Defense: Control The Gap

How to Control the GapGap control is one of the trickier decisions you will have to make when playing defense. The ‘Gap’ refers to the amount of space between you and an opposing player entering your defensive zone with the puck – usually a one-on-one.

The first step in controlling the gap in to skate backwards at the same speed as the oncoming forward. The is definitely no easy task. If the

Defense: Control The Gap

How to Control the GapGap control is one of the trickier decisions you will have to make when playing defense. The ‘Gap’ refers to the amount of space between you and an opposing player entering your defensive zone with the puck – usually a one-on-one.

The first step in controlling the gap in to skate backwards at the same speed as the oncoming forward. The is definitely no easy task. If the

Defense: Control The Gap

How to Control the GapGap control is one of the trickier decisions you will have to make when playing defense. The ‘Gap’ refers to the amount of space between you and an opposing player entering your defensive zone with the puck – usually a one-on-one.

The first step in controlling the gap in to skate backwards at the same speed as the oncoming forward. The is definitely no easy task. If the

The low-down on line chemistry

The Triple Crown Line (Photo: BBS).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Offensive Positioning: Go Hard To The Net

Offensive Positioning:Go Hard to the Net
You may have heard other players yell “Go hard to the net!!” but might be unsure exactly what they meant or when you’re supposed to do it.

What your helpful teammates are referring to takes place during a two-man rush in the offensive zone. The player who crosses the blue line with the puck is often in an outside lane (coming down on the right or left

Offensive Positioning: Go Hard To The Net

Offensive Positioning:Go Hard to the Net
You may have heard other players yell “Go hard to the net!!” but might be unsure exactly what they meant or when you’re supposed to do it.

What your helpful teammates are referring to takes place during a two-man rush in the offensive zone. The player who crosses the blue line with the puck is often in an outside lane (coming down on the right or left

Offensive Positioning: Go Hard To The Net

Offensive Positioning:Go Hard to the Net
You may have heard other players yell “Go hard to the net!!” but might be unsure exactly what they meant or when you’re supposed to do it.

What your helpful teammates are referring to takes place during a two-man rush in the offensive zone. The player who crosses the blue line with the puck is often in an outside lane (coming down on the right or left

Give stats-taking a try

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pulling your goalie

In those sports which utilize a game clock, the final moments are often the most dramatic ones. Especially if a winner has not yet been clearly decided.

In close hockey matches, there are plenty of reasons for staying until the final buzzer. We’ve all seen, and maybe even played in, games where a last-second comeback earned a team a tie, or a shot at victory in overtime. And that’s why clubs trailing by a goal, and sometimes even two, will try to pull their goalie in favor of an extra attacker.

The thinking with this technique is that the team which is trailing will have a better chance at getting the equalizer, or cutting its deficit, with an extra skater on the ice instead of a netminder. But pulling your goalie is a double-edged sword: it can, and frequently does, backfire.

Should the side with the lead get control of the puck, it could easily pad its advantage with an empty-net goal. With the goalie out, the opposition has a gaping hole—providing no defenders have retreated to guard the empty net—to shoot at.

There is no set time when a club is allowed to pull its goalie. In fact, there’s no rule which stipulates teams must utilize a netminder at any point of the game. If they so desire, squads could play the entire 60 minutes with six skaters and no puckstopper. I don’t know that it’s ever happened, but NBA-type scores would no doubt result.

Besides the final stages of a game, teams will often pull their goalie a few other times during a match. But in these instances, they’ll face significantly lowers risks of allowing a goal.

Low-risk maneuvers

For example, goalkeepers scramble out of the net and to their bench when the action is ongoing and a penalty has been signaled against the opposition. No, these aren’t water breaks. The goalie is rushing to the bench to be replaced by a skater during the delayed penalty call.

Pulling the goalie in this case isn’t much of a gamble. That’s because the referee will blow the play dead as soon as a player from the team being penalized controls the puck. The only way this move can turn sour, which does happen on rare occasions, is by having a player inadvertently put the puck into his own empty net.

Those who have watched their share of hockey games have probably also seen a team pull its goalie with a couple of seconds remaining in either the first or second periods. This usually occurs when a faceoff is set for deep in the offensive zone.

The thinking in this case is that the team which has pulled its goalie can put on an extra skater and perhaps get a quality shot on net—and maybe a goal—before the period expires. Even if the team which is goalie-less loses the draw, there’s a very slim chance the opposition will have sufficient time to fire the puck the length of the ice and score. Especially with an extra skater covering the blueline.

Andy Murray. (Photo courtesy L.A. Kings.)

As to the traditional strategy of trying to tie the score late in a game, when is the best time to pull your goalie?

“I think a guide rule is if you’re down by two goals you pull him with about two minutes remaining,” says L.A. Kings Head Choach Andy Murray. “Or if you’re down by one goal, you’re looking at the one-minute mark.”

Another determining factor is the whereabouts of the puck. Obviously it makes no sense for a squad to pull its netminder if the opposition has control of the puck.

Know when to go

“Before pulling your goalie, the puck has to get deep in the other team’s zone, preferably below the offensive circles,” Murray says. “Or if you’re coming out of your own zone, you should be under full control.”

Throughout his career, Murray has had occasion to pull his goalie countless times. Two of these instances stick out in his mind.

While coaching Kloten, a club on Switzerland’s pro circuit, Murray found his side trailing late in a game. He then told the referee he planned to switch his goalies.

In an effort to get some more rest time for the players he wanted on the ice in the dying stages of the game, Murray instructed his backup goalie to take his time putting on his equipment. After the goalie had finally geared up, Murray told him to remain on the bench.

When the referee skated over to the Kloten bench to find out what was happening, Murray explained he had decided to put on an extra skater for the goalie he had just replaced. This strategic move was allowed to stand, and Kloten played out the match with an extra skater.

Another contest which sticks out in Murray’s mind was played in 1979. At the time he was coaching the Brandon Travellers of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

The Travellers were trailing the Dawson Kings 7-1 in a playoff game. With about 14 minutes left in the third period, Murray pulled his goalie. And he continued to pull then replace his netminder throughout the remainder of the game.

“You never give up”

“I kept pulling our goalie every time we had the puck in the offensive zone,” Murray recalls.

With its netminder on the bench, Brandon managed to score five unanswered goals.

“I was just trying to show them you never give up,” Murray says. “The score could have easily been 8-1, quickly. But they missed a lot of empty nets. A lot of times they were called for icing. Besides, if you lose, it doesn’t matter if you lose 8-1 or 10-1.”

The Travellers did lose, despite the excitement, by a score of 7-6. But in choosing an empty-net strategy to try and get back into the game, Murray certainly gave the spectators their money’s worth.

“The fans just couldn’t believe it was happening,” Murray says. “In fact, the next day they replayed the last 15 minutes on the local radio several times.”

Murray doubts he’ll be able to utilize this technique in the NHL.

“Hopefully our team will never be down 7-1,” he says. “But even if we were, I don’t think we’d pull our goalie then. The shooters in the NHL are a little better (than in junior).”

Whether the strategy of pulling your goalie to tie the game works or not, it is another of the dramatic moments unique to hockey. l

Sam Laskaris is a freelance sportswriter in Toronto.

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