I have had enough.
If you are playing U15 hockey and above – an age where you have enough strength and balance to put some force into your passes – put some mustard behind ’em when you’re at distance from your target!
I’m not saying to zip it in if you’re 3-4 feet away from your target. That’s not smart. Those short passes need to be at the appropriate pace, and an indirect pass more often than not (at the higher levels).
But if you’re making a pass across the ice, or a pass from your own blue line to the far blue, or even a pass from the offensive zone corner to the slot – stop making passes that Brad Gushue would have to use his curling broom on! HURRY! HARDDD!!!!
See below as to why these ‘flaky passes’ are hurting y’all.
Reason 1 – The passes get picked off.
A slow cross-ice pass often gets picked off. If you’re making a stretch pass and it’s a muffin, the opposing D jumps it and goes in the other direction with it. We are going North, they’re goin’ South. This leads to bad defensive gaps, and transition offence.
Reason 2 – Even If The Pass Gets There, The Other Team Is There Soon
If you’re getting a soft D-to-D pass, the person receiving the pass is probably under duress ASAP. If you’re making a soft pass from the corner to the slot, the element of surprise is lost and the goalie is beating it there on his or her feet. Good luck scoring on a good goalie when he or she has his or her feet set. A soft pass up the wall in contact hockey is a signal for the strong side D to get up in the wingers face; it’s a hit that a winger probably doesn’t take if the pass is harder because smart D know – if they cannot get there in time, they likely get inside the dots and play passively. Hit avoided.
Reason 3 – There Goes Your Transition Game
It’s hard to execute transition offence with slow passes. If the opposition at a higher level turns it over in the neutral zone, great teams will likely go with a weak side hard pass and then up (depending on where the opposition is). Two quick, accurate well-executed passes and the team that turned it over is on its heels. If it’s a slow pass from a D up to a posted up winger on the wall, he or she cannot tip it in if the pass is slow. Physics just won’t allow it.
So the issue is identified. How – as coaches and players – do we fix it?
(Coaches) Reinforce Hot Passes At Distance. In practice, tell players to pass the puck harder.
(Players) Work on Receiving Hard Passes. Some players have told me that they often don’t like zipping passes in to recipients because they’re worried they won’t be able to pick it up. In which case, lets work on picking up hard passes not only on the forehand, but on the backhand. Especially the backhand.
(Coaches) Show video of NHL players going D-to-D crisply and zipping passes up to the forwards, with different attack variations (tip-ins, attacking wide, attacking middle, etc). Coaches can make it a team thing, or maybe a little individual “hockey homework” assignment on a Saturday night.
(Players) work on one-timing and catching-releasing hard passes from the corner/wall. Yes I get it – everyone loves a soft pass on the PP that they can load up and rip. BUT.. goals on those types of passes-and-shots are becoming more rare. Goalies are smarter and better skaters now than in years past. Work on shooting the hard passes (less wind-up, kind of like choking up on a baseball bat with 2 strikes to put the ball in play).
Until Next Time
AP
Related Media
Advice for U13/15/18 Hockey Parents (article) – – – https://vhghockey.ca/attention-all-1st-year-u11-13-15-18-hockey-parents/
2 Things That are Negatively Contagious on a Hockey Team (Article) – – – https://vhghockey.ca/2-things-that-are-negatively-contagious-on-a-hockey-team/
Living Room Tips to Improve Your Skating (Video) – – – https://youtu.be/_1P5903yWU0?si=8gElkqFybtPUPSet