DefenceTip: Covering in Front of the Net

Hockey Defence Tip

Protecting the area if front of the net is crucial when you’re playing defense.

Most goals are Scored from the Slot.
When the opposing forwards decides to camp out in front of the net, your job is to make it as difficult as possible for him to get his stick cleanly on the puck.

Position Yourself Between the Player and the Net.
If you let the forward get in behind you, he’s

DefenceTip: Covering in Front of the Net

Hockey Defence Tip

Protecting the area if front of the net is crucial when you’re playing defense.

Most goals are Scored from the Slot.
When the opposing forwards decides to camp out in front of the net, your job is to make it as difficult as possible for him to get his stick cleanly on the puck.

Position Yourself Between the Player and the Net.
If you let the forward get in behind you, he’s

DefenceTip: Covering in Front of the Net

Hockey Defence Tip

Protecting the area if front of the net is crucial when you’re playing defense.

Most goals are Scored from the Slot.
When the opposing forwards decides to camp out in front of the net, your job is to make it as difficult as possible for him to get his stick cleanly on the puck.

Position Yourself Between the Player and the Net.
If you let the forward get in behind you, he’s

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What makes Fedorov such a great skater

By Robby Glantz

©BBS

I was watching a Detroit Red Wings game recently and I was particularly focused on their star player, Sergei Fedorov. I was interested in trying to understand what makes him so dangerous and explosive on the ice. On might think that because Fedorov is just flat-out faster than everyone else, the opposing team simply has to give him room to operate.

However, what I have discovered is that while his straight-ahead speed is imposing (he regularly vies for the title of fastest skater at the NHL all star skills competition), it is actually the speed and fluidity with which he performs his lateral maneuvers that is perhaps his most lethal weapon. In fact, it is this fundamental that the Europeans, in general, seem to perform with much more regularity, speed and effectiveness than we do here. Therefore, this month’s column is dedicated to helping you improve your side-to-side moves.

Forward Lateral Moves
Forward lateral moves in games are used either to elude the defender or to keep them off balance. They can also be used when making a fake, or simply to generate more speed or momentum. Most players use the Crossover Technique to make a lateral move, which is accomplished by first crossing over to one side and then quickly back to the other.

Fundamentals: To improve your crossover lateral moves, it is important that you learn to take them to the side, rather than in a direct, straight line (of course, this does not mean that you simply go side-to-side. You still need to maintain your forward speed, as well). To accomplish this, you should try to think of this maneuver as having three separate parts.

The first part is the crossover maneuver itself, where the outside leg comes over the inside leg and begins to take your momentum to the side.

The second part is the crossing under, or pulling motion of the inside leg against the ice (forming the letter “C” with your legs), which should give you even more speed to the side.

The third part comes when you spring off the inside edge of your crossover foot (the outside foot) as far to the side as possible, landing on the inside edge of the other foot (the one that was pulling under the body). This third aspect of the maneuver will be the fundamental that you will most likely have trouble with. It is very difficult to center all of your body weight over the inside edge in order to get that power to jump to the side. And yet, this is a vital element of the lateral maneuver, and one that can only improve with plenty of practice.

Another excellent lateral maneuver is the side-to-side move without using a crossover, which I like to refer to as Lateral Jumps. This is a move at which the Russians, Finns and Swedes, in particular, excel. However, it is a fundamental that, over the years, has almost been ignored in North American training.

I had the opportunity to see the great Mats Naslund (now back with the Boston Bruins) perform this move up close when I coached him in skating techniques in Sweden last year. It is an incredibly effective move because the defenseman have no idea which way the skater intends to go. In fact, this move can often times work better than the crossover technique, because when you crossover you are fairly committed to going in the direction that you cross, while with the Lateral Jumps you can switch directions much more rapidly.

Fundamentals: To improve your lateral moves without the use of a crossover, you must gain the ability to center your weight directly over one foot—planted firmly on an inside edge—so that you can attain maximum thrust to the side from that pushing foot. For this move to be effective in a game situation, you should already have a good head of steam. (Of course, it is important that you practice this maneuver at slower speeds when first attempting it). You then quickly jump to the side from one inside edge to the other without losing that forward speed.

The first step of the Lateral Jump technique is to roll the ankle of your outside foot inward to grip the ice with a strong inside edge, centering all of your weight over it while bending at the knees. The second step is to then spring off of that foot as far to the side (not up!) as possible, landing on the inside edge of the other foot.

Wide Base vs. Narrow Base

When we talk about the Forward or Backward Stride, we often discuss how important it is that you start with your feet in a narrow base in relation to your body. That is because these are straight line maneuvers, and starting with your feet too wide will actually take your momentum to the side.

That is exactly the point we are trying to make with regard to the side-to-side moves discussed above. Which is to say, you should make sure that you jump to the side with your feet slightly outside your shoulder line; this gives you better balance, and the lateral mobility needed for generating speed when making explosive shifts and fakes out to the side.

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 05/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2011 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Beginners: How to excel — and have more fun!

By Wayne Anderson
Oct 29, 2001, 19:44

The beginning roller hockey player often falls prey to some basic mistakes that not only hamper him or her in excelling at the game but, more important, in their enjoyment of the game. While I said “beginner,” all players can benefit by reading through this column and seeing what they can do to improve, and enjoy the game, a little more.

Skates that fit

One of the most common problems is the improperly fitted or tied skate. And don’t think because you have buckles that you can’t fit into this category. A common mistake made by parents is to buy their kids skates that are several sizes too big, so that their children “grow into” them. This will hamper their skating ability and could cause physical damage to their feet. The general rule of thumb in buying skates is that they should be about one half size smaller than the actual shoe size, and once the foot is in the boot, there should be enough room to fit an index finger behind the heel. Once the boot is laced snugly, you should not be able to lift your heel, and your toes should not be touching the front of the skate.

Improperly tied skates are another of the most common problems I see. Most of the time players are so enthusiastic, and want to get onto the surface so quickly, that they do a hurry-up job in tying their skates. Sometimes, however, the player just lacks the physical strength to do an adequate job. The buckle-type closures have solved the latter problem, but they create their own. Buckle closures often pop and open up; often because they are not properly closed, other times because the puck/ball or a stick hits it.

Take your time and make sure your skates are secured properly before trying to go end to end.

Stick length

The next most common mistake made is in the proper length of your stick. Most younger players use a stick that is just too big for them to effectively stickhandle with. When a player is on their wheels, the butt end of the standing stick should come between their nose and chin. If you have a stick that is too long, draw a line even with your mouth and simply cut the stick. If you are an ice hockey player playing roller hockey also, you need to remeasure your stick on the wheels. You will most likely find that your ice hockey stick is a little too short. Also, if you go to a new frame, or change from a set of 72 mm to a 76 mm wheels, you need to remeasure.

Bend, bend, bend

There are three joints that need to be “bent” or flexed when skating, and two of them are usually ignored by beginning skaters. Most people have no problem bending at the waist. It’s the knees and ankles that we have to be forced to bend in the beginning. Ideally, a 90° knee bend and a 60° ankle bend should be achieved. Realistically, a 60° and 30° angle can be achieved at the start.

One ritual that creates problems with the ankle bend is wrapping our skates and ankles too tightly. Many a time I’ve seen young players take an entire roll of tape and wrap their ankles over and over again. This is the worst thing a player can do! It not only cuts off your circulation, but does not allow you to bend.

Keep your head down. You might be missing out on all the fun because you are looking for it in the wrong places. We all need to keep our heads up more—even the seasoned professional. With a fast and unpredictable game like hockey, we must be able to see and react quickly. If we constantly skate with our head down, we see nothing but our own skates and the dust on the floor—and that won’t make you a leading scorer in any league. More importantly, if we are carrying the puck/ball, we need to know who’s open, what lane is open to skate to, where the defensive coverage is weak, etc. So to get into the play, keep the old noggin up.

Stick position

Do you want to score more goals, get more passes during a game, make better defensive plays? If the answer is yes, make sure the blade of your stick is on the surface and in position to accept the puck/ball. That’s right, that’s all it will take. Put your stick down on the surface and you will be a better player.

The other big problem with the stick is the hand position. This is not golf, so we need to separate our hands on the shaft of the stick. The easiest way to figure out where to put your hands is to take your top hand and keep it near the butt end of the stick. Then take the elbow of your other hand and place it directly on top of the thumb of the hand that is nearest the butt end. Next, allow the forearm of your bottom hand (the one with the elbow resting on top of your thumb) to rest lightly on the shaft of the stick. Grasp the stick with this hand where your palm meets the shaft. That hand now becomes the bottom hand in your grip.

Money problems

The major factor in many of these situations—especially the improper fitting or sizing of equipment—is the cost factor. In the long run, however, you may end up spending more by buying the wrong new equipment than if you bought good second-hand equipment. For example, an improperly fitted skate can wear out twice as fast as a properly fitted one.

The most practical answer may be purchasing gear in either a second-hand store (like Play It Again Sports), or the used equipment section of your local sporting goods store. You might inquire with your organization about an equipment swap. There are a lot of people out there in the same boat as you, and if we all do the rowing we might get where we want to go and spend a little less money along the way.

Hope your swap meet is a success, and keep on rolling!

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

This first appeared in the 05/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2011 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Playing D with Phil Housley

By Bob Cunningham
Oct 29, 2001, 19:41

©BBS

Perhaps only Paul Coffey is more renowned than Phil Housley for his scoring among defensemen. Housley, now with the Calgary Flames, is in his 13th NHL season, a tour of duty that included stops in Buffalo, Winnipeg and St. Louis. And without a doubt, the smooth-skating blueliner has had his greatest impact on the game in the offensive end.

But the first thing Housley points out when asked to assess his game is the gradual improvement in his defense. Relatively undersized at 5’10” and 185 pounds, Housley has increasingly relied on savvy and anticipation to ward off would-be attackers. And when they make a mistake, he’s there to capitalize in the form of a goal or assist.

“I’ve been known primarily as an offensive defenseman, although I kill penalties at times,” Housley explains. “My best assets are seeing plays develop, getting to the puck first and making that good first pass.”

For most defensemen, offensive-minded or otherwise, anticipation is a vital requirement. According to Housley, players who try to get by solely on reaction are usually a stride behind the play—which is often the difference between preventing a goal and allowing one.

“Seeing the play develop before it happens, I guess that’s something you get better at with experience,” he says. “On defense, I try to know when the shot is coming and then maintain position.

“My defense has come a long way.”

Housley’s lack of bulk can be detrimental at times, but he’s done well with his ability by adjusting to alter a forward’s path at the right moment.

“If I know when the shot is going to be tried, I’ll try to use my body to get in front of a guy who’s in front of the goal,” Housley explains. “There are a few ways to stop a play in the middle. Pushing a guy in his lower back, and timing it so that you can move out of the way of the goalie’s line of sight. That’s something I try to do whenever I can.

“You’re not going to move a 200-pound player away from the front of the net, so what you have to do is try your best to interrupt his timing, which usually stops the play. There are ways to do it.”

Still, Housley is at his best in the open ice, leading the transition and setting up for scoring opportunities.

“I try to create offense from behind the play,” he says. “Finding the open man during transition and creating opportunities through turnovers. Creating offense from your own end, without taking a lot of chances. You can’t afford to be loose with the puck anywhere, especially in your own end.”

Housley points out a common error made by young defensemen.

“They don’t put enough emphasis on good passes in their own end. Too many risky passes,” he laments. “Sometimes I’ll see inexperienced players trying a backhand pass in their own end. They get out of position, and they try a tough pass to get out of trouble.”

Skating, stickhandling, hard work

A way to counteract mistakes, says Housley, is through a technique he passed on to younger players when he was involved in youth hockey clinics earlier in his career.

“I used to work mainly with skating and stickhandling,” he recalls. “I would have them see themselves in their heads playing the game. They would visualize what to do out there.”

Housley believes you can never work too hard at your craft. The longevity of his career speaks for that.

“It’s mainly hard work. The less time you spend in your own zone, the more time you should have to handle the puck.”

Housley has handled the puck in the opponent’s end enough to record 838 points in 886 career games. His best season came in 1992-93, with the Winnipeg Jets, when he finished with 97 points (including 18 goals) in 80 games.

His first eight NHL seasons were spent with Buffalo Sabres, where he remains that franchise’s all-time top scoring defenseman. He was dealt to the Jets in 1990 in the trade that brought Winnipeg’s all-time leading scorer, Dale Hawerchuk, to Buffalo.

Having undergone major back surgery last season after playing only 26 games for the St. Louis Blues, Housley is surely closer to the end of his career than to his prime. But after being traded to Calgary (for another top offensive threat from the blue line, Al Macinnis), he’s still a major contributor to the team, despite what he sees as a trend toward bigger, more physical defensemen.

“There’s no doubt that the kids are getting bigger and stronger and more physical,” he says. “You see that all around the league now, and even in the minor leagues. The exception is kids like (Anaheim’s) Paul Kariya, young players who see the ice well.

“To be successful you have to have the right chemistry. You have to have a mixture of bigger and smaller. Guys that are fast, and guys that are physical. I think some (teams) are getting away from that a little. They want size.

“Everyone wants bigger players. There aren’t as many players like me as there used to be.”

But big or small, the position must still be played correctly.

“Well,” says Housley, “you have to know what you’re doing out there. That’s for sure.”

— Bob Cunningham

This first appeared in the 05/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2011 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

A collection of valuable lessons (Part 1)

By Mitch Korn
Oct 29, 2001, 19:39

On my long seven-hour drive from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio to join the Buffalo Sabres, I thought back to all the goaltenders I have had the pleasure of working with since I began my coaching career in 1979.

My interaction with all the collegiate, professional and youth goaltenders has taught me a lot about the position (both physically and mentally); helped me develop or reinforce existing philosophies; and taught me valuable lessons which are important both on and off the ice. I also realized that no one—even a coach—ever has all the answers, and that I could not have had coaching success without their help.

In return, I hope that I managed to provide input and feedback that helped make their game better as well.

This column, the first of two, will focus on the lessons I have learned during my career, and who I have to thank for them.

Fundamentals are not enough

While the fundamentals of goaltending are critical, experience has shown that they alone will not guarantee success. Tom Draper (now with the IHL Minnesota Moose) was a classic stand-up, patient goaltender. But he relied too much on the fundamentals, the technical aspects of the position. Together, we worked to make him less patient, less fundamental, with more ability to scramble and deal with quickly changing situations.

Former Miami University goaltender Richard Shulmistra (now with Quebec’s AHL affiliate Cornwall Aces) not only had size, speed and fundamentals, but he constantly challenged me with his cerebral, analytical approach to the game. We discussed every “what if” possible. He developed a “system” for himself as he analyzed his moves, every possible situation, and the shooters he faced.

Some goalies just like to play the game. Richard not only plays it, but he thinks it, too.

Statistics can be misleading

Alain Chevrier, who had a fine NHL career with New Jersey and Chicago, and Steve McKichan, who played minor pro (plus one game with the Vancouver Canucks), were both at Miami University in the early years of Division I. Back then, Miami’s teams were not very good. Both produced goals against averages that were high, and save percentages that were low.

But the high number of shots they faced, and the many good scoring situations against them, helped both goalies develop mental toughness and great skills. While others were getting headlines, these two were getting better! And their statistics were not solely a reflection of their individual performances.

Conversely, current Sabres prospect Steve Shields played his college career at Michigan. He posted great numbers, won all the awards, and faced an average of 22 shots a game on a fantastic team. But despite his college success, Steve—great stats and all—was perhaps less prepared for pro hockey than the other two guys.

The moral of the story, it seems, is that in developing your skills, it’s better to stay busy.

Have confidence and persevere

You must persevere, work hard and believe in yourself—even if nobody else does.

It’s easy to give up when things do not go your way. But hard work and the ability to overcome a negative situation demonstrates to everyone a player’s special qualities.

I met Olaf Kozig in 1992, when he was playing in Rochester of the AHL. Olaf was Washington property “on loan” to Rochester because he was the last guy on the Capitals depth chart, and was playing out the remainder of his contract. That year he took the Americans to the AHL finals, and now he is in the NHL with the Capitals!

Charlie Thuss is a senior at Miami University and one of the top goalies in Division I hockey. What is special about Charlie is that he never played one minute until his senior year! But he never quit, worked very hard, and beat the odds.

And how about the Buffalo Sabres Dominik Hasek, last year’s Vezina Trophy winner? When he was with Chicago he was sent to the minors before eventually being traded to Buffalo. Then, after half a season (and an injury in Buffalo), the Sabres traded for Grant Fuhr—in essence telling Dominik he wasn’t good enough to be their Number One. But Hasek never quit, worked very hard, and has now emerged as one of hockey’s premier netminders.

Leave your feet

David Littman, a former AHL all-star in Rochester, and Dominik Hasek are perfect examples of the style of goaltending required today. They seem to have it down to a science.

In today’s hockey, a goaltender must leave his feet to make most saves. The key is when to do so. If you drop too early, then the shooter will go over or around you; if you drop too late, pucks will go under you. Timing is so important. How to leave your feet is another key element. The “how” refers to the position of your arms and legs, and how they move together to close holes while making the save. Too many times a goaltender opens up holes while moving to make a save because his arms are sloppy, or his back leg plants or slips.

Catch more of the lessons I’ve learned in coaching in next month’s issue!

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 05/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2011 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

On Contact: How to hit like the pros

By Bob Cunningham
Oct 29, 2001, 19:35

©Linda Marczak

Their names are easily recognizable to even the most casual hockey fan; Cam Neely, Wendel Clark, Chris Chelios, Scott Stevens, and Rick Tocchet. These are among the big-name players of the National Hockey League associated with toughness. And while they may be noted for their scoring, too, what these superstars really have in common is that they usually spend more time dishing out punishment than absorbing it.

But how does this come to pass? Are these guys just born big, bad hitters, or did they work on becoming hockey’s most feared freight trains? The answer is…a little of both.

As is so often the case in hockey, anticipation is a critical element in giving or taking a monster hit. Most great players have a seemingly innate ability to read the play before it develops, but that kind of anticipation can also be acquired through game experience. A key link with these stars is their ability—both natural and acquired—to anticipate plays in order to time their hits appropriately.

“It’s a timing thing,” explains Clark, whose combination of physical prowess and scoring talent has helped the Quebec Nordiques to the NHL’s second-best record at press time. “At the same time (as) you skate into a guy, you put your shoulder down. Keep your center of gravity low, not high.”

Los Angeles Kings defenseman Rob Blake adds his own take on technique. “There’s a lot more to throwing a check than just running into somebody,” says the 25-year-old blueliner. “You have to position yourself a certain way so that you don’t get yourself injured. And you have to know when it’s a good idea to make a hit, and when you should avoid it.”

The best in the game

Tocchet, an NHL teammate of Blake’s for the first time this season (courtesy of an off-season trade with Pittsburgh) lauds Blake’s physical prowess. “(He’s) the best hitter in the game, for my money,” says the right winger. That’s high praise considering the source. Tocchet is one of the NHL’s few tough, talented members of the 30-300 club—that’s 30 goals and 300 penalty minutes in the same season

“He can be three or four feet away from you and then he’ll lunge at you,” Tocchet said of Blake’s striking technique. “He’s like a snake.”

Whatever their individual techniques, one thing is certain: the players that are widely regarded as the game’s best hitters each have their niche within the craft.

For pure big hits, the ones that earn the loudest oohs from NHL crowds, there may be no better craftsman than Neely.

“He can lay waste to you if you’re not expecting it,” says Tocchet of Neely’s physical prowess.

Because his primary role on the Boston Bruins is offense, Neely doesn’t hit routinely. But he’s big and strong and savvy—a lethal combination for unwary opposing players—and his physical play is an important element of his game.

“He doesn’t hit a lot, but when he hits you, he hits you,” Clark notes.

Chelios, the kind of player everyone hates to play against but yearns to have on their team, has acquired a more outwardly intimidating persona through his hits.

“There’s nothing better than a good, clean hit,” he says. And the bigger the better.

“Give them something a little extra. When you give them a good shot, you’re putting it in their mind that you can do it again at any time. That can be a real advantage for you.”

Clark can come up with the big pop, too, and has his own favored technique.

“The main thing is to keep yourself compact,” Clark says. “And something else that is very important is to not throw a hit before you’re ready. You have to make sure you’re in full control if you’re going to play a physical style.

“Players are bigger and stronger now. It’s more important to be in control when you make a hit now than it used to be. You have to work your hit so that you’re more ready than the other guy.”

David vs. Goliath?

And while the average NHLer is bigger than ever before, you don’t have to be a giant to unleash a giant hit. At 5’10” and 185 pounds, Clark has endured more than his share of bumps and thumps during a 12-year career; he’s missed the equivalent of nearly three full seasons with a variety of ailments.

But still, virtually any NHL watcher will agree that Clark is one of the NHL’s most effective hitters. He hits big and he hits often, especially for a forward. His philosophy? His tricks of the trade?

“Early in games, I like to get hits. It gets everyone in the game,” he says. “And in forechecking, you have to finish your hits.”

Clark dismisses the notion that physical size is necessary to be a big hitter.

“A big hitter, especially considering he’s a 175-pound defenseman, is Todd Gill of Toronto,” Clark notes, citing his former teammate with the Toronto Maple Leafs. “He hits as big as just about anybody.”

Being a defenseman, Chelios may seek out the hitting opportunities more than a forward like Clark, but you can’t just hit randomly. It’s combining his smarts with his physical play that makes him the all-star he is.

“Don’t be afraid to follow your instincts on a play,” Chelios advises.

Tocchet concurs: “You have to be smart out there, but don’t get to where you’re analyzing every single move you make. If you need to make a check, make it with confidence.”

Following the old adage that “He who hesitates is lost,” Tocchet says that the worst thing a player can do at a moment of collision is psych himself out.

“If you’re hesitant, you’ll end up (getting) taken out of the play yourself, or you may get injured. That can do more harm than taking a check,” he says.

Clark adds his own take on when to hit.

“You do have to follow the situation, “ says the left winger. “Sometimes it’s better to play the puck than to play your man. It’s doesn’t do you any good to make late hits. That’s just wasting energy and taking you out of the play.”

Steven’s hits: “ferocious”

Tocchet’s pick as among the game’s most consistent hitters is New Jersey’s Stevens. His is a constant physical presence at both ends of the ice, and although it’s most vital in the defensive zone, the ferocity of his hits are felt rinkwide.

Stevens is the consummate “team hitter.” He’ll never shy away from a check when it’s called for, but he’s never observed taking himself out of the play just to complete a check.

“It’s a team. It’s not any one individual,” Stevens says. “It’s everyone doing whatever it takes.” And if that means giving up the opportunity to lay a juicy hit, so be it.

A consistent hitter of a different sort is Hartford’s Jocelyn Lemieux.

“He’s not a great hitter, necessarily,” says Tocchet of Lemieux, “but he hits everything in sight.”

Lemieux’s whirling-dervish role on the Whalers is well defined—they want everyone to pay for coming within a few feet of their burly defenseman.

“He’s on you constantly,” says Tocchet, who has played his entire career prior to this season in the Eastern Conference, and is very familiar with Lemieux’s style. “There aren’t many players like that, but it’s a good philosophy—(being) constantly in everyone’s face.”

Clark notes that the game, because the players of today are bigger and more physical, has slowed down a notch. The big hits don’t come as often, which lends credibility to his “hit early and often” philosophy.

“It’s a slower game, with more close checking,” Clark says. “There’s more clutching and grabbing.”

Stevens stresses that players can always learn, regardless of their skill level or the league they’re competing in, to hit or hit better.

“I’ve played 12 years and I’m still learning,” he says. “I’m not afraid to admit that. I’m a veteran and I believe I’ve learned a lot, but there’s still more to learn. You never stop learning.”

Blake agrees. “Without a doubt, I’m picking up little things all the time,” he says. “Almost with every game I play.”

Another key to hockey in general is no less important when it comes to hitting: you have to know your opponent.

“Early in my career, Brian Engblom taught me that,” says Stevens. “He was my partner, (and) taught me about other players in the league. It helped me out a lot.”

Still, says Clark, when a hit needs to be made, it doesn’t matter who’s on the receiving end.

“Make sure you’re under control, and get to it.”

This first appeared in the 05/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
© Copyright 1991-2011 Hockey Player® and Hockey Player Magazine®

Joe Mullen: Raised on roller hockey

By Stan Fischler
Oct 29, 2001, 19:32

©BBS

Everything—that is everything —was against Joe Mullen becoming an NHL star.

He was born in New York, when nobody from Manhattan had ever made it to the NHL. They said he was too small.

Another rap was that roller hockey players, which Mullen was, don’t have ice instincts.

On and on went the critics, and on and on climbed Mullen, proving them wrong every step of the way.

From the sidewalks—literally—of New York to Boston College, then to Salt Lake City of the Central Hockey League. Up, up and away he went, like a micro-Superman-on-skates, outpacing the knockers and making well-respected hockey men look stupid in the process.

By all rights Joey should have spent his career starring with the Rangers. His father ran the Zamboni machine in Madison Square Garden. His father would have given anything for his son to play for the Broadway Blueshirts.

But like so many others who underestimated Joe Mullen, the Rangers said “thanks-but-no-thanks,” and Joey signed with the St. Louis Blues. He played his first NHL game during the 1980 playoffs.

The rest, as they say in Montreal, is histoire. At age 35, Mullen’s stride, savvy and scoring ability is as strong as it ever was. What’s more, he has just become the first US-born 1,000-point scorer in NHL history, and taken home (along with brother Brian) the Lester Patrick Trophy for service to hockey in the United States.

In the following interview, Mullen discusses everything from his roller hockey roots to his future as a youth-hockey coach.

Do you remember your first pair of hockey skates?

You have to bear in mind that where I came from—in the middle of Manhattan, near the old Madison Square Garden—the first skates were roller skates. The clamp-on kind. There were two basic brands. Union Hardware was the cheaper kind and Chicagos were the better ones. If you were real serious about roller hockey, eventually you graduated to shoe skates.

Diagonally across from the old Garden, on Eighth Avenue, there was a little store called the Princeton Skate Shop. That’s where the guys got their shoe skates, and you also could get ice skates as well. Later on it was where we had our ice skates sharpened.

What kind of sticks did you use on the streets of Manhattan?

The most popular stick when I was a kid was the Northland, because most of the NHL players used it. Then there was the Vic. We used just about anything we could get our hands on as long as it wasn’t completely broken.

Describe the difference between roller hockey in the late 1960s and today.

The puck wasn’t very sophisticated. It was just a hunk of electrician’s tape with a hole in the middle. If the playing surface was relatively smooth, the tape-puck moved pretty well. There was no such thing as in-line skates then. We used the four-wheeled kind and when the wheels wore down you could replace each one.

How different was it from ice hockey?

It took longer to stop, and if you went down to block shots a lot, you’d rip your dungarees or whatever. The puck was lighter, but you couldn’t shoot it quite as fast and, of course, you couldn’t move as fast on the macadam (the broken stone surface) as you could on ice.

What kind of carry-over value did roller hockey have for ice hockey when you moved on to Sky Rink?

There was quite a bit, because the stickhandling on the dry surface was tough. So if you could handle the puck in roller hockey, you could do it on ice, for sure. Same with shooting; if you could shoot a puck from macadam, you certainly could on ice. Funny, but the skating stride was different and when I went from roller to ice, my ice hockey stride was choppy. It wasn’t until I got to college where I smoothed it out a bit. In roller hockey, it was more like running. The big difference was that on ice, the puck slid better and moved quicker.

What aspect of roller hockey did the most for your ice hockey career?

Let me say right off the bat that if it wasn’t for roller hockey, I wouldn’t be where I am today. The thing that was so important about the roller side was that it was so easily available for me. I’d walk out of the house, go across the street and I would be playing. It didn’t matter if it was hot or cold, raining or snowing. The availability gave me a chance to play every day, and since I played every day I was learning how to shoot, pass and stickhandle—all the assets I would need for ice hockey. I’ve said it before: roller hockey can’t do anything but help kids who want to become ice hockey players.

Who, specifically, helped you?

Besides my younger brother, Brian, I had two older brothers who were excellent roller hockey players. Kenny was a center and Tommy a right wing. Kenny has a lot of hockey sense and his style reminded me of Bryan Trottier. Tommy was a terrific shooter who had a knack of scoring from bad angles. He always found a way of putting it in the net. Kenny moved up to ice hockey and did well in the (New York) Metropolitan League and then played a year at Northeastern. He might have gone farther, but those were the times when Americans were just making some inroads into the game and he was a little before his time.

What did you learn from them?

Just by watching them play, I was able to see things about the game that I didn’t know before. Then, I would watch the Ranger games on TV and learn from the pros. I put two-and-two together and became a smarter player.

Who did you play for at the start?

I was lucky. The Sacred Heart Church in the neighborhood had a lot of teams. We were in the Police Athletic League, YMCA League and the Catholic Youth Organization League. By the time I was sixteen, I was playing in a men’s league out of Fort Hamilton in Brooklyn.

It’s amazing, considering your father’s job in the Garden and the fact you lived across the street from the arena that you were never picked up by the Rangers.

Actually, I almost was. This was after I had signed with St. Louis and was playing in their minor league system. Craig Patrick was running the Rangers at the time and the Blues had called me up for a game. I didn’t know it at the time but Patrick was watching me in the hopes of swinging a deal with the Blues. As a matter of fact, he came very close to making the trade—and then I loused things up. In the game he was watching, I scored a goal and must have looked good enough for the Blues to figure that they shouldn’t let me go. After the game, I was in the hotel and Craig happened to follow me into the elevator. He looked at me, smiled, and said, “You had to go and score a goal tonight, didn’t you?” I said, “Whaddya mean?” Then, he said, “If you hadn’t scored, I had ya!” And that was that. One less goal and I would have been a Ranger.

You got some good advice about making the transition from roller to ice hockey. What advice do you give to youngsters nowadays?

I tell them to play as much as they can, whether it’s on roller skates or on the ice. Shoot the puck, listen to the coach and, most of all, work hard.

You sound like you’ve been coaching already.

I have. During the lockout, I was coaching my kids. Ryan is 13, Michael is 11 and Patrick is eight. I try not to push them, but I want them to have fun. I coached three different teams and it was very rewarding, particularly when you see them following through on something you taught and they do it right.

This first appeared in the 05/1995 issue of Hockey Player Magazine®
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