pick up hockey (shinny) pet peeves

[goaliemanshark 6]

Im know this has been documented before, but what is so freaking hard about passing the puck? I mean really? Just pass to me... or SOMEONE. 90 minutes of ice time. Zero passes

[Jason Harris 31]

I feel I'm allowed to weigh in on this, since I've been playing about 20+ pickups a year as goalie, but I do not like the dicks that "get even" for players who smack at a LOOSE puck or screen the goalie. It doesn't bother me one iota when players do that to me, so it pisses me off for someone to exact vengeance for me making such a grievous error. Or at least that's what I was told.

Admittedly, one of my whacks was close. I was smacking a loose puck while his glove was coming down, so my stick ended up beneath his glove. It certainly was loose and visible before I tried to hit it, however. Later, I hit a couple that went off his leg pads, before I could finally knock it in. Finally, I was screening him FIVE FEET in front of the goal, so he timed it to poke check my feet just before the puck arrived. I ended up falling on and bruising my tailbone.

In the locker room, he tried to throw this one on me, before finally admitting he'd have been called on it, which is this guy's way of apologizing for it.

[RichardsIsTheMan 0]

Long shifters are terrible, but I think the worst is the hackers. Seriously, it's pick up hockey, let's just have some fun.

[Jason Harris 31]

I was reminded of a pet peeve the other day while playing goalie.

When I stop the puck and throw it down quickly right in front of the goal, I'm doing so to keep the flow of playing going, BUT it's not an open puck. It's kind of like winner takes out in basketball -- the team that stopped the puck, won the puck.

[JBarrera 0]

^^ So true! Especially leaving our own zone after a play. It's often courtesy to let the play go the other way after the puck is stopped. But there's this one dude who still attacks the zone when we try to break out. Everyone on his team has already retreated to their zone, and he jumps out to intercept. Kinda annoying in pick-up.

[Chappie 0]

Whenever I get mad at people who play open hockey, I think of this:

Wish someone would parody it to open hockey, it's completely true.

[rachael7 1]

^^ So true! Especially leaving our own zone after a play. It's often courtesy to let the play go the other way after the puck is stopped. But there's this one dude who still attacks the zone when we try to break out. Everyone on his team has already retreated to their zone, and he jumps out to intercept. Kinda annoying in pick-up.

After a score, absolutely. But are you saying there should be no forecheck at all if the goalie stops the puck? In a real game, that would be an offensive zone faceoff, so I always figured at least some token forechecking pressure was appropriate. Have I been being a douche all this time?

[chippa13 1844]

If the goalie ties it up then the other team backs off, always the way that I've played pick up.

[tareatingrat 4]

Yeah, if the goalie freezes it, I pretty much pretend I'm offside. I'll leave the zone, then start the forecheck again. Or I'll at least let the guy who grabs the puck make his first pass.

Otherwise, what was the point of keeping the flow going?

[Law Goalie 147]

It's a fine line for a goalie who likes to keep the flow going. I've adopted a bit of a one-steamboat count to show that I'm holding it, and it's time to back off. When I try to immediately play it to one of my guys - eg. when it's out of my glove almost as soon as it hits the pocket - it's open-season. If I screw it up and somebody pots it, it was a just bad decision on my part: you can slap me silly and call me Turco.

I feel I'm allowed to weigh in on this, since I've been playing about 20+ pickups a year as goalie, but I do not like the dicks that "get even" for players who smack at a LOOSE puck or screen the goalie. It doesn't bother me one iota when players do that to me, so it pisses me off for someone to exact vengeance for me making such a grievous error. Or at least that's what I was told.

Admittedly, one of my whacks was close. I was smacking a loose puck while his glove was coming down, so my stick ended up beneath his glove. It certainly was loose and visible before I tried to hit it, however. Later, I hit a couple that went off his leg pads, before I could finally knock it in. Finally, I was screening him FIVE FEET in front of the goal, so he timed it to poke check my feet just before the puck arrived. I ended up falling on and bruising my tailbone.

In the locker room, he tried to throw this one on me, before finally admitting he'd have been called on it, which is this guy's way of apologizing for it.

I completely and totally agree. I have zero problem with whacking at loose pucks.

I also find it bizarre when my defensemen starting going after guys who whack. If I don't care, why should they? I end up breaking up more fights than a ref.

Having said that, guys who back in on me will get their asses handed to them. I don't want my knees blown out because some jackass think he's Thomas Holmstrom minus balance and he's going to fall on my in the butterfly. Refs will often call a blocker-shot, but they rarely even warn for a closed trapped between the shoulder-blade, or even an outright donkey-punch with the heel of the cuff.

[rachael7 1]

Yeah, if the goalie freezes it, I pretty much pretend I'm offside. I'll leave the zone, then start the forecheck again. Or I'll at least let the guy who grabs the puck make his first pass.

Otherwise, what was the point of keeping the flow going?

Well yeah, I guess I do always back off somewhat before resuming the forecheck - I don't press on as if nothing happened - I just never really thought about exactly how much I back off. Tagging up at the blueline sounds about right and is a pretty good way to 'standardize', I suppose. I just don't like the idea of standing around in the neutral zone waiting for them try a stretch pass to the one guy on their team who can stickhandle. I hate that.

[RadioGaGa 162]

We play with an unspoken "give em half" after a goal...but on a save....circle in the zone and go back at them. No real blueline tag up...

[jcp2 2]

I just don't like the idea of standing around in the neutral zone waiting for them try a stretch pass to the one guy on their team who can stickhandle. I hate that.

We have no issues with giving up the blue line as the key terms here seem to be "stretch", "pass", and "stickhandle". It's a miracle that all three happen on a single rush, and we are always looking for one to happen.

[Jason Harris 31]

After a score, absolutely. But are you saying there should be no forecheck at all if the goalie stops the puck? In a real game, that would be an offensive zone faceoff, so I always figured at least some token forechecking pressure was appropriate. Have I been being a douche all this time?

My opinion of this comes from playing out, not my time of playing goalie. I think I might be repeating what Law Goalie said, but I sort of make a big showing of dropping the puck from my glove. Basically, I'm pantomiming, "I caught it, which means it turns over to my team. I could wait for the rest of you to leave the zone, but I'll just drop it here and assume you know the etiquette that the puck changed hands."

[troy 12]

I think the best way for the attacking team to handle this situation is regroup after the save, and when the defending team establishes possession begin to forecheck at shinny speed.

[Krev 86]

At our pickups we've basically adopted a PK mentality when the opposing goalie covers the puck. Forwards tag up, send one guy in to passively forecheck, and as soon as one or two passes are made by their team by the tops of the circles, it's game on again.

[goaliemanshark 6]

God i wish they did this at my pickups...

[coryroth24 15]

We had the enforcer out today. Guy was throwing his weight around left and right even on a couple of the older guys who aren't so light on their feet anymore. He must have been dropped of the Devils roster this past week...

[Chappie 0]

Unresolved anger after being cut from your JV high school team? Definitely.

[zebra_steve 11]

........

Having said that, guys who back in on me will get their asses handed to them. I don't want my knees blown out because some jackass think he's Thomas Holmstrom minus balance and he's going to fall on my in the butterfly. Refs will often call a blocker-shot, but they rarely even warn for a closed trapped between the shoulder-blade, or even an outright donkey-punch with the heel of the cuff.

Hey Law goalie... how serious are we playing here? Is this pick-up or adult hacker hockey league... refs??? Never took kindly to a goalie whacking soft spots when I wasn't in his paint and usually made it a point to mess with him if I knew I had his attention.... or felt he was getting outa line whacking at me. If we're just getting some exercise and having fun then I won't be screening anyone, or I'll be talking with ya and then pick a spot to step in and screen ya just to aggravate ya if we're friends. But, if it's as spirited as the regular group I used to play with - where the losing group is gonna buy ALL of the "barley pops" that evening (this was back when we all went to the bar afterward instead of drinking in the parking lot) - then I might just be putting my big wide ass right on yer doorstep. Or at least one step off yer welcome mat....

All that said, never had a keeper tell me that he was beating on my back and legs because he was worried about me falling on him. Usually he was frustrated because the Defenseman just gave up trying to move me so balance wasn't really an issue.... I did have a goalie ask me to please move a few feet out 'cuz I was blotting out the sun.. HAHA

[Law Goalie 147]

Oh god, no, that's not pickup. That's in my intramural league, where I get braindead teenage freshmen with their parents in the stands crashing the net like it's their local Junior D tryout, in the vain hope that the Varsity coach might be wandering past and have need of some cannon fodder for the next game. I actually had to perform the infamous 'Juukka modification' to my blocker one semester because of an especially egregious team whose 'head coach' (yes, they had some sort of coaching staff, took a bus to the games, and had matching socks) was overheard saying that they needed to 'get that goalie off his game' by 'roughing him up a bit.'

I don't give a rat's ass if someone screens me. Working around screens is fun - all part of the game. If you've got the equipment and confidence to put yourself between me and the shooter, more power to you. That said, if someone's idea of 'screening' involves teetering backwards every time there's a shot, I won't play dumb and risk being crippled for his sake. I love playing this game way too much to have my knees blown out for no good reason. There is very little I won't use in the way of underhanded tactics that hurt risky players to ensure I go uninjured.

That said, in a gentleman's game, a friendly word is almost always good as gold or the gauntlet.

[zebra_steve 11]

Sounds like you and I could easily have had some spirited battles back in the day. When I played real hockey I could be one of those guys that you goalies hated... I was about 6'3" 220# in college and when I set up in front of you I'd get the D-man to push me into you.... Initially I'd just crowd you a bit in the crease and step back out. Maybe I'd slide an elbow across your mask to twist it just a little while I battled with your D-man. Sometimes I'd dump your D-man in your crease .... Usually I'd get a shot to the back with a glove or blocker for my effort, all's cool 'cuz I'd return the favor at some point. But, once keepers started chopping me with the stick, well that's when it got heated and I opened a whole 'nuther bag of tricks. But for pick-up or beer leagues... no way. I'll give you room to breath because I can see no point in getting either of us hurt or my having to beat down your D-man 'cuz he's trying to protect your "space".

[troy 12]

I'm glad you're a ref.

[Nakket 0]

So I've been playing for roughly 4.5 months. I can skate fairly well and probably above average for how long I've been playing. I can at least keep up with players of higher caliber, but if you were watching you would know that I'm at best a B-leaguer in a beer house league and most likely C-league. Anyways I went to some pick up Thursday at 10 pm. 11 people show up with no goalies so we play 4 on 4. A lot of the other guys were better, hell some brought TO sticks to pick up, and there was one guy from my C-league team there.

I was fine for the most part because most of the guys were cool and passing, but two of the guys on my team kept looking at each other and shaking there heads if I made a mistake. One of them was even keeping score. "I can't believe they've hit the post six times and we only have two," he said. It wasn't a direct type of thing, but I got a real negative vibe from them that I was kind of a nuisance to them. It just kind of irked me given that we had no goalies and were short skaters as it was.

[interpathway 9]

It wasn't a direct type of thing, but I got a real negative vibe from them that I was kind of a nuisance to them. It just kind of irked me given that we had no goalies and were short skaters as it was.

Welcome to the world of hockey players. Elitists through and through.