Creating explosive starts

By Robby Glantz

Fast starts are vitally important in ice hockey. Whenever I work with pro players—from the LA Kings to National Team players in Europe—the skating skill that they like to work on the most is, inevitably, the explosive start. And this holds true whether they are defensemen or forwards. They like to work on bettering their starts because they realize that with the proper techniques and training they can improve their overall quickness.

Getting an explosive start can be just as important in hockey as one’s straight-ahead speed, since hockey is a sport of short bursts and change of directions. This month’s article will introduce you to, and focus on the techniques for front forward starts that should help you “get the lead out” of your skates.

Forward Starts

Make sure you start with your skates directly under your body, forming the letter “V”—with your heels together and knees turned outward. It is very important that you maintain this narrow base throughout the start.

Bend the knees to 90°. Then thrust your body forward by applying 100% of your body weight to the front part of the pushing foot’s inside edge (the toe of the skate). You should land on the front part of the other skate’s inside edge, and then repeat the move again.

To gain that quick off-the-mark start, take your initial three strides as described above, with the push coming from the toe part of the inside edge of your skate blade. This will give you that explosive running motion that you often see from quickest players in the NHL, like Wayne Gretzky and Sergei Federov.

Helpful Hints

To gain an explosive start, you should picture in your mind what a sprinter looks like when the gun goes off. The sprinter is trying to thrust forward—not upward—to gain that extra advantage at the start, and their initial strides come from the balls of the feet. It is extremely similar in hockey. We want to feel like we are thrusting forward; taking quick strides that may look like short strides to the naked eye but are, in fact, best performed when fully extending the pushing leg. Remember to stay low throughout the move, trying to cover as much distance as you can while still making very rapid strides.

Drill

The ability to get up on the toes of your skates is the first step in improving your start, and an excellent drill to improve this skill is one I call “The Penguin,” or the “Charlie Chaplin.” To start the exercise, place your feet in the “V” position, bending your knees deeply and turning them outward. Then attempt to lift your heels off the ice so that you are standing only on the toes of your inside edges. Once you get the proper balance, begin to walk slowly across the ice while only on the toes of your skates (like a penguin, or Chaplin). If you can stay only on the inside edge of the toe for at least four strides while walking slowly, that would be an excellent result—and that ability will help you to get on your toes for more dynamic starts in game situations.

Once you feel confident walking on your toes, add some speed to the drill. Begin by walking slowly on the toes of your inside edges, like Chaplin again, for about five strides, then attempt to build up speed with the next three-to-four strides—doing the same drill, but now at game speed. You should really begin to feel the explosive start. Remember to exaggerate all these movements in practice so that in the games you do not have to think about them.

Be patient

If you read this column regularly, you then know that we urge you not to got discouraged or lose your confidence if you have trouble applying some of the techniques we describe. This is doubly important when practicing the explosive start. I have pro players who return to me frequently to work specifically on their starts, and getting up on the toes of the skates is extremely difficult even for these highly skilled players.

So be patient, and do not be afraid to fall down or make mistakes. As is so often the case when working on your skating skills, falling forward when practicing explosive starts only shows that you are making a good effort to improve them.

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

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

Coaching good team defense

By Julia Negro

Mark Morris, head hockey coach of the ECAC’s Clarkson Golden Knights, believes there are several keys to good team defense. Positional play in the defensive zone is a must, along with keeping a “tight unit,” whether playing even-strength or short-handed. Also, forwards should always come back to help out in the defensive zone in a backchecking situation.

Break it up!

To break up the opposition’s attack, there are many points for forwards to concentrate on in a backchecking situation.

• If you have your stick on the puck carrier, take the man!

•Establish your backchecking “lane” immediately.

• Go to, and cover a player without the puck. Do not let him receive a pass or get into position to receive a pass.

• Cover your man until the attack is broken up, or the check is traded off to a defenseman. In trading off, communication is a must!

• Stay in your lane if the man leaves your lane and cuts in front of the defense.

• Stay with your man if he leaves the lane and cuts behind the defense.

• Let the defensemen take the puck carrier unless your man receives the pass.

Morris suggests this technique to teach your team how to play good defense: think of the players forming a box in the defensive zone. Two defensemen on the bottom corners, two forwards on the top corners. The first forward back would support the area of the puck. The second forward would cover the slot area, the strong-side point, and any trailing attackers who are a scoring threat. The last forward back will cover the slot area and the weak-side point. The forwards and weak-side defenseman are also responsible for holding up the forecheckers. “The more you can get your players to visualize their responsibility areas, the better your team will perform defensively,” says Morris, the 1991/92 ECAC Coach of the Year.

Pick up sticks

In playing defense, it is essential that the unit on the ice is always in control of their men, and pressures from the inside out. The defensemen should always favor the center of the ice, especially the slot area, and approach scrambles for the puck from the defensive side. Morris adds that a coach should constantly remind his players to lift the opposition’s stick at opportune times to prevent tip-ins and rebounds.

Players must become proficient in taking the man in order to be successful. When taking the man, concentrate on your opponent and isolate him. Once you decide to take this player, you must stay with him. Finish what you started, and complete the check.

Another key to playing solid defense is to allow the defenders to play the puck carrier and to leave the back-checking forwards with the responsibility of picking up any additional attackers. When the puck is at the point, players should move out to the point and take an inside-out route to go through the man, leading with your stick and following through with your body—always finishing the check.

Morris further suggests doing drills around the net to improve a team’s defensive skills. A drill that he often uses is three-on-two play from the top of the circles down. “We have our players that are getting ready to go stand along the top of the circles to keep the puck alive and in the zone. After practicing the three-on-two situations, we change it to three-on-three. The first forward back in the zone becomes familiar with backing up the defenders in the corners and around the net.”

Morris goes on to explain, “We’ll take one line at a time and have them defend against the next three or four consecutive line rushes. For each rush, we’ll rotate the first forward back so they are facing three different situations from three different rushes. Positioning is everything here, and the players should be staying low with their stick on the ice anticipating an errant pass or stopping a shot.”

It’s a race

A coach should teach the youth player to take their opponent out long enough so that he doesn’t beat you back to the front of the net. This style of defensive play, notes Morris, keeps players in control of the people they are responsible for checking.

Last, but far from least, communication is particularly important in the defensive zone and around the net. Goaltenders have to act as the defensemen’s eyes and make them aware of whom they need to pick up. Goaltenders also help relieve the pressure in the defensive zone whenever possible by clearing the puck to the corner or dumping it out of the zone. And Morris urges the youth coach to remember that the whole team, even the offensive stars, must be proficient in defensive play for the squad to be successful.

Julia Negro is a conditioning instructor at Michigan State University and an Administrator for Huron Hockey School in Traverse City, MI.

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

In Goal: Playing the puck

By Mitch Korn
Jan 29, 2007, 05:34

It all started with Jacques Plante “roaming” from the crease. Then Ed Giacomin became the New York Rangers so-called “third defenseman.” And now, Ron Hextall, with two goals under his belt, can fire the puck harder than many forwards.

Goaltending has evolved to the point where a goalie cannot excel without being able to handle and move the puck. The problem is that most goalies do not know how to handle the puck, or where to move it.

Once the goalie gains possession of the puck, he has a couple of choices. The first and best choice is to leave the puck for a teammate (most often a defenseman). Sometimes goalies will overhandle the puck, and make a bad decision when choosing to move it.

One task, two skills

There are two basic aspects to handling and moving the puck. First is how the goaltender physically positions his hands, and second is the mental skill of reading the play and selecting the correct option on how and where to move the puck.

The goaltender has six options on how to position his hands in order to play the puck. The best and quickest way is to move the stick hand to the top of the stick, with the catch glove supporting the stick at the paddle. This is the forehand set-up. It is difficult for some netminders to master because a right-hander (stick in the right hand and catch glove on left) has to learn to move the puck, effectively, as a left-hander. The second, and most difficult, is the backhand. The hands are set the same way as in the forehand example above, but the puck is moved on the backhand.

The third option is a one-hand sweep backhand, a move that has become very popular in making a direct pass or sending the puck around the boards from behind the net. This is actually easier than the two-hand backhand. Fourth, there is the one-hand, forehand push pass. The puck does not move very hard, but is a quick move.

Fifth and sixth (forehand and backhand) are the “turnover methods.” Here, the catch glove goes to the butt-end (top of the stick) and the stick glove remains at the paddle, with the stick “turning over.” The advantage of these two choices is that a right hander can move the puck as a righty normally would, unlike our very first example. However, it’s a move that often takes too long and leaves the goaltender’s stick way out of position.

Move it!

Now that the goalie has gained possession of the puck, he must move it. Too often the goaltender either moves the puck past his teammates (too far), or just blindly throws it—seemingly with no reason—to the corner, possibly getting his defenseman crushed into the boards.

Ideally, the goalie should make every effort to leave the puck in a good position—behind the goal line and away from the boards—for a defenseman. But, if the goalie has to move the puck, he must have an objective in mind when doing so. The netminder usually has three choices.

First, the goalie can make a pass to a teammate. Whether he chooses a direct pass, or chooses to move the puck around the boards, the puck should not be sent too hard. Firmly, yes. But send it too hard and miss your man, and the opponent is sure to gain possession, and possibly create a good scoring chance.

Often, in order to assist the netminder, a defenseman “peels off” to avoid a forechecker and gets into a passing lane to wait for the goaltender’s pass.

A second objective would be to clear the zone. Many goalies are just not strong enough or quick enough to clear the zone—even though they try—and end up turning the puck over for a good scoring chance. When clearing, always avoid the middle of the ice. Try to get some elevation on the puck, and clear it toward the boards, close to the blueline. By taking this angle (close to the blueline), the puck will leave the zone most quickly.

A bad time to move?

However, there are times when nobody is open (forehand or backhand) for a pass and no open lanes exist to clear, so the goaltender must simply clear the puck to a “safe haven.” That means putting the puck in a place from which a reasonable, or direct, shot cannot be taken. In this case, the netminder must simply try to give his team a chance to set up defensively, and keep the squad “out of trouble.” Often this is accomplished by dishing the puck toward the corner, creating a “battle” in a non-threatening location. This avenue is better than a turnover.

Remember, do not just aimlessly fire the puck up the boards. Do that, and odds are it will wind up on an opponent’s stick—and then quite possibly in your net!

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 01/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2001 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Words to coach by

By Wayne Anderson

Fred Shero: hockey philosopher. ©BBS

Whether they play on wheels or on ice, even the best team will rarely succeed without a good coach. And while technical aspects are critical—especially in a new and quickly evolving sport like roller hockey—there are other, equally-critical elements to being a quality bench boss.

A good coach must be many things. He (or she) must be a leader, capable of commanding the loyalty and respect of his players through his understanding and interest in them as individuals. He must be a teacher, able to adapt fundamental progressions to the age level of the players. A good coach will be a student of the game, constantly seeking to increase their knowledge of its fundamentals, techniques and tactics. And a good coach must be an organizer, who plans and uses effective methods to communicate with his players.

But there’s more.

A good coach must be a philosopher who helps develop attitudes toward the game, as well as the society in which we live and play. Finally, a good coach must be a sportsman, attempting to instill a winning spirit but remembering the importance of being a gracious loser.

If you look for these qualities in a coach, or look to develop them as a coach, you will definitely be heading in the right direction.

Always evaluate

In order to ensure that a coach develops and betters himself each time he takes the ice, coaches should be regularly evaluated either by their peers or by a group such as a parents’ association. These evaluations should cover both practice and game situations, and should include some of the following topics.

In a practice environment, look for;

• Objectives—evidence of specific technical objectives.

• Organization—dressing room discussions, preparation of assistant coaches and equipment.

• Practice Outline—clear, organized diagrams (including warm-up and cool-down) related to stated objectives.

• Long-term Planning—a yearly or seasonal practice plan featuring objectives and drills related to games and practices.

In a game situation, note how a coach handles;

• Organization—the responsibilities of team personnel, lineups, punctuality and dressing room preparation.

• Behavior—attitude, verbal and body language, appearance (dress code), rapport with players and reaction to game situations.

• Bench Management—control of players, referee relations, length of shifts, specialty team usage, use of other coaches, communication with players, tactical preparation and execution.

• Post-game Analysis—locker room behavior, communication with players, team analysis, coaching staff analysis and self-analysis.

Words of wisdom

In striving to be a good coach, one can often find wisdom in the words of others. Here are some brief but powerful quotes that I think every coach should keep in mind.

“A man may make mistakes, but he isn’t a failure until he starts blaming someone else”—Anonymous.

“It’s the little things that win games, and you never know when one of them is coming up”—Anonymous.

“The less you say, the more people will listen to you”—Anonymous

“A leader is interested in finding the best way, not his own way”—W.A. Peterson.

“Rationalization after a loss is a sure route to failure”—Fred Shero.

“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts”—John Wooden.

Also from John Wooden: “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit.”

If a coach can address his or her players, and the game, with these things in mind, his coaching career—at any level—should be a successful one. But the most important thing to remember is to always try and increase your knowledge of the game, and to strive to be the best coach you can be—just as you ask your players to be the best players they can be.

Wayne Anderson is Managing Director of Huron Hockey’s new roller hockey schools based in Matawan NJ.

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

Women’s Hockey: You’ve come a long way baby!

By Bettina Young Prochnow

Erin Whitten and Cammi Granato at the 1994 Women’s World Championships. ©BBS

There’s a 20-year-old photograph in Valerie Tuomie Sanberg’s home that captures her and her teammates the year they were the Minnesota Pee Wee State Champions. In it, all of the girls except one wore figure skates. “The one in hockey skates,” recalls Valerie, “must have had more brothers than the rest of us!”

But oh, what a difference a few years can make. Kelly Dyer, a three-time goalie for Team USA Women’s Hockey in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships, says, “When I started, there were no Worlds, no scholarships. It was something I did for pure fun!”

She too started out with a pair of figure skates. But they quickly got traded for goalie skates when the older kids in her Boston neighborhood “threw me in the net—and I liked having pucks thrown at me ever since.” At age 28, Dyer is one of only three women in the world who has broken the professional barrier in ice hockey, and now plays for the West Palm Beach Blaze. The other two trailblazers are Manon Rheaume, who plays for the Las Vegas Thunder, and Erin Whitten, who is with the Utica Blizzard—all teams that are three notches down from the NHL.

No limitations now

“Now that the top threshold has just opened up, and with women’s ice hockey being a full-medal sport in the 1998 Olympics, this is a huge factor for girls,” continues Dyer. “Women have sights in mind. There are no limitations for them in hockey, and (there’s) more opportunity out there at the grassroots level.”

The number of girls playing the sport has been going off the charts. “We had 150 teams in the United States before the 1990 World Championships,” says USA Hockey President Walter L. Bush, Jr. “It grew to 220 in one year. That’s 70 teams. That’s incredible growth.”

And it did not stop there. With history-making Manon Rheaume in goal for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightening in 1992, the number of teams swelled to 352 by 1993. That’s a growth of 57%!

There are approximately 13,000 females currently playing hockey this season in the US—up 1000 players from last year. The largest number are participating in the 13-to-22-year-old age group. Compare this to the 1980’s, when only there were only 3,000 participants. That’s when Lisa Brown, 25-year-old head coach for Princeton Women’s Hockey, and a center on the US National Women’s Team, started playing.

“I played hockey starting at age six, and back then I was the only girl in the youth program.” She played with the boys until she was 13-years-old, when she went to a girl’s program in Royal Oak, MI. From the coaching perspective, “girls have an edge if they play with boys through the peewee age,” says Lisa. “You have to prove you’re good enough to be there, and that produces a player who is tougher mentally and physically.”

Which is good news for girls, since all-girl teams are still the exception rather than the rule around the nation. This is due in part to several factors; the lack of numbers, the lack of ice and, sometimes, an old-fashioned attitude. Bob Stockman of Princeton, NJ, found this out two years ago. That’s when he formed the Princeton Tiger Lilies, a team for 10-to-14-year-old girls, in order to offer them a forum to continue playing hockey.

“I went to rinks that rented thousands of hours of ice to boys’ teams,” he says, “but wouldn’t give us any because they would tell me, ‘hockey is a boys’ game’.”

Stockman, a youth hockey coach, former college player and the father of four daughters ranging in age from 3 to 12 years, quietly continued on until he found the ice he needed. The team finished their second season with an impressive 18-2-2 record playing against East Coast girls’ Prep schools, private day schools, and local club in-house girls’ teams.

Girls in the Garden

The highlight of the Tiger Lilies season, however, was the history-making match up against the Greenwich (CT) Wings in front of 18,000 people at Madison Square Garden on January 31, 1994. This was the first ever all-girls hockey game in the history of the Garden. They played an exhibition game prior to the scheduled NHL Rangers-Penguins game, and held a 3-minute scrimmage during the break between first and second periods before the sell-out crowd.

“There are two elements to this story,” says Stockman. “One is that the attention the game is getting is a great boost for women’s hockey. I’m hoping that the places that rent ice will be more open-minded and rent ice to more girls’ teams, because there is no reason why they shouldn’t.”

“The second thing is that, with a little effort and a little luck, any kid can fulfill a dream of playing in a place like Madison Square Garden!” Regardless of sex.

It comes as no surprise that a match-up between two girls teams occurred in this nation’s northeast corner. Private college prep schools for girls have long offered hockey as varsity sport to their students. Many also have their own rinks, thus easing the ice crunch. Throughout the country, New England boasts the largest number of registered girls’ teams.

Right behind them, however, is Minnesota, with its rich heritage of winter sports and scores of successful high school, junior, college, pro and international players to its credit. Women’s hockey there goes back to 1925, when the University of Minnesota first fielded a women’s team. Fast forward to the 1970s, when girls’ teams in the peewee and Bantam ages were formed, state championships were held, and a Senior women’s team got its start.

A woman on the board

The explosive growth in the 1980s led to more divisions in the Senior league and the formation of the Minnesota Women’s Hockey Association (MWHA) in 1986. By 1987, over 150 girls’ and women’s teams were registered with USA Hockey. With those numbers, a new position—Section Director, Girls/ Women—was added to USA Hockey, and MWHA’s president, Lynn Olson, was tapped to become the first woman on the board in the organization’s 52 years. Olson was re-elected to that position in 1992.

In the 1990s, Minnesota is making history once again with the Minnesota State High School League’s official sanctioning of girls’ ice hockey as a varsity sport for the 94/95 season.

“No other state has done this,” according to John Bartz, the league’s associate director, “and while initially 24 schools in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area are involved, we’re looking at probably doubling in the next two years.”

If this high school program progresses similarly to those programs on the East Coast—where prep schools feed into the college level—then the stage is set for more Minnesota colleges and universities to declare it a Division I varsity sport.

“If 40 institutions sponsor women’s hockey as a varsity sport for two years,” says Donna Noonan, Director of Championships for the NCAA, “then legislation can be drafted to establish a NCAA championship.”

The push for NCAA ranking—with its national ranking, funding, and acceptance—has a way to go. Out of the 40 institutions that have women’s hockey, only 15 currently offer Division I. Those include the schools in the Eastern College Athletic Conference—Bowdoin College, Colby College, Middlebury College, University of New Hampshire, Northeastern University, Providence College, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. Lawrence University, and Wesleyan University—and six Ivy League schools—Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. This support of women’s hockey dates back to 1984 when the ECAC first started hosting championships. Prior to that, the six Ivy League schools were competing annually for league championships since 1976.

Having competitive hockey for girls from the youth level on through high school and college is now more important than ever, since women’s ice hockey is headed to the Olympics in 1998.

Playing “their own game”

“Half of the women on the National Team came out of girls’ programs—they didn’t play with boys,” says Karen Kay, head coach of the 1994 United States Women’s National Team and head coach of women’s hockey at the University of New Hampshire. “It produces good players.”

“Our objective is not to develop a professional athlete in a man’s game,” she continues. “Women want to play their own game, their own way.”

The fluid style of play found in women’s ice hockey emphasizes the skill elements of the sport.

“Our non-checking status creates much more of a finesse game,” Lynn Olson explains. “There’s an emphasis on good passing, skating, and shooting in women’s ice hockey.”

“Girls are like sponges,” says Princeton’s Brown. “As a coach, I see that they are more attentive, eager to learn, and want to know how to get better.”

“As a player,” she adds, “I enjoy the camaraderie of playing with the same sex.”

There’s one aspect of the game that doesn’t change at all however, and that’s its competitiveness.

Keeping players competitive at the highest level, and giving them an opportunity to train in a competitive environment after college, is a big concern. Kay is a member of the newly formed USA Hockey Olympic task-force charged with looking into possible solutions. One of these could be the formation of a 14-team women’s league for national caliber players. Until this or another solution is in place, some players have opted to attend women’s competitive programs in Switzerland and Canada, or that other old stand-by, playing with men.

“You can’t equal them,” says Brown, “But you have to work harder just to keep up with them.”

“I like playing with men,” fellow teammate Kelly Dyer adds, “because it keeps me sharp for when I get together with the women’s team.”

Opportunity & role models

For younger players, USA Hockey sponsors annual development camps for females 15-17 years of age and 18-21 years of age. Eighty participants are chosen through a state and regional try-out process, all in the hopes of identifying possible national team members. That team will need to be ready for the 1997 World Championships, and will also be direct qualifiers for the Olympic team. Look for the first round of try-outs in March and April of 1995.

The exposure that the Olympics will draw to women’s hockey will only spur on the development of quality training programs at all levels. Not to mention the role models it will provide for future female athletes.

“Besides having a real opportunity in the sport,” says Kay. “Girls of today have women like Cammi Granato, (Team USA captain) Cindy Curley, and Manon Rheaume to look up to. In my day, we had to look up to Bobby Orr.”

That hockey offers so much to so many at all skill levels is also shown in the growth of the “over the hill gang.” Senior women’s teams are being registered in numbers never seen before. California doubled its numbers, going from four to nine over the past season alone. There’s a 68-year-old grandmother playing in Minnesota, and a 55-year-old one playing in Oregon. The age and number of older players will only increase as the base of young players progresses through the years.

Whether one plays recreationally or competitively, the future of women’s hockey is crystal clear. Women have developed a passion for the game, and their numbers are only going to increase. Now the infra-structure has to keep up—more ice, more programs, and more collegiate scholarships are needed.

There’s not a female hockey player in the world who would disagree with Kelly Dyer when she says, “Ice hockey is the greatest game in the world, and girls just want to have fun too!

SIDEBAR

100 YEARS OF WOMEN’S HOCKEY

©BBS

With women’s ice hockey set to be introduced as a medal sport at the 1998 Olympics, we thought we’d reflect back on the history of the game, and peer into its near future. The following timeline highlights some of the key moments in the development and evolution of women’s hockey.

1892 The first recorded all-female hockey game is played in Barrie, Ontario.

1910s Local & provincial women’s championships held in Canada.

1916 International women’s tournament in Cleveland, Ohio, features Canadian & American teams.

1920s College teams forming in both US & Canada.

1930s/40s Depression & World War II slow growth of women’s game.

1967 Inaugural Dominion Ladies Hockey Tournament held in Brampton, Ontario. The Dominion is now one of the world’s largest women’s tourneys, fielding over 150 North American teams.

1970s Teams forming in Sweden, Finland, Japan, China, Korea, Norway, Germany, and Switzerland. Canadian provincial & college organizations starting; US college varsity & club teams form in Midwest & East. Special chest pad and pelvic protector gear designed for women.

1980s National tournaments held in US & Canada.

1987 First World Invitational Tournament in Ontario, Canada. Groups lobby the IIHF for creation of a Women’s World Championship.

1989 IIHF president attended European Women’s Championship, and plans drawn for future IIHF Women’s World Championship.

1990 First bi-annual IIHF Women’s World Championship held in Ottawa, Canada: hosts win Gold, Team USA takes Silver.

1991 European Women’s Championships continue during IIHF hiatus.

1992 Second IIHF Championships held in Tampere, Finland. Canada takes Gold again, USA wins Silver.

1993 US Olympic Festival in San Antonio, Texas. Team USA wins Gold medal, Canada wins silver.

1994 Third IIHF Championships held in Lake Placid, NY. Canada wins third Gold medal, USA takes third Silver.

1995 Inaugural Pacific Rim Tournament, featuring USA, Canada, China & Japan to be held in Spring in San Jose, CA.

1997 Fourth IIHF Women’s World Championships scheduled.

1998 Women’s Ice Hockey debuts as medal sport at Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan.

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

Brendan Shanahan: One of the NHL’s power elite

By Stan Fischler
Oct 22, 2001, 17:14

That may explain why he was the New Jersey Devils first draft pick, second overall (behind Pierre Turgeon), in 1987. Not that Brendan was an instant star. The maturing process was slow, and often painful, at the Meadow-lands. And there were times when it appeared that the tall, witty left winger would never fulfill his early press notices.There are few players in all pro hockey who combine Brendan Shanahan’s joie-de-vivre, dedication to his team, goal-scoring ability and zest for physical combat. In plain English, Shanahan is a winner.

In time, though, Shanahan emerged as a dependable power forward in New Jersey and appeared destined for a long and successful run at Brendan Byrne Arena. But a contract dispute in 1991 changed all that. Shanahan was signed by the St. Louis Blues, and in a controversial free-agent compensation ruling, the Devils were awarded crack defenseman Scott Stevens in return. At first Blues followers were dismayed at the loss of the popular Stevens, but Shanahan soon began to flower as a leader of the St. Louis attack. In 1992-93, Brendan reached a new level of offensive prowess, scoring 51 goals and adding 43 assists in 71 games. Last season he improved on those career-high numbers even more, posting 52 goals and 102 points.

In the eyes of many observers, Shanahan—now the heart and soul of the St. Louis Blues—has matured into the ideal power forward, blending skill with toughness and savvy. The following interview with Shanahan is an edited excerpt from contributing editor Stan Fischler’s book, Bad Boys II.

Tell us about your upbringing.

I’ve got three older brothers who are quite a bit older and bigger than me; six years older, eight years older and eleven years older. They were my playmates—or at least I tried to keep up with them, and run with them or play road hockey or street hockey with them, or whatever we were doing around the house—whether it was having boxing matches or playing handball upstairs in the hallway. Those were the guys that I learned from. I spent much of my youth watching them play sports, and they were always guys that I looked up to. They were never the stars of their teams, but they were hard workers. They played a lot tougher than I’ve ever played any sport. They were real team guys. I’ve never been quite as good as them in those areas, yet I’ve always tried to copy them.

If your brothers were the tough ones, how did you end up being one of the NHL’s elite power forwards?

When I played with my brothers I was too small and just got in the way, so they told me to go stand in front of the net and create a screen. I remember once being pretty young, and my brothers wanted to use a puck instead of a tennis ball in street hockey. We had a bit of ice and snow packed on the driveway and I was standing in front of the net when one of them took a shot and hit me in the face. I started screaming and crying. I was probably about seven or eight at the time. Right away they were putting their mittens in front of my mouth and muffling the noise. I was screaming, and they didn’t want my mom to hear because if she heard, she would have freaked out on them using a puck.

Anyway, they said “Brendan, you scored! What a deflection! What a deflection! You scored a goal!” All of a sudden I stopped crying and I started smiling, and it was like, “Really? Really?” Just like a little kid when he’s not really that hurt, but he’s more shocked.

Also, when I was younger, if I’d get hurt I’d lay down, because I knew the coaches would come out and pick me up and everyone would clap when I’d get up. They used to give me (grief) about that.

Interestingly, when I was with the Devils, I specifically remember getting hit in the face when I broke my jaw and my cheekbone (in 1991). The first thing that came into my head for a split second was my brothers watching the game, saying “Get up!” So I jumped to my feet and skated off the ice and walked around the corner of Byrne Arena’s hallway. Then I pretty much passed out.

Were you always characterized as a tough player?

I was first considered as a player who played to win and whose intention the ice was to score or just play the game, doing whatever it took to win, whether it was breaking up a play defensively or whatever. I never had the luxury of being a real star in hockey, but rather one of the better players on the team. When I got to the Junior level where you could take the cages off and fighting was allowed, I got to use that a bit more. I was always considered a guy who, if you did something dirty to me, then I’d fight you. Or if you did something to my teammates, I’d fight you.

Seldom did I go out and play a dirty style. I don’t run around trying to kill guys. I definitely have a code that I stand up to on the ice.

Speaking of fights, what were some of your most memorable battles?

In Junior, Rob Murray and I got two-minute minors, and when we came out of the penalty box we squared off and had a great fight. It was toe-to-toe. We ran into each other about three years later in the NHL and the same thing happened. We got penalties, came out of the box and said, “Let’s go again.” It was funny because I had grown more than he had over those three years. I was only 185 pounds when we fought the first time; the second time I was about 215. I handled that one a bit better than the first one. In pro, most of my fighting was in the first few years.

I had a memorable fight with Willi Plett—a guy I had feared when I was growing up. I had a good fight with Rick Tocchet. He was another guy I had watched growing up, and emulated. The feeling when you’re and 18-year-old squaring off is really something. There’s a second or two seconds where you’re excited and scared and happy all at the same time that you’re going to be fighting these guys.

Is it a thrill for you to be mentioned in the same breath as Kevin Stevens and Rick Tocchet, now that you’ve reached that elite level?

It really is. I have a lot of respect for all of these guys who force me to compete every night. I might not like them on the ice, but I respect them because sometimes they make me step up my level of play and my level of intensity. When it’s all over and done with, I’ll probably look back and appreciate those players that I hated a lot more than the players who were nameless and faceless.

What are your views on fighting in hockey?

To get in a fight there has to be mutual consent, otherwise you’re going to get kicked out of the game. There have been guys who have wanted to fight me but I didn’t feel that it would be valuable to fight them. I just laugh at them—unless someone wants to come up, drop the gloves and start swinging at me and take the game misconduct. There have been times when I’ve wanted to fight guys, and I’ve dropped my gloves and I’ve asked guys to go and squared off with them, and they’ve kind of turned and laughed at me.

If two guys want to fight, maybe we should let them fight.

For most of your time in St. Louis your linemates were Nelson Emerson and Craig Janney, guys who really aren’t known for their physical style of play. In a situation like that, do you have the dual responsibilities of not only being a goal scorer but also protecting your linemates?

It’s true. There’s a fine line with these new rules about instigating. I mean if I play against Rick Tocchet, he’s so disciplined and tough enough to take a good hit himself. But if I finish off one of the smaller guys on his line Rick will feel a greater responsibility to step in and do something. I can take a lot more punishment and cheap shots for the team then I’m normally willing to accept if someone wants to get Craig or Nelson. I have to pick the right time. It might not be that particular game. It might be the next game.

Hockey is a physical game, and still a game of intimidation. Whether you’re going to get the intimidator within the rules or get him behind the play, you have to do something. Fighting is still a factor where you can still try and intimidate some guys. You can still use it to draw certain players off the ice. If Kevin Stevens wants to fight, fight him. He scores 50 or 60 goals a year. Get him into the penalty box for five to seven minutes. It’s great.

Commissioner Gary Bettman’s main concern about fighting seems to be the so-called “goon tactics,” where a coach sends out a Link Gaetz or a Gino Odjick just to pick a fight with somebody and try to change a team’s momentum. What about that kind of thing?

If a Gino Odjick or a Link Gaetz comes out and grabs one of your star players, there’s not much you can do. Some people say you can just skate away or put your head down, but you might take a few Barney Rubble lumps on the head if you do something like that, so you have to protect yourself as well. It’s a fine line.

At the same time it’s a tough decision for the Commissioner to make. I’ll let him make it. l

Portions contributed by Randy Hu.

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

Talk to my agent: What a player agent can do for you

Oct 22, 2001, 17:10

Agent Don Meehan. ©BBS

Once they’re on the ice, most hockey players can take care of themselves. Off the ice, however, is a different story, especially for those at the elite level of the sport.

For example, almost all National Hockey League players have agents to assist them in what can be complicated legal matters involving their contracts, endorsements and other off-ice activities.

About 125 agents are registered with the NHL Players Association. Though the majority of them are constantly seeking new clients, one agent, Carl Lindros, is not. Though he’s been approached to represent others, Lindros is content to oversee the affairs of his only two clients, sons Eric and Brett, who are property of the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Islanders, respectively.

Other well-known hockey agents include Don Meehan, Anton Thun and Mel Bridgman, a former NHL player and general manager. Meehan, who works out of his office in Mississauga, Ontario (a 10-minute drive from Toronto) is one of the most influential men in hockey. He represents about 75 NHL players.

Who do you know?

Meehan’s client list includes some of the biggest names in the NHL; Buffalo’s Pat LaFontaine, Quebec’s Wendel Clark, Trevor Linden of Van-couver, and St. Louis Blues Curtis Joseph and Al MacInnis. But Meehan is selective about who he works with these days.

“At my stage, I work only on a referral basis,” says Meehan, who’s been a player agent since 1982. Why? “I did a test several years ago,” he revealed. “I found out (only) one-third of the players selected in the first round of the draft go on to sign a meaningful second NHL contract.”

This is a vital statistic for agents, considering they only get paid—a commission ranging from 2-to-10 per cent of the deal—when players sign their contracts.

While players can afford to take some time off during the off-season, Meehan said agents must work year-round.

“My month of August and the first two weeks of September are the busiest times of the year,” says Meehan, explaining this is the most hectic period for free agency issues. “Then it lets up a bit once the season starts.”

Meehan has also branched out to the point where he’s not just a player agent. At the turn of this decade, he also started to represent coaches. He now looks after the affairs of eight NHL bench bosses. In addition, Meehan helps represent NHL officials. He assisted the 58-member NHL Officials Association in working out their last collective bargaining agreement with the league in November 1993.

No doubt there are plenty of perks in being a player agent. Tickets are certainly easy to come by. And in terms of money, even a few percentage points of multi-million dollar contracts quickly add up to provide a more than comfortable living.

But what does Meehan think is the best part of his job?

“The friendships.”

And are there any negatives to being a so-called “super agent?”

“There’s really not any downside to it,” says Meehan after a careful consideration.

No set age required for players

Thun, who has been a player agent since 1984, currently has a list of about 50 clients, including 10 NHLers. Those he represents in the bigs include Quebec’s Mike Ricci, Glen Murray of Boston, Washington’s Randy Burridge and Nathan LaFayette of Vancouver.

Thun’s clientele also in-cludes two players who were top-five picks at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft; defenseman Ed Jovanovski and center Jeff O’Neill. Jovanovski, who was chosen by the Florida Panthers was the top pick over-all, while O’Neill, a Hartford Whalers selection, was the fifth player selected.

There is no set age when a player with pro aspirations can have an agent.

“Some players who are in Junior hockey get an agent when they’re 15 or 16,” Thun said. “Others who play college hockey might not need an agent until they’re done with their schooling, at which point they could be 23 years old.”

Several of the players Thun represents are still teenagers toiling at the Junior A level in the Ontario Hockey League. All of these players are considered risk ventures because Thun is not being paid a penny from them now. He’s basically working on a trust relationship, hoping these players are true to their word and retain his services when they turn professional.

As is the case with all other agents, Thun only gets paid if and when his clients sign pro contracts. That’s why he believes agents have to possess several versatile assets.

“There’s a variety of skills you need to have,” he said. “You have to have a good business background. And from the standpoint of recruiting, you have to be a good talent scout.”

Thun estimates he gets to about 120 games per season, looking for more potential players to add to his fold. Sometimes he approaches the athletes and/or their families in hopes of representing them. Other times he’s the one approached.

Almost all other agents work like this as well. Sometimes they aggressively pursue players. But it’s not uncommon to have players come to them, seeking representation.

Plenty of advice available

Thun, whose business is based in the Toronto suburb of Richmond Hill, said there’s plenty of advice to give to players, even those who are as young as 15 years old.

“What you try to do is to counsel them on what their (playing) options are,” he said. “It’s like buying a car. When you decide you want to buy a car there are so many different ones to choose from. You can go for a Cadillac, a Volvo or a BMW. In the OHL, every city is different.”

Though it’s the player’s agent who goes head-to-head with general managers at contract time, Thun said the athletes are kept well informed of all happenings.

“For the most part they don’t sit in on the meetings with the general managers,” Thun said. “But they’re not kept in the dark. Any proposals made or received, they are made aware of.”

Bridgman is one of the NHL’s newest player agents. He’s only been at this game since last January, and as a result, all of his clients are amateur players.

The most notable Bridgman client is Nolan Baum-gartner, a Junior A defenseman with the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers. Baumgartner was selected in the first round, 10th overall, by the Washington Capitals at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.

“I’m learning every day with regards to this job,” Bridgman said.

But it’s not as if Bridgman came into this business with no idea of how it works. After all, he himself was a former Number One draft pick: in 1975, the Philadelphia Flyers deemed Bridgman the cream of the crop in his draft class.

Top pick, GM, agent

Bridgman went on to enjoy a stellar 14-year playing career in the NHL. Besides Philadelphia, he also had stints in Calgary, New Jersey, Detroit and Vancouver. In 977 games, he picked up 701 career points.

After his playing days were over, Bridgman went back to business school in Pennsylvania. Then, when he was considering joining a firm in Phoenix, Bridgman was offered the general manager’s job with the then NHL expansion Ottawa Senators.

As the Senators GM, Bridgman was involved with the signings of several of Ottawa’s new players, including Alexei Yashin, who was the second pick over-all at the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

Bridgman isn’t the only former NHL player who’s an agent now. The list of those who have followed this route includes Brian Lawton (the top overall pick in 1983), Tom Laidlaw, Gilles Lupien and David Shand, among others.

Now that Bridgman is getting a taste of how things work from the agent’s side, he likes it. He works out of Los Angeles, and says his family, which includes his wife and four young children, are content with his current hockey job.

“We wanted to stay in one place instead of moving around a lot, which you can’t do if you’re in the hockey business,” he said. “They’re settled down now and they’re happy and excited about it.”

And thanks to their agents, most pro players are happy and excited, too. Secure in the knowledge that their off-ice matters are being well handled for them, the players can concentrate fully on getting the job done where it counts—on the ice.

Sam Laskaris is a freelance sportswriter in Toronto.

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

Get Full Power From Your Wrist Shot!

Are You Getting All of the…
Power out of Your Wrist Shot?Written by Jeremy Rupke from howtohockey.com

The wrist shot is the most commonly used shot in hockey, but you would be surprised how many players, young and old, are not harnessing all of their power and putting it into their wrist shot.

I know this for a fact because the topic came up in the dressing room at beer leagues. One of the

Get Full Power From Your Wrist Shot!

Are You Getting All of the…
Power out of Your Wrist Shot?Written by Jeremy Rupke from howtohockey.com

The wrist shot is the most commonly used shot in hockey, but you would be surprised how many players, young and old, are not harnessing all of their power and putting it into their wrist shot.

I know this for a fact because the topic came up in the dressing room at beer leagues. One of the

Get Full Power From Your Wrist Shot!

Are You Getting All of the…
Power out of Your Wrist Shot?Written by Jeremy Rupke from howtohockey.com

The wrist shot is the most commonly used shot in hockey, but you would be surprised how many players, young and old, are not harnessing all of their power and putting it into their wrist shot.

I know this for a fact because the topic came up in the dressing room at beer leagues. One of the