Welcome

Rules

Penalties

General Team Skills

Basic Team Patterns

Phase One

Phase Two

Phase Three

Phase Four

Phase Five

Phase Six

Puck In Contention

Trick Stuff

Review
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

     Hockey IS skating.  We will spend a lot of time on skating.  If we can outskate the other team, we will do well.

     We have a variety of the individual skills needed to play a good game.  In addition to those individual skills we need to develop how we play as a team.  The team will do best if we all play according to the same plan.  These are very basic hockey
plays.  As we get good at them, we can move on to some more complex ones.

     Before getting into that, first some general observations.  Try to think about how well you do these things during our games; and when off the ice, try to think about doing them better the next time.

     Hockey is an anaerobic sport.  That means we go very hard for a short time and run our bodies into oxygen deficit.  Simply stated, we run out of air.  That is why we try to use short shifts, about one minute is best, one and a half at the most.  That way we can play harder and get an advantage over the other team.  But when we play for longer periods, we get used to a slower pace made necessary because we go longer between rests.  It's very natural to get so used to that slower pace that we find it hard to go faster when we get shorter shifts.  We don't plan on being short-handed on the bench.  Therefore, we can go hard and fast, and then change shifts.  If you think you could have played comfortably for another minute, then next time try to increase your intensity a little.  Don't hold back because you're afraid of running out of breath.  If that happens, you've done your job - come to the bench.

     Try to set ourselves up for short passes.  The positioning I'll discuss later will set the stage for that, but meanwhile try to keep this in mind.  When you're trying to get open for a pass, skate towards the player with the puck.  This will give him a shorter, easier pass and will make it harder for the opposing player to intercept the pass.  If you stand still, or skate straight down the ice, you give the opposing player a good chance to step in front of you and take the puck.  Usually, only two quick, hard strides will do the trick.  After you get the puck you can wheel in either direction and begin to go in the direction you want.  Basketball, football, and soccer players
often use the same concept to avoid pass interceptions.  We can do it, too.  See if you're taking those two quick strides toward your passer.  If not, develop the habit. 

     Lift or otherwise interfere with your opponent's stick to prevent shots on goal.  It's much easier to get the stick than the puck.  You get the stick; let the goalie get the puck.

     If you are closest to a loose puck, go for it.  No decision, no thinking; just two quick steps, get the puck.  I may talk about some exceptions later, but this is the general rule.

     At faceoffs, wings sprint in the direction of the opposing defensemen when the official's hand starts to move.  If the puck is drawn back to the opposing defenseman, then you have it, and you and your winger partner are off to a two-on-zero.  If the puck is not drawn back to the opposing defensemen then head for your appropriate position as a winger for whatever position the puck is in.  The first move a center makes after a faceoff is towards the puck, unless he/she is already in possession.

     Attacking forwards need to stay spread out over the attacking zone.  Sometimes this doesn't allow us to keep the left winger, centerman, and right winger in their normal positions.  For example, if the center has to weave to the boards to avoid being checked, it should be obvious that we don't need a winger there, too.  The winger in that situation has to move to another position that (we hope) gives him a chance to receive a pass and score.  Think of the centerman as the one who does the face-offs.  Otherwise, be ready to play anywhere you're needed.  More on this
in Phase 6.

     Hockey positions are constantly changing.  Either you are right where you are supposed to be (not often), or you should be going full speed to your next position.  A good example is when you pass a puck out from the corner to the slot.  Most of us then stand there and wait for (and hope for) a score, but in this case your next position is in front of the net for a rebound.  Two quick steps again and you're back in the play.  Do it.
 

     When the other team has the puck, you should either be checking the puck carrier or getting in position to prevent a successful pass to another opposing player.  Get as close as possible to the intended pass receiver on an imaginary line between him and the puck.  In addition to giving you the opportunity to intercept, if you block the view of the passer, he may never try the pass because he can't see the player you're
covering.

     The slot is the area bordered by two imaginary lines going from the edges of the crease directly out to the blue line.  I also call it the shooting gallery.  This is where most goals come from.  When we are attacking, we want to have players in the slot
and take shots from the slot.  When we are defending we want to assure no attacking player gets possession of the puck in our slot. 

     When we are defending, we want two defensemen close in front of the net and a forward in the slot about halfway to the blue line.  Naturally, you move around a little bit as you maneuver to prevent an opposing player from taking a shot, and you may change positions.  Occasionally you may chase a player into the corner,
but only if the other two are in their right position.  We want
to keep three people defending in the slot as much as possible.

     When we are attacking in the attacking zone we want two or more players in the slot all the time.  If one has to chase into the corner or go to the boards, the other two should stay in the slot, one low (about six to ten feet in front of the crease) and one high (about half to three-quarters of the distance from the crease to the blue line).  The player chasing the puck can then pass to someone in scoring position when he gets the puck.

     Many teams plan and practice special plays for penalty killing, power plays, and the empty-net/extra-attacker situation.  I personally feel that we don't have to change anything for these situations if we can do well the basic six phases that I'll describe below.  When we're short, cover the most dangerous players and positions, namely, in front of the net.  Don't go into our own corners or behind the net unless we have the puck; the other team can't score from behind the goal line.  When the
other team is short, our extra player should be where he can most likely score, also in front of the net.  I think this is easy to remember, and effective.