SHUTDOWN
THERE COMES A TIME IN A GAME WHEN ALL FOCUS SHOULD BE ON DEFENCE BY JONATHAN FINE
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key to winning a hockey game is understanding that the correct hockey play at any given moment is dictated by the situation of the moment – the score, the time left in the game, who is on the ice for each team, the importance of the game, and so forth. There comes a time in most games when the team with the lead doesn’t need another goal. In these situations, that team has to know how to change its style, to play what I call “shut‘em down hockey”.
The keys to “shut’em down hockey” are as follows: • YOU DON’T NEED ANOTHER GOAL: So your mental focus should be solely on defence and killing time. • ALWAYS PLAY THE DEFENSIVE SIDE (D-SIDE) OF THE PUCK: Don’t give the other team free passage towards your goal. You must position yourself between the puck and your goal. • STAY IN THE PLAY: Don’t do anything that can take you out of the play (for example, getting tied up with an opposing player or going too low in the offensive zone). • ALWAYS MOVE THE PUCK DOWN THE ICE (AWAY FROM YOUR GOAL): For example, in their zone, never pass back to your point (because it may get intercepted or get by your defenceman). Keep the puck deep in the other team’s zone. • DUMP THE PUCK IN QUICKLY: Too many times I see players that should be playing shut’em down hockey, trying to carry the puck into the other team’s zone, which increases the chance of a turnover and saves the other team valuable ice and time, which is exactly the opposite of what you are trying to do.
• PLAY WITH URGENCY: Get the puck over the blue line quickly, whether it’s your blue line or theirs. The best way to trap the other team is by using a high 1-2-2 forechecking system, making it difficult for them to exit their zone with possession of the puck. Every player has a specific responsibility in the high 1-2-2: • The first forward’s (F1) job is to pressure the puck carrier to try and force an errant pass and to steer the play into the trap. • The other players form a high, box-shaped trap. • The trap must be a dynamic trap as opposed to a passive trap, meaning that the player closest to the puck makes an aggressive move on the puck with the objective of keeping the puck in, or forcing an errant pass. • If the puck gets by a player, he must race back towards the defensive zone to provide support to the trap. You want to make a series of aggressive moves on the puck all the way down the ice if necessary, all with a view of trying to force an errant pass, keeping the puck deep in the other team’s zone, keeping the puck out of your zone.
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Jonathan Fine is the Head Coach of the North Toronto Midget Jr. "AA" team. This article is an adaptation of excerpts from his books Coaching Championship Hockey and Hockey is A Very Simple Games (s), Volumes I and II. Mr. Fine can be contacted at jfine@finedeo.com. 37