GearGeek is the world’s first online NHL equipment database.See what every active NHL player is using on the ice right now – sticks, gloves, pants, skates and helmets. You can sort by brands, teams, positions, stat leaders and more.GearGeek is free to …
Drill:1. Place O in each corner with a puck2. D starts in front of net and skates toward one of the O3. When he stops and transitions, the O drives the net and they play 1 on 1 until a score, puck freeze or D clears the puck4. D then picks another O an…
I’ve been asked a lot over the years what I look for in a player during evaluations. After watching my son during various AA & AAA Ice try-outs, I’ve been thinking more about this topic and wanted to share a bit of what I look for and some ot…
Here are a few small area drills/games that you can use to develop specific skills your players will need in game situations.
With more and more organizations going to shared ice practice it’s good to have a variety of small area drills you can use to
keep your team focused and developing. Hope these drills from Coach Johnson help.
2×2 Activation
2×3 From Corner
3×3 Passing
4×2 Quarter Ice
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This month’s newsletter has been sent. You can read the June 2013 Newsletter here.
Related articles:
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“Head-manning the puck means passing it down the ice…not at your own guy’s head.”
– Wayne Marshall, Colorado High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame
by Eric Miller
I never thought much about prayer before sporting events. I do now but it isn’t to score and win. It’s to implore divine intervention to keep my knees from blowing out.
Maintaining a cool head before a big game is challenging, especially when playing rivals. I reflect on our cross-town foe, Cheyenne Mountain High School. They had bigger athletes and were league bullies. Rumor was that their players started shaving in seventh grade. Some of their seniors had gray hair, mortgages, and investment portfolios.
Cheyenne Mountain skated four lines compared to our three. Our third line was camouflage. We wanted opponents to think we had more players than we really did.
Coach Marshall epitomized the hockey coach persona. He rarely became excited and was not a touchy feely guy. He disliked Cheyenne Mountain like the rest of us. He wore a jacket and ties to games, chewed his cigarettes, and spoke in choppy sentences that we could understand. A competitive softball player, Coach brought his sports bag one day and removed a catcher’s mitt. “Pass it around,” he grumbled, as he gave it to Bowman. “Take a bite.” One pregame speech went something like this.
“Forwards: Spread out, create opportunities, pass the puck. Forecheck. Backcheck.” Bowman bit a mouthful of leather and handed the mitt to Gerstung.
“Defense: Guard the blue line, shoot low. Protect the goalie like your kid sister. The net is YOUR territory. No stupid penalties.” Coach forgave penalties like a traffic cop pardoned speeders. Penalty box visits meant doom at the next practice.
Coach hesitated and watched Gerstung slurp a rawhide lace like a spaghetti noodle. Gerstung relayed the mitt to Hurley, who bit off a chunk and handed it to Watt. Watt grew up on a cattle ranch and ate living animals. Coach continued. His intensity rose.
“Third line: Wipe off the camouflage face paint. Pause. “Who scotch-taped Donovan’s blades? Boys, this is not the time to horse around.”
Coach revved up. By now he had chewed a pack of cigarettes and his tie unraveled. Energy buzzed from the locker room. We smacked shoulder pads and helmet-butted, warriors preparing for battle. Hurley started eating the carpet. The testosterone level reached level 10 on a 5 scale. Then Coach switched gears.
“Huddle up, time for the Lord’s Prayer.” Huh?
Only Coach knew it: “Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and ever, amen.”
But we said it this way: “Our Father who art in heaven, hollow be your name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth and in heaven. Give us Wonder Bread ® today. Forgive trespassing and trespassers…cough…mumble…hiccup. Keep us out of the penalty box… For yours is the kingdom for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Amen.”
We broke the huddle and stormed out. “Let’s kill those guys!”
So much for turning the other cheek.
We beat Cheyenne Mountain once in four tries. The games were hard-fought battles. We hustled, played smart, and left nothing on the ice. Coach was disappointed to lose but never chastised us for trying our best.
I wish we had beaten them my senior year. I recall the sweaty stench in the locker room after losing. We sat dejected, realizing an opportunity was missed. If we had a few more shots, one more shift, or said the Lord’s Prayer right, we might’ve won.
Those memories are over 30 years old. I’ve since forgiven Cheyenne Mountain for trespassing against our goal line. But I sure wish we won. ###
Eric Miller lives in Chico, California and has written for newspapers and several magazines. He’s trapped in a household of estrogen but lives on to tell a story. Read more at www.etcguy.com or contact him at [email protected]. Etc. Guy is also on Facebook.
Once again, I watched an NHL game and found 2 common mistakes that I constantly remind my players of during practice and games.
Watch the video below and then I’ll dissect it further. Make sure you watch at :03-:05 seconds and see if you find the 2 mistakes (make it 3 if you count the Goalie, watch at :43 seconds on to see it):
In this play, I see 2 glaring mistakes that result in a bad goal.
How I’m teaching this play to my players, I strongly feel the Defenseman (#2) can’t jump this play and call for the puck.
The second issue I have is Crosby’s play on this puck.
The Penguins played rushed all game. Trying to get rid of pucks as fast as they got a hold of them. Sloppy passes, sloppy turnovers resulted in a lot of bad goals.
The last mistake I see on this play is the Goalie. If you watch the angle from behind the net (~:43 seconds) Vokoun starts cheating back to the middle and leaves the glove side exposed. I’m not a goalie and maybe this is the correct play but I have to think he needs to protect that side.
Once again, I watched an NHL game and found 2 common mistakes that I constantly remind my players of during practice and games.
Watch the video below and then I’ll dissect it further. Make sure you watch at :03-:05 seconds and see if you find the 2 mistakes (make it 3 if you count the Goalie, watch at :43 seconds on to see it):
In this play, I see 2 glaring mistakes that result in a bad goal.
How I’m teaching this play to my players, I strongly feel the Defenseman (#2) can’t jump this play and call for the puck.
The second issue I have is Crosby’s play on this puck.
The Penguins played rushed all game. Trying to get rid of pucks as fast as they got a hold of them. Sloppy passes, sloppy turnovers resulted in a lot of bad goals.
The last mistake I see on this play is the Goalie. If you watch the angle from behind the net (~:43 seconds) Vokoun starts cheating back to the middle and leaves the glove side exposed. I’m not a goalie and maybe this is the correct play but I have to think he needs to protect that side.
A big problem for a lot of people who want to practice their shot is they do not have the space. In order to work on your shot at home you typically need a hockey net, and a big enough area to practice shooting from a distance. These obstacles usually keep people from practicing their shot at home. Even if you do have the space to shoot at home, you may not shoot as much as you like because of bad weather, night fall, or other reasons. Luckily I have found a solution
In the video below I share a trick that will let you improve your shot in the comfort of your own home. The important part is using the right technique, and knowing what you want to improve.
I have just released the iSnipe app which will help you track how many shots you have taken. The app also has 16 video tips from me, a buzzer beater training tool, and a quick release training tool. For details visit my iSnipe page, or you can buy it in the app store.
I constantly work with my players on two key areas of their game. They are so critical and can truly be the difference between winning and losing. Last night, we saw it in Gm7 of the Hawks-Wings series. Earlier in the game, I made the comment that when you watch the Red Wings play, it always seems like there are 6 skaters on the rink. They are fast, they are aggressive and they are on loose pucks ALL the time.
One little breakdown in that mentality and it can send you packing. Watch the first 15 seconds of this video and then I’ll explain.
There are two glaring failures on this play (forget about the fact if you think the hit was a penalty or not).
The defenseman gives way too much room here. Both are looking at the puck carrier but there is no pressure. You need to get a stick out in front and close that gap. If you do, there is no shot on net. The inside defenseman has to be aware his partner is right there and he should step up. Even if he gets beat, he’s got help.
Secondly and worst of all in my opinion (especially for OT during game 7) is the lackluster backcheck. You can’t skate and watch a player carrier the puck into your zone. #11 almost catches him and even ‘taps’ him with a stick. An extra push or two with the skates and he catches him and pops his stick. I don’t care what level you are playing at, lazy backchecking should get you a ‘talking’ to from your coach.
As a coach, these are two areas that we work on constantly. Closing the gap and backchecking. They are huge factors in the outcome of the game.
