Warming Up Can Help With Brian Rafalski New Jersey Devils We all know that ice time is as hard to come by as a 50-goal scorer, and just as valuable. You shouldn’t have to spend time at the beginning of your practice session stretching and warming up. There are things you can do before stepping on the ice. The key is to get your muscles moving and the blood circulating before you do stretch so your muscles can get the most out of it. Tip #1 Go for a short run before practice. Not only is this a great way to get the heart pumping, it can be a good team-building exercise. You can also play soccer or hacky-sack if space allows. You don’t want to be playing in the parking lot or in the street, but if there’s a field or open area inside the rink these are fun ways get the feet moving, the blood pumping and muscles warmed up. Tip #2 Stickhandling a golf ball, tennis ball or wooden ball will help warm up your hands, arms and upper body. You can even pass the ball with a teammate. Tip #3 Once you hit the ice you want to break a sweat and get the heart pumping and upper body and legs moving. Then you’re ready for practice. Skating around the rink and speeding up between the blue lines is not the only way to get moving. Playing small area games like 3-on-3 or keep away are fun ways to get in the flow of practice. You’re also practicing valuable skills while having fun and warming up. Tip #4 Not only are you warming up your muscles, you’re also warming up your mind, getting it ready to compete. Too often kids come to the rink and head straight for the locker room to suit up before hitting the ice. Being physically active will help you get mentally prepared to practice or play a game. Remember This … Most of us are familiar with static stretches, where the body is not moving from one place to another, such as groin or hamstring stretches. Too many coaches believe static stretching is warming up. It’s not. You want to work on dynamic stretches, which involves swinging your arms, legs and rotating your hip joints. Not only will this help warm up your muscles, it will improve your flexibility.

Puck Handling And Puck Protection

Next to skating, puck handling may be the most important skill you need. The ability to maneuver with a puck in the open ice or in traffic is a skill that everyone can improve upon.

Tip #1 Keep your hands away from your body when handling the puck. This will allow you a full range of motion. If you keep your hands in tight, your head is likely to be down looking at the puck. It also limits your reach. Tip #2 Keep your head up and use your peripheral vision to watch the puck and what’s happening around you. If you’re constantly looking down at the puck, you’re not likely to have it long. You’ll lose it to an opponent, or you could get your bell rung. Keep your head up to survey the ice for teammates, open ice and opponents.

Tip #3 Less is more when it comes to skating through the neutral zone with the puck. When you’re skating in open ice, push the puck ahead on your forehand. This will allow you to skate faster and be ready to pass or shoot quicker. You don’t need to over-handle the puck; it could slow you down. Tip #4 Use your body to protect the puck. This is especially important in tight areas, such as in the corners or in front of the net where there’s a lot of traffic.

Tip #5 Some of the best drills to improve your puck handling and puck protection skills are games we’ve all played on the pond, blacktop or rink. Playing 1-on-1 or 1-on-2 keep away will help you learn to maneuver in tight spaces with the puck while keeping your body between the puck and your opponent. Another good game is musical pucks, which is similar to musical chairs. Start out with 10 skaters and eight pucks. On the first whistle, eight players skate around with a puck, practicing puck handling and puck protection while the other two try to take the puck away. On the second whistle play stops. Anyone without a puck is out. Take two more pucks away and keep going until there’s only one puck left. Remember This … Did you ever wonder why so many soccer players have good hockey skills? It’s because they use their feet as an extension of their stick. Don’t get happy feet when a pass is in your skates. Learn to deaden the puck as it hits your skate blade and guide it up to your stick. This is a great skill to work on in practice.

One-Touch Passes Keep Opponents Off Balance With Scott Gomez New Jersey Devils One-touch passes are a great way to keep the opposition on their heels and you one step ahead of the play. Worked to perfection, a one-touch pass lets the puck to do the work as opposed to you skating with it all the time. By quickly moving the puck around you’re not allowing the opposition to put pressure on the puck carrier. Tip #1 You have to be able to anticipate where you’re moving the puck by knowing where your teammates are on the ice at all times. So when a pass comes you’ve already decided what you’re going to go with it. Tip #2 There are several classic examples of when one-touch passes are effective: defensemen getting the puck in the neutral zone and making a quick one-touch pass to a forward to get back on the attack, the give-and-go, or a one-touch pass to a teammate open for a shot on goal.

Tip #3 Not only do you have to know where you teammate is, you must also be conscience of whether he’s a left-handed or right-handed shot so you can get the puck to him without breaking stride. On a one-time pass to a shooter, make sure you get the pass into a teammate’s “wheelhouse”, the area where he can catch the pass and release the shot in one fluid motion. Tip #4 You want to keep your bottom hand lower on the stick to give you more strength and support. If your bottom hand is too high on the shaft, your return pass won’t be as strong or as accurate.

Tip #5 You want to have soft hands when making a one-touch pass. If you have “hands of stone”, the puck will shoot off your stick too quickly and won’t be accurate. It will be difficult to handle because it won’t have any spin on the pass. Don’t slap at the puck, cushion it with the middle of the blade and send it on to the next target. Remember This … The one-touch pass is all about anticipation. Prior to receiving the pass, you have to figure out what you’re going to do with it. You always have to be thinking one or two plays ahead. If you can do that, you’re likely to catch your opponents flat-footed.

Good Gap Control Let’s You Dictate The Play With Brian Leetch Toronto Maple Leafs Scoring chances are born out of the amount of time and space given to the team with the puck. Your job as a defender is to limit that time and space, forcing your opponent to give up the puck and put your team on the offensive. That’s why gap control is an important part of the game. A gap is the amount of space between the puck carrier and the defensive player. Win the battle of the gaps, and you will likely win the hockey game.

Tip #1 By playing a tight gap a defenseman is taking away time and space from his opponent. Doing so will allow the defenseman to dictate where he wants the offensive player to go, which is generally toward the outside of the rink and away from a prime scoring area.

Tip #2 Too often a defenseman will play a loose gap out of respect for an opponent’s speed and skill, and for fear of getting beat. If that’s the case, the offensive player is generally going to take the middle of the ice and have a better angle to shoot on net. You may not get beat physically, but your opponent is going to get a good scoring opportunity.

Tip #3 It’s important to know whether your opponent is a left-handed or right-handed shot, and if he is playing the off-wing or his strong side. If the puck carrier is on his strong side, you may be able to give a little more of a gap because he has to expose the puck by bringing it in front of you as he cuts toward the middle of the ice, which may allow you the opportunity to poke the puck away.

Tip #4 If the forward is on his off-wing and you play too loose a gap, he can cut to the middle of the ice while protecting the puck with his body. That’s why you need to play a tighter gap in these situations.

Tip #5 Always remember to play the body, not the puck. As the puck carrier is skating toward you, watch his chest and play stick on stick to contest the shot or pass.

Remember This … It’s important to work on maintaining tight gaps, especially in practice and in early-season games. Don’t be afraid of getting beat. You want to dictate the play, not your opposition.

Backchecking Can Be The Backbone To Your Team’s Success With Chris Drury Buffalo Sabres No matter the type of a forecheck your team employs, it’s important that everyone on the ice understands their roles and responsibilities when it comes to backchecking.

Tip #1 You need to identify which player is your defensive responsibility. For example, on a 3-on-2, your defensemen must identify and communicate who they’re playing so the backchecker knows who to pick up to make it an even situation. You don’t want two players covering the same player, thereby leaving one player left all alone.

Tip #2 Once you’ve identified who you’re picking up, you want to get your stick and your body on his hands and take away his stick. Tip #3 While it’s important to get your stick and body on your opponent’s hands to take away his stick, you don’t want to slash, hook or hold. You can effectively tie up his hands within the framework of the rules.

Tip #4 Don’t let your opponent beat you up the ice. If he does it’s probably due to a lack of hustle on your part. Being close tyour man is not good enough. You have to be on him liketape on a stick.

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Tip #5 You always want to stay on the defensive side of your opponent, meaning keeping your body between him and the net. You also want to stay with your man until your team gains control of the puck.

Remember This … Hockey is a two-way game. You have to play both ends of the ice. Backchecking is all about heart and hustle. Doing the little things, like backchecking, can take away scoring opportunities from your opponent and be the difference between winning and losing.

Basic Tips To Improve Your Passing With Erik Cole Carolina Hurricanes and U.S. National Team Everybody loves to skate with the puck and stickhandle through the opposition defenses on the way to the net. Still, it’s much more effective if you let the puck do the work for you. Passing is without a doubt the best way to move the puck.

Tip #1 When it comes to effectively passing the puck, accuracy is the key. You want to look at your intended target and take your time to make a good, hard, accurate pass. It’s all in the follow through. It’s important to work on passing in practice. Take your time and work on the basic fundamentals of making a good, crisp, accurate pass. That way when you get into a game it’s second nature to you. Tip #2 Never slap at the puck. You want it to roll off the blade from the heel toward the toe in a sweeping motion as you transfer your weight from your back foot to front foot. As the puck leaves your stick, make sure to follow through and point the toe of your stick at the intended target.

Tip #3 A flip or saucer pass is the most effective pass when you have a man between you and your intended target. A good saucer pass floats eight to 10 inches off the ice and lands

flat close to the blade of a teammate’s stick. Practice is the key. You don’t want to be firing the puck too high, where it can’t be controlled by your teammate. A player who can make an effective saucer or flip pass is worth his or her weight in gold. Tip #4 When it comes to receiving a pass, you want to turn the blade slightly toward the ice to form a pocket. Keep the angle of the blade so it takes the puck squarely. Don’t hold the stick too tightly when you are receiving a hard pass or the puck will “explode” off your stick.

Remember This … It’s important to keep your head up when passing the puck. Most bad passes are caused by not looking up to spot your intended target. You should also be aware of where you are on the ice. Blind cross-ice passes are the leading cause of grey hairs among hockey coaches. Playing it safe and being smart with the puck will greatly improve your odds of winning the game.

Puck handling in traffic With Doug Weight St. Louis Blues Everyone wants to skate down the wing with the puck without having a defender hanging all over him. In reality, you’re more likely to find yourself trying to stickhandle through a maze of skates and sticks while keeping your head up so you don’t get your block knocked off by a defender.

A hockey game is made up of a series of one-on-one battles. How you prepare yourself for these battles will be the difference between winning and losing games.

The most crucial battles often take place in prime traffic zones, which are the slot and the corners. The level of intensity in traffic has to be extremely high. You have to be able to think on your feet and be able to withstand physical contact while maintaining possession of the puck.

Tip #1 You want to have a low center of gravity so you can maintain your balance and keep control of the puck. Keep your knees bent and your feet shoulder width apart to create a solid base.

Tip #2 Defensemen are taught to play the body (keeping themselves between the net and their opponent) and control your stick with a stick check. Keeping your hand low on the shaft of the stick gives you more control of the puck during body or stick contact, making it more difficult for your opponent to lift your stick.

Tip #3 Use your body as a shield to keep the puck away from your opponent’s reach. Keep your head up so you can anticipate how you might be defended, and can keep the puck as far away from your opponent as possible.

Tip #4 Keep your head up so you know where you are on the ice at all times. It will also allow you to read the ice while looking for a chance to shoot or pass the puck to a teammate and avoid defensive contact.

Remember This … Keep your feet moving at all times. If you're moving good things can happen. You can create 2-on-1s, jump into open space and put yourself into a good scoring position. And remember, it's a lot harder to defend a moving target.

Keep Your Body In A Position So You’re Ready To Shoot Most goal scorers don’t net their goals on a breakaway. And they don’t walk in uncontested and beat the goalie clean. They score by getting the puck and shooting it quickly and accurately. It comes with practice, not only to work on your shot but also on putting yourself in a position to score.

Tip #1 Keep your body low, with your knees bent. That way you’ll be ready to receive a pass and shoot in one fluid motion. If you’re standing straight up, you’re not ready for either. Another reason it’s important to stay low is you’ll be in a better position to get the shot off while absorbing a check.

Tip #2 Angle your feet toward the net so you can get the shot off quickly. Watch any of the good goal scorers, guys like Brett Hull, and they are already in a position to shoot the puck before they receive the pass. They’re not waiting to get the puck and reposition their bodies to shoot.

Tip #3 Position yourself so you can see the passer and the net without turning your head. Peripheral vision is just as important as a hard and accurate shot. Know where you are on the ice in relation to the net, in addition to knowing where the pass is coming from and where the defenders are.

Tip #4 Work on catching the pass and shifting your body weight to shoot in one motion. Don’t waste time catching the pass, lining it up on your stick, picking your target and shooting.

A quick release won’t allow the defenders to get in front of your shot or the goaltender to get set.

Remember This … Practice catching a pass and shooting the puck. You should also practice one-timers and shooting from various angles and positions. The higher up you go in the game, the faster things happen. You have to adapt and be ready to get the puck and fire it on goal. It’s the difference between scoring and being stopped.

Improving Your Release And Accuracy With Scott Gomez, New Jersey Devils Great goal scorers seem to have a knack for putting the puck in the net. The rest of us have to work at it. Seriously, the great goal scorers work just as hard on their shots. They just make it look easy.

Tip #1 You can’t stand still and shoot a puck hard. You need to get your body moving forward to get momentum behind your shot. That means getting your legs into the act. It’s kind of like throwing a ball. If you have no forward motion, you won’t be able to throw a ball as fast or as far. And if you want to have a strong shot, use your legs, which are the strongest part of your body. Tip #2 One of the biggest questions I hear is, ‘Where should the puck be – in close to my body or out away from it?’ The position of the puck varies depending on the situation. You may not have time to tee it up the way you’d like. A lot of great goal scorers move the puck in toward their bodies as they get ready to shoot. This changes the release point and may fool a goaltender. It also allows you to generate more power with the shot closer to your body than with your arms away from your body. Tip #3 As I said, you don’t always have a lot of time to get the shot off. That’s why it’s important to be able to shoot off both feet and practice a quick release. But before you start cranking shots that way, it’s best to learn how to properly transfer your weight from your back foot to your front as you’re following through on a shot. You’ll get more power this way.

Tip #4 To practice your release and accuracy, one of my favorite drills is to line up 10 feet from the boards and aim at a spot. As you improve, pick a smaller spot. Soon you can progress to a net, picking a corner and trying to put the puck there. It’s a simple drill, but it’s great

because you can do it on your own.

Remember This … You shoot to score goals and to do that you have to get the puck on net. It doesn’t matter how hard you shoot if you can’t hit the net. My coaches always emphasized accuracy over velocity. It’s a lesson I’ve carried with me to the pros.

Getting A Shot On Goal Is A Snap With A Good Snap Shot With Scott Gomez, New Jersey Devils The snap shot is quicker than a wrist shot and more accurate than a slap shot. It’s probably the most widely used shot in hockey today. The most important attribute of a good snap shot is the speed with which you can release the puck.

Tip #1 One of the most important things when you’re shooting is to look before you shoot. A lot of times kids tend to bury their heads before they shoot and guess where the puck is going. I like to take a look and see where the goaltender’s at and take aim at a general section of the net that I want to hit. It’s very important to lift your head up to where you want to shoot right before you let the puck go.

Tip #2 Sometimes it’s not possible to get a good look at the net before you shoot. That’s why it’s important to always know where you are on the ice and where the net is. If you know the general vicinity when you’re not facing the net, it’s easier to get a shot off quickly and get it on net where good things can happen.

Tip #3 The snap shot is released from the middle to the tip of the blade. I like to pull the puck into a position that feels comfortable with the toe of my stick. Then I basically shoot the puck off the outer half of my blade. I don’t shoot a snap shot off the heel. That’s more of a wrist shot.

Tip #4 It’s important to practice shooting in awkward positions. You’re not always going to be in a perfect position when you find the puck on your stick. That’s why I practice shooting off of both feet. It’s good to switch it up. In drills, try skating around pylons and practice shooting from different angles.

Remember This … Dry-land training is very important. If you have a net at home and 10 pucks, you can fire away all day. That’s always good practice for when you do get on the ice.

Playing The Defensive 1-On-1 With Hal Gill of the Toronto Maple Leafs A one-on-one is the classic confrontation between you and your opponent. As a defenseman, you could be the only thing standing between the puck carrier and a great scoring opportunity.

Tip #1 Gap control is the act of controlling the space between you and your opponent. It’s the first step in containing your opponent and dictating where you want him to go. You want to keep the distance tight enough so he can’t get off a good shot while using you as a screen. At the same time, you can’t be too tight or he could go right around you, or get to the middle of the ice for a better shot on goal.

Tip #2 Taking away space allows you to make him go where you want him to. Line up your outside shoulder on his inside shoulder and try to force him to the outside, where he could be forced to take a shot from a bad angle.

Tip #3 The stick check is your first line of defense, but you have to maintain control of it. Don’t be swinging it around wildly or you can be caught out of position or off balance.

Tip #4 Eventually you’re going to have to make your move and confront your opponent. This

normally happens somewhere between the blue line and the top of the face-off circle. By defending the blue line you slow down your opponent and can force an offside. By the top of the face-off circle you need to force a play because your opponent is now in close enough to have a good scoring opportunity.

Remember This … Focus on your opponent, not the puck. The biggest thing I see with young players is that they get caught watching the puck instead of the chest. Line up your body on your opponent’s body, and not his stick.