis of your personal goals and needs. So instead of putting that equipment away, make room on the surf racks and keep the hockey equipment out all year.

Joe Morales is a transplant from New York and has been playing hockey for well over 20 years.

This first appeared in the 05/1994 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Careers in the NHL: Angela Gorgone

Careers in the NHL: Angela Gorgone
By Bob Cunningham
Nov 6, 2000, 07:17

Step inside the offices of The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and you’re greeted with an atmosphere that efficiently blends the upbeat professionalism of the Walt Disney Company with a colorful extracurricular flavor that is found in pro sports.

Walk past the receptionist’s desk, turn right after strolling between two rows of decorator hockey sticks aligned like window blinds and head into the first door on the right. There, you’ll find dozens of media guides and other hockey reference materials adorning a back cabinet, organized impeccably. The quaint but ample office is cleanly decorated in The Mighty Ducks’ jade, purple and white. An impressive wood desk is neatly orchestrated, dominated by a computer terminal.

This is the office of the Coordinator of Computer Scouting and Video. This is Angela Gorgone’s office.

It’s appropriate that Gorgone’s office is the first one you reach as you head back into the arteries that make a professional organization’s heart beat. Appropriate because the role Gorgone plays intendedly works as a transfusion of information that is utilized in ultimately deciding which players are going to be donning the Ducks’ uniforms in the future.

The correspondence also aids the team in analyzing its future foes.

Arriving at this point in her career hasn’t been without the routine pitfalls and some sacrifice, but Gorgone is ecstatic over her progression into the field she’s known all along was right for her, the only one for her actually.

“I couldn’t be happier,” she beams.

Dedication, desire and hard work

Gorgone notes that the old standbys of dedication, desire and hard work are all that’s needed to begin a career in professional sports… women included.

She’s proud to say that the fact that she’s female has never really been a hindrance.

“In terms of actually someone making me feel unwelcome, or that I can’t do what I’m doing in hockey because I’m a woman, that’s never happened,” she says. “Occasionally, there’ve been times when I’ve felt more pressure. Really, I just become more determined to prove myself. To show I belong. I guess I have to know that much more than a man in the same position might have to know.”

In a sport that has spawned the integration of women into its actual product, Gorgone has pursued a more realistic approach toward a rewarding and enjoyable career in professional hockey, assisting in the operations of a National Hockey League team by virtue of her detailed knowledge of the entire organizational spectrum — from the lowest minor leagues on up.

The key for Gorgone, 26, has been her bachelors degree in sports management obtained from Ohio-based Bowling Green University. She had known since her earliest days growing up in Copiague, Long Island that she desired to pursue a career in hockey. But how to reach that goal didn’t become clear until shortly after graduation from high school.

Eat, drink and work hockey

“Growing up, we lived hockey. We ate, slept and drank the New York Rangers,” explains the single Anaheim resident. “Believe it or not, I wanted to work specifically in hockey since I was six years old.”

The sculpture of her eventual career path began to take shape after she watched Bowling Green’s 1984 hockey team outlast the University of Minnesota-Duluth in four overtimes to capture the NCAA title.

Gorgone had inquired to different colleges regarding her interests, but couldn’t locate the right type of program. Most discussed the training aspect of the game, while Gorgone was more interested in crunching numbers. She had worked as team statistician in high school in baseball, basketball and lacrosse, as well as hockey.

“I wrote to Bowling Green and they mailed me back some literature. They had a sports management degree. That was something that was relatively new at that time. I knew that’s what I wanted. They couldn’t have described it any better.”

Four years later, in the spring of 1989, Gorgone graduated with her bachelor’s. That came about five months after she began a critical internship with the New Jersey Devils.

“I wrote to different teams and received two offers — from the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals,” she says. “I went with the Devils because I’m from Long Island, it was more local.”

From Bowling Green to Rangers

Gorgone credits some of her successful rise to her association with former Ranger George McPhee, a Bowling Green alumnus she came to know.

“I really admired him, not because he was a great scorer or even a great player, but because he was the hardest working player I could ever remember. I’ve never forgotten that.”

With the Devils, Gorgone functioned as Hockey Staff Assistant under Director of Player Personnel Marshall Johnston. She also worked under Max McNab, the Executive Vice President and General Manager, as well as father of David McNab, the Mighty Ducks’ present Director of Player Personnel. She compulated statistics, assisted in writing out scouting reports, assisted in the production of the media guide and also worked in community relations, helping to schedule team appearances at local charitable functions.

The Devils liked her work so much, they decided to retain her as a full-time employee following the conclusion of her internship. She remained with the Devils until July of last year.

Migrate West

It was then that, despite the incredibly positive and supportive experience of the previous four years, it was time for something else.

“I had gotten to know Jack Ferreira through a mutual friend,” Cordons explains. “When the new team was formed out here, Jack called me and I thought it was the opportunity of a lifetime. I just couldn’t refuse. My years in New Jersey were invaluable, but it was time to move on.”

Gorgone notes that she’s been given a great deal more responsibility with The Mighty Ducks than she had at New Jersey.

“I guess you could say I’m the hockey resource person. I helped develop our computer scouting system,” she said.

During Mighty Ducks games, Gorgone can be found in the press box, busily entering data into a portable computer while the game is in progress. The information she initiates is eventually digested by the powers at be, resulting in decisions that directly affect the team on the ice.

Gorgone notes that coming to sunny Southern California was really a coincidence concerning her team change. This move was based purely on her hockey career.

Enjoy what you do

“I love it out here, I really do. I had never been to Southern California before. But coming out here had nothing to do with the location,” she explains. “If this opportunity would have been in Winnipeg, I would’ve taken it. The chance to help build a new organization… it’s exciting to help build something from scratch.”

Gorgone’s future aspirations don’t differ greatly from her current situation. Actually, though, she admits she hasn’t given the long term a great deal of thought.

“I’m really concentrating right now on doing the best I can in this position. I think I’d always like to stay in the hockey department, although I don’t think I’d want to go too much into the scouting end of it because of the travel.

“It’s very important to me that you enjoy what you do. I love coming to work. I love being at the games,” she says. “It’s really not as glamorous as people think. Some people think the players come in here and hang out all day.

“But I still love it.”

Bob Cunningham is a Southern California-based freelance writer who contributes to several sports publications throughout the U.S. and Canada.

This first appeared in the 05/1994 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Kitchen’s One-On-One Recipe

Kitchen’s one-on-one recipe
By Fred Pletsch
Nov 6, 2001, 07:00

Mike Kitchen. ©BBS

Offensive talents Wendel Clark and Mats Sundin garnered most of the headlines as the premier players involved in the 1994 draft day deal between Toronto and the then-Quebec Nordiques. But a player some consider to be the best defensive defenseman in the NHL also switched teams that day.

Sylvain Lefebvre, the 6’2”, 204-pound rearguard is as good as they get according to Toronto assistant coach Mike Kitchen, who said goodbye to Lefebvre that June day.

“He’s a guy you want out there protecting a lead,” says Kitchen. “Sylvain is a big, strong player with exceptional skating ability. (With Toronto) he always played against the other team’s big line because he could skate backwards with any forward as well as they could skate forward. And he really frustrated them because of his use of the stick and intelligent positional play.”

First things first

Kitchen, who crafted his own eight-year NHL career on the blueline with Colorado and New Jersey from 1976 through 1984, says it’s important for defensemen to adopt an attitude whereby they recognize their limitations.

“You have to think of defense before offense. Accept your role and think of team play first, and individual play second. Pay large attention to small details and always be aware of the situation (on the ice)—such as the time left in the game, the score, and (what players) you’re playing against.”

Containment of opposing forwards in one-on-one battles is one of the most important contributions a defenseman can make in his own end. Kitchen notes that you don’t always know what the referee is going to call in youth hockey, but that there are some basic defensive tenets from pro hockey that can be applied at lower levels.

“The one rule of thumb is that the only thing a guy can score with is his stick,” states Kitchen. “He can’t kick it in and he can’t direct it in with his hand or body. So if you can just come across at the right time and get his stick up, the guy is not going to score.”

Kitchen isn’t a fan of the World Wrestling Federation either, at least in front of the net.

“Don’t get tied up where you’re in a real wrestling match because it’s going to affect your goalie’s view of the puck. You don’t have to be jamming your stick between the guy’s legs and trying to spin him around. A lot of it is timing.

“Once you see that shot coming from the point or off the wing, get in there and lift your man’s stick.”

Kitchen also recommends getting the jump on would-be net crashers by establishing position first whenever possible.

“We did this successfully in the playoffs (in 1993) against Dino Ciccarelli of Detroit,” recalls Kitchen. “When we got there first he couldn’t act as a screen on Felix Potvin in front of the net. But if he got there first, we decided just to leave him—because Felix can look around two legs better than four. And we weren’t going to play WWF either. If we grabbed early positioning, great; if not, we just left him alone and tried to come across and get his stick at the right time.”

Work that D

One of Kitchen’s favorites for improving man-on-man containment is the one-on-one three-way drill. He diagrams it this way:

“On the whistle—and the forward can’t leave until he hears the whistle—Forward 1 will walk out of the corner (with a puck) and the defenseman in front of the net will challenge him and handle that one-on-one. Once the coach has decided that’s enough, the second whistle will sound and Forward 2 will walk out of the corner, and that same defenseman handles (the new) one-on-one. When the coach is satisfied that battle is done, the whistle sounds again and Forward 3 comes out of the corner, and the same defenseman who was handling Forward 2 challenges Forward 3 and tries to keep him outside of the goal.

“Then, on the fourth whistle, Forward 3 tries to tip a point shot from another defenseman who is at the blueline. The defenseman who was providing the net-front coverage must try to time his approach and lift the stick of Forward 3, not allowing him to tip the shot.

“Remember, the forwards coming from the corners all have puck possession, with Forward 3’s puck deemed dead once the fourth whistle blows, and both Forward 3 and the defenseman release to concentrate on the point shot.”

Every coach wants players with the skill of Mats Sundin and Wendel Clark in their lineup, but you need defensive stalwart types such as Sylvain Lefebvre to be successful, too.

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

This first appeared in the 10/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Tools You Need to Succeed

Tools you need to succeed
By Mitch Korn
Nov 6, 2001, 06:55

Parents may panic when they hear their child announce “I want to be a goalie,” even though goaltender is one of the greatest positions in sports. So before you give your loved ones a heart attack by “donning the pads,” there are a lot of things you should work on in order to ensure your enjoyment and success between the pipes.

Be an athlete

The best goalies are the most athletic ones, those with the speed of a cat. The ability to “scramble” in tough situations requires body control. All quality goaltenders are in super shape, both physically and cardiovascularly. Their muscles are strong and toned, and their “wind” is exceptional. The old cliché of “putting the fat kid in net” has never been farther from the truth.

Be a great skater

This much is clear: if you can’t skate, you can’t excel. We’re not talking about skating in a straight line. We are talking about explosive starts and stops; quick lateral movements; rapid transitions and brisk recovery, all the while maintaining excellent balance and agility—ever ready to make a save. It sounds easy to some, but it’s tough!

Be flexible

Again, the best athletes have outstanding lower body flexibility. The ability to contort from the waist, hips, knees, and groin are a must to close holes and perform well. Don’t be discouraged, however; you can work to improve your flexibility every day!

Have no fear of the puck

A “puck-shy” goalie, or one who is “timid,” will not have great success. The goalie must be fearless, of both the puck and the traffic around the net.

In order to eliminate any fear of the puck, a goaltender must have quality equipment in which he or she has confidence. While “big money” is spent on the fancy gloves, pads and mask (not to mention the paint job) little attention is paid to the pants, chest pads and arm pads—where most of the bruises and “hurts” tend to occur.

Granted, the equipment is very expensive. But keep in mind that newer is not necessarily better. At the younger ages, purchasing quality used equipment is fine. Many hockey associations provide goalie equipment. And remember, sometimes spending a little more means a lot better protection.

Have no fear of the game

There is always pressure on a goalie, either self-imposed or placed upon him by the coach, parents, teammates or even fans. The goalie has to be up to the challenge. He has to be mentally tough, self-confident, and want to be the difference in the game. The ability to “shake off” an early goal, or to “tune out” an overzealous parent is required. But if you can do that, you’ll find there’s nothing better than making that big save with under a minute to go to save the game!

Also, the goaltender plays the safest position on the ice. No one can hit him, he is wearing an armor of protective equipment, and his entire team protects him. Other than the puck, which is rather predictable, the goalie does not have to worry about going into the corner with some psycho, bruising, high-sticking, butt-ending goon!

Be good mentally

Besides the need for “mental toughness” (above) the goaltender must be able to anticipate, read and react, make the proper save selections, and see the puck—even when it isn’t able to be viewed. Simply, the goaltender must have a head for the game. Reacting physically is not enough. Those with solid mental skills can usually out-wit the goal scorer by anticipating and reading the play.

Be A Worker

Regardless of one’s natural skills, there is no substitute for hard work. The goalie, like the quarterback of the football team, is a leader and has to set an example. The longer you play the position, the more you’ll realize that the work ethic is directly related to success.

Be normal…sort of

All it takes is one goalie who is “bananas” to give all of us a bad name! True, the best goalies tend to be a little special…a bit more creative…a bit over confident…a bit more outgoing…and a bit more demanding than the norm. But all the stories of goalies that are “nuts,” doing crazy things, are the exception and not the rule. Sure they’re usually intense, but goalies are actually pretty good guys!

Mitch Korn is the goaltender coach for the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL. In addition, he is an administrator at Miami University (Ohio) and directs the 8-week Summer Hockey School. Miami has Division I ice hockey in the CCHA.

This first appeared in the 10/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Power in Transition

Power in transition
By Robby Glantz
Nov 6, 2001, 06:52

Stephane Richer. ©BBS

After having watched the Stanley Cup Finals between New Jersey and Detroit, it became even more obvious to me that transition moves may be the most vital skating element in modern hockey. You only have to watch Paul Coffey or Stephane Richer to realize how often the players (both forwards and defenseman) are required to turn from backward to forward, and vice-versa. Also, I have coached many European teams on power skating who have for years utilized the trap defense made suddenly famous by the Devils.

And because the trap system is predicated on forcing the other team into mid-ice turnovers, the system can only work if it has players that can make explosive transitions the other direction, in order to create quick outnumbered attacks. The following is an outline on how you can improve your change-of-direction maneuvers.

Forward to Backward

Key Points:

• Bend your knees deeply so that they are covering your toes.

• Keep your back straight, head up and eyes forward.

• Make sure that you turn your hips 90° from the direction that you were originally traveling, with both skates turning the same way at the same time.

• Your upper body must remain centered directly over your skates, if you lean too far in either direction, this will throw off your balance.

• The outside skate is planted firmly on an inside edge, and pushes a “half- moon shape” going up and out, and cutting deeply into the ice.

• The inside skate trails the outside one, and is on an outside edge. This is the leg that will get you going in a straight line backwards, as it pulls underneath the body extremely hard and to full extension, forming a big letter “Y”.

• Continue to pull the crossunder leg to accelerate, and also to straighten out your line of travel.

Skating Imagery:

Picture the fact that when you are facing one direction, you obviously have to make a 360° turn to get all the way around and back to that original position. With that in mind, your first and only pivot should be 1/4 of that (90°). It is vital that you make your turns as direct as possible. Too many players, professionals included, first turn their skates 90° in the wrong direction and then have to swing the hips a full 180° just to get going in the correct direction. This is a totally wasted movement which will decrease the directness, balance and speed of your turns.

Backward to Forward

Key Points:

• Bend your knees deeply so that they are covering your toes.

• Keep your back straight, head up, eyes and chin forward.

• Make sure to center all of your body weight over the pushing or turning skate. This skate will turn automatically if it is planted firmly on an inside edge.

• Return the other skate (the foot you will land on) directly under the body, slightly off the ice, forming an “Arrow Tip” position.

• The pivoting foot is your pushing skate. Counterbalance against it to maintain the grip to get power and speed from the first push.

• Once you find your balance point and begin to get your momentum going in the other direction, pop up on the toes of your skates to get that quick start forward.

Skating Imagery:

Try to picture this maneuver as a 1/2-turn. This is because if you let your hips turn too far, for example 3/4 of the way around, this will really slow you down and you will not be able to make a quick start forward. Plus, you are not facing the play anymore.

Likewise, I see many players who make the mistake of jumping off of the inside edge (the pushing/turning foot) too soon, before it pulls your hips around. Making this error will cause you to lose all your momentum because you will have to put the other skate on the ice and you still are not facing in the direction that you need to go.

Work on your transition moves and you may find yourself bearing down alone on the opposition goalie!

Robby Glantz, power skating coach for the Los Angeles Kings, Swedish champions Malmö, and the German National Teams, conducts skating programs throughout North America and Europe.

This first appeared in the 10/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Recent Books and Videos

Recent books and videos
By HP Staff
Nov 5, 2001, 20:18

Devoured any good books lately? Stared down any good videos? Hungry for new drills? For new information? For a good read? If so, don’t worry, there are plenty of new hockey books and videos available to satisfy the specific needs of all you starved players, coaches, parents and fans. To whet your appetite, consider the following selections from three major hockey groups:

Roller Hockey

Some of the most exciting new material available this fall is for inline coaches and players. Roller Hockey: Skills and Strategies for Winning on Wheels by Greg Siller and Inline Skater’s Start-up: A Beginner’s Guide to In-line Skating and Roller Hockey by Doug Werner are as different as two books can be, and yet both offer great information for inliners.

The Skills and Strategies book is the most complete coaching manual I’ve ever seen for inline hockey. Its 324 pages include everything a coach would need to run an effective, organized hockey program. Each chapter covers a different skill or strategy and is laid out to include the fundamentals, advanced techniques, a checklist, drills, advanced drills and a recap. The “Coach’s Toolbox” contains 13 worksheets for the coach to perform player evaluations and to maintain team and individual statistics. This softcover, spiral bound 8 1/2” X 11” book retails for $17.99.

Doug Werner’s InLine Skater’s Start-up is a good-natured, humorous look at inline skating and hockey for the beginner. Werner considers himself to be a professional beginner; he decides to learn a new sport and then write about what it’s like to be a “bumbling idiot” while learning. His book will not turn you into an Olympic athlete, but at $9.95 it’s a fun read and contains lots of helpful information for novices of all ages and for parents.

Inline skaters and coaches also have a new goaltending video available to them. Secrets of Inline Goaltending, co-produced by Huron Roller Hockey Schools and Hockey Player Magazine, features two-time national champion Don Thomson of the Koho Hosers. Along with detailed instruction on playing the position, there are loads of drills, game strategies and common goalie mistakes. There is also a special appearance and instructional segment with USA Hockey and RHI goalie Erin Whitten. This video sells for $19.95 and has a 40-minute running time.

Players and Coaches

Want to be a better, more powerful skater? Is your stickhandling more of a problem for you than for the defense? If so, your dilemma is over! Two new videos have just been produced that will help you improve your skating and your stickhandling. If you are a coach, there is a new manual and video aimed at helping you develop a more cohesive team.

With Robby Glantz’s Secrets of Hockey Speed you have access to methods for learning the foundations for speed that can be used by players at all levels, from youth hockey to the pros. Glantz conducts clinics throughout North America and Europe and is the skating coach for the Los Angeles Kings, the German National team and the Swedish champions Malmö. Co-produced by Hockey Player Magazine, this video features demonstrations from NHL stars Steve Duchesne and Tony Granato along with easy-to-grasp terminology, and creative camera angles. Priced at $24.95, this video runs for 45 minutes.

Stickhandling On and Off Ice is a new 26-minute video by Terry Cullen, head hockey coach of Moorhead High School in Minnesota. Cullen’s innovative program teaches dryland techniques and drills that can then be taken onto the ice. Endorsed by Herb Brooks, Head Coach of the 1980 Olympic team, and Bob O’Connor, National Coach in Chief of USA Hockey, this $29.95 video is an essential tool for the serious coach or player.

For coaches, Transition: From Game to Practice is a new booklet and video by the head of the Finnish Ice Hockey Association, Erkka Westerlund. Based upon a need to install more “game-like thinking” into hockey practices, these drills were developed to teach players how to think both offensively and defensively at the same time. The manual and video present a progression of teaching on-ice thinking through cross-ice games for ages 7-to-12 and transition drills for ages 12-and-older. The 62-page manual sells for $10.00, and the 22-minute video sells for $24.95. Each is available separately.

Hockey Fans

Hockey fans always look forward to the current editions of NHL-related books that are updated for each new season. Once again the Hockey Scouting Re-port, The NHL Official Guide and Record Book and The Sporting News Complete Hockey Book are back with all of the vital information on our favorite teams and players.

In addition, there are some new titles that should also bring hours of reading enjoyment. For example, Stan Fischler has completed Bad Boys 3, the third volume in his popular series about the tough guys of the NHL. Douglas Hunter has written A Breed Apart: An Illustrated History of Goaltending which, through a pictorial timeline, traces the important events in goaltending history, from the very beginnings to modern day times. This 208-page coffee table book sells for $28.95. The Complete Historical and Statistical Reference to the World Hockey Association 1972-1979 by Scott Surgent is a 438-page softcover book which is the most complete and accurate reference ever written about the WHA. Included are complete player statistics for the regular season and playoffs, complete game results for every team each year, complete player and coaching registers with career records, and much more. Although there are no pictures, there is a history of each team in the league, and scattered throughout are anecdotes of interest to hard-core WHA fans. This book sells for $28.95.

Still hungry for more? Okay, for desert how about a taste of the NHL in action? Heaven: The Official 1995 Stanley Cup Championship Video is an emotion-filled recap of the Devils historic first Stanley Cup Championship run. Along with exciting game highlights are behind the scenes footage and player interviews. This 55-minute video sells for $19.95. l

This first appeared in the 11/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Evolution in Net

Evolution in net
By Mitch Korn
Nov 5, 2001, 20:13

While the phrase “You’ve come a long way, baby” was not coined about goaltenders, it certainly does apply when you look at what’s happened over the last 25 years.

Just look at the equipment.

Since Jacques Plante’s invention of the mask, there have been many great improvements. At my goalie schools, it used to be that three or four goalies would have the modern flush masks (not the old “flat-on-your-face” type) while 30 would have a cage. But now it’s the opposite: the vast majority have the very protective flush mask. These modern masks could stop a freight train!

Suits of armor

The body protection is also now fantastic. What was once a piece of felt covering the chest and some “quilting” protecting the arms has turned into a one-piece set of armor. Far fewer goaltenders are “puck shy” these days simply because the gear is so good.

And how about those gloves? I can remember NHL goalies like Johnny Bower wearing gloves that I wouldn’t put a squirt into today. Now the catch gloves are incredibly light—with big cuffs, plastic in the palms for protection, and huge T-webs. The stick gloves have all kinds of finger protection, and they (like the catch gloves) continue to get larger and larger. Plus, they give the goaltender the chance to make a “fashion statement!”

The epitome of technological advancement are the goalie leg pads. Once made only by Pop Kenesky using leather and deer hair—and weighing a ton!—pads are now produced by nearly 60 manufacturers, utilizing synthetics and foams in a multitude of styles, colors and designs.

Pads used to be purchased 2-4 inches taller than necessary, because they would break down over time. They would get waterlogged, and the leather would “rot.”

Now, pads do not break down. They are very light, they are much more durable, and they don’t absorb water. And in the old days, the maximum width for pads was 10-inches wide. Now they can be up to 12-inches wide.

Is this an advantage? Well, while the equipment has gotten much bigger, the puck has not shrunk—and the net is still 6 feet by 4 feet!

Style changes, too

Has the game ever changed over the years. The goal crease used to be just the painted rectangle because goalies rarely left the crease, or even their feet. They didn’t have to handle the puck much, either.

But eventually the position changed. First Plante, then Ed Giacomin, and now Ron Hextall set new standards for moving and playing the puck.

In the modern game, a goaltender cannot be complete without this skill. Today, with the much improved sticks (made stronger with more fiberglass, curved blades and rounded heels) it’s easier to fire the puck.

It wasn’t that many years ago that there were one or two “butterfly goalies” around the league and the rest played the stand-up style. Well—About Face! Now, almost all goalies use their pads, rather than make skate saves, and most would be classified as a butterfly of one kind or another. I can only think of two or three stand-up goalies in the NHL today. Today, it is not “if” you leave your feet, but “when” (timing) and “how” (the position of arms, legs, stick, etc., and the save selection chosen). Back “then” Roger Crozier and Tony Esposito were radical…today they might be considered conservative!

Specialized coaching

Goalies today are performing at higher levels than in the past. They are more athletic, move better, wear more-protective and lighter equipment and—to go along with all that—they also have specialized coaching.

The revolution began about 20 years ago with the advent of goalie schools and the adoption, in recent years, of team and association goalie coaches. Guys like me, Dave Prior, Joe Bertagna, Jim Park, Steve McKichan, and others, have trained hundreds of young goalies over the years. We have made it more of a science, and the young goalies have grown up with a “system” to their game. The use of personal camcorders and video replay has also greatly enhanced our ability to coach.

So, overall, goalies: stop complaining. Time has been on your side, and you’ve got it better now than ever before!

Mitch Korn is the goaltender coach for the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL. In addition, he is an administrator at Miami University (Ohio) and directs the 8-week Summer Hockey School. Miami has Division I ice hockey in the CCHA.

This first appeared in the 11/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Three Common Mistakes

Three common mistakes
By Robby Glantz
Nov 5, 2001, 20:09

Summer is a season for learning, both for aspiring players and their teachers. My instructors and I have zeroed in on the three most common mistakes our students made with respect to their overall skating techniques while attending our camps. They were: not maintaining enough knee bend; using two hands on the stick too often; and poor edge-control.

Correcting one or all of these common errors will automatically improve your skating ability and, therefore, your game.

Knee bend

The basics:

We often remind our students that if they can remember only one aspect of our camps that will definitely make them better skaters, that single fundamental would be to bend the kneesmore than what feels comfortable. You will find that your balance immediately improves, as well as your stride length, mobility and speed.

Tips:

• Bend your knees deeply so that they are covering, or are about 2” out in front of, the toes of your skates.

• The knee should always be out in front of the toes of your skates (except for in the tight turn, where the outside edge skate should lead you into the turn).

• If your legs are not burning (especially the thigh area) after a shift or at the and of practice, than you know you are not bending the knees to the optimal position.

Push yourself to bend the knees even more than you think is necessary. This will not only make the optimal position easier to maintain, it will strengthen your legs and improve your “instinctive” skating style.

Stick Control

The basics:

Obviously, when you shoot, pass, catch a pass, etc., you should keep two hands on the stick. However, when you are attempting to gain top speed in open ice you should have only one hand—your top hand—on the stick, even when skating with the puck.

Be sure to stretch your arms fully to the front, rather than side to side, so that you are able to keep all your momentum and speed going in the direction you are traveling.

Tips:

• Use one hand on the stick whenever you are in open ice situations.

• Keeping one hand on the stick will dramatically improve your balance, especially when skating backwards.

• Remember to turn the palm of your stick hand up once the arm has fully extended to the front, this will flatten your stick out on the ice, allowing you to maintain top speed while pushing the puck on your backhand side.

A side benefit of effectively working your stick with one hand is to extend your reach at both ends of the ice. On offense, you’ll find it easier to corral that slightly over-lead pass. On defense, you’ll have a stronger, more effective pokecheck and cover a wider area of the ice.

Edge work

The basics:

You have to be able to grip the ice with the edges of your skates in order for you to get maximum power and control. The proper angle of an edge rolling to the ice should be maintained at 45°—halfway to the ice. Too many players we see never roll the ankles of their skates which means they are standing mostly on the flats of the blades. This causes your grip against the ice to be lessened.

In other words, shoddy edge work causes you to slide on top of the ice, rather than digging into it. This mistake will severely hamper your power, turns, starts, and almost all aspects of your game.

Tips:

• Make sure your edges roll at least halfway to the ice.

• Be sure to center all of your body weight directly over your edge to create a counterbalancing effect.

• Try loosening the top two eyelets on your skates, which will immediately give you more ankle flexibility and allow you to roll your edges further to the ice.

When working on edge control—as with knee bend—exaggerate the edge roll in practice. Soon you’ll feel comfortable working your edges and the gain will pay off in tighter turns, more explosive starts and more powerful strides.

Let’s hope that if I see you at one of my Summer camps next year, you’ll already have mastered these three common mistakes!

Robby Glantz, power skating coach for the Los Angeles Kings, Swedish champions Malmö, and the German National Teams, conducts skating programs throughout North America and Europe.

This first appeared in the 11/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Protecting a Lead

Protecting a lead
By Fred Pletsch
Nov 5, 2001, 20:07

The leading team should be the smart team in hockey and, when it comes to protecting a one-goal advantage in the last 10 minutes, Jacques Martin has a checklist of priorities to make your team play with the intelligence of “Club Mensa.”

Martin, 43, is an assistant coach of the Colorado Avalanche and a former head coach of the St. Louis Blues. In 1994, his Cornwall Aces won 15 regular season games in the American Hockey League by a single goal. And during their subsequent trip to the Calder Cup semi-finals, seven of their eight playoff victories came by the same slim margin.

Martin theorizes that protecting your lead starts in the offensive zone.

“You want to keep up some forechecking pressure, but the objective is more containment than creating scoring chances. Avoid getting trapped deep in the zone, and thereby getting out of position on your man. You must eliminate blind passes—the no-look pass from behind the net into the slot that the opposition could convert into a three-on-two rush.

You have to guard against plays that might trap your teammates, such as a drop pass to a pointman who is covered.”

This type of simplistic, no-frills approach can be extended into the neutral zone, according to Martin.

“Guard against unsafe stickhandling (in) trying to beat a man at the red line or offensive blueline. Because if you have a teammate or two ahead of you and you lose the puck, it’s an automatic outnumbered situation (going) the other way.

“Make sure you get the puck deep into the other team’s end by dumping it. Beware of long passes and cross-ice passes in the neutral zone, and don’t backtrack with the puck.

“Don’t take the play back into your end. You want to keep the puck ahead of you and going toward the opposition’s end.”

Neutral territory also serves as the setup area for your defensive zone coverage when the opposition gains control of the puck. It’s important for your wingers to pick up their checks—preferable getting themselves positioned between their man and your net—and for your defensemen to stand up at the blueline and force the puck carrier to dump it in.

“It becomes crucial, “ explains Martin, “to run some interference, to delay the forecheckers and give your defense time to get back, retrieve the puck and look for the open man.”

Get in the way

Pro, Major Junior and college hockey allow liberal degrees of interference to impede the progress of forecheckers (although the NHL has pledged a crackdown on just such tactics in 1995/96). Youth hockey players aren’t permitted to hook opponents in the midsection and literally hold them at bay. But they should be taught how to get ahead of their man, block off his skating lanes, and get their stick horizontal so their man has to take an awfully wide route to get to the puck carrier.

“Keep the puck around the boards as much as possible” is the cardinal rule in your own zone when defending a lead late in the game. “The puck is not in a dangerous position if you lose possession around the wall,” notes Martin.

Put the seventh man—also known as the boards and glass—to work when all other options to get the puck out of your zone are taken away. This is something good defensemen work at in practice. They’ll take a pile of pucks and flip them, one at a time, from a corner high into the neutral zone, or practice firing pucks off the glass and out of the zone.

Martin prefers an icing call and faceoff deep in his zone when there’s no alternative except a turnover inside the blueline. He also likes his goalie to force as many stoppages as possible—especially if he’s not a great puck handler—because it takes away the flow and momentum of the opposition.

The key to defending a six-on-five situation, says Martin, is to keep from giving the other team an uncovered man down low.

“The bottom line is you want to make sure the scoring areas are covered, and you want to have some pressure on the puck. If the puck is in the corner, you should have a defenseman there and a support man who is going to be closer to the net than to the corner.

“The point man on the strong (puck) side is going to be covered, and you’re going to have two men in front of the net. The other defenseman is in front of the goal, and you’re going to bring the weak-side winger in front of the net.”

The pressure’s always on when protecting a one-goal lead late in the game. So, as Jacques Martin would say in his native French, “Bonne chance!”

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

This first appeared in the 11/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Skating skills to look for

Skating skills to look for
By 1994
Nov 5, 2001, 20:01

From time to time we like to discuss the skating strengths of current NHL players. We do this to give you a different perspective while watching these players perform, one that will help you improve your own skating by better understanding what makes these players move so fluidly on the ice. With the NHL playoffs currently underway, this is an excellent time to discuss the skating skills of some of the participants.

RAY BOURQUE

The Boston Bruin star is one of the greatest defenseman in NHL history and, not coincidentally, his skating skills are superb. He has incredible strength in his lower body and legs, which is the key to being a strong skater. What to look for: Bourque harnesses that lower body strength in all aspects of his game. Notice how he puts all of his body weight over his inside edge, pushing one foot at a time in the forward stride. Also, he can deliver a hard and accurate shot, even from a standstill, because of his ability to sit down into his skates while driving from inside edge to inside edge.

JOEY JUNEAU

Blinding speed is what comes to mind when you think of the young star of the Washington Capitals. However, he has the turning and stop-on-a-dime ability to go along with his speed, and that keeps opponents back on their heels. What to look for: Juneau has such an impressive kneebend. His knees are bent at the perfect 90Ó angle in all the maneuvers he performs in a game. Focus on his ability to keep his body position low and his weight centered directly over his skates. In the forward stride, he has the great ability to thrust his entire edge against the ice, rolling from the back of the blade to the front, to attain his explosive speed.

SERGEI MAKAROV

Had Makarov played in the NHL during his prime he would definitely have been considered one of the leagueÕs all-time greats. But even today, his excellent skating and play-making skills are quite evident as he continues to be a leader on the upstart San Jose Sharks. What to look for: Makarov is a smaller player who uses his size to his advantage. He has a tremendously low center of gravity and superb balance, which makes him difficult to knock off of his feet. Notice how Makarov skates with a bowlegged style. Keeping the knees turned outward is vital for being able to push your legs in the proper direction when skating. Also, he keeps a very wide base when making lateral (side to side) moves, which keeps defenseman guessing as to which direction he will be going.

MIKE MODANO

Modano is a player who has really come into his own recently, and is the marquee attraction for the Dallas Stars. He is one of those players who plays the game and skates so smoothly that he appears to be moving effortlessly. However, it is excellent technique and fundamentals, combined with hard work, that are behind his great skills. What to look for: Modano is a taller player who uses his long stride to full advantage. By fully extending his leg on every stride, he is able to cover more distance and gain speed without having to use as many pushes as the average player. Modano also has a great ability to explode wide on an opponent because of his excellent crossover technique. Notice how he remains square to the ice with his upper body even (keeping his inside shoulder up) while on an extreme angle with his lower body. This balance is what gives him the ability to perform such fast crossovers.

Watch these playoff performers skate toward the Stanley Cup, and improve your own skating techniques along the way.

Robby Glantz is an internationally certified Laura Stamm instructor. He is a power skating coach for the Los Angeles Kings, European champion Malms, Sweden and the German National Teams. He conducts Power Skating schools for all levels throughout the U.S.

This first appeared in the 06/1994 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®