New Strategy

[zebra_steve 11]

Capt...

I grew up playing in the 1970's..... and have seen a whole lot of hockey at a lot of different levels.... We really are in agreement here.... I think...

The body checks need to be stick on stick, body on body. Use your shoulder, hips, torso to bump, roll, or push\pinch a player off the puck. No need for a "bug on the windshield" hit in most cases. I was taught to lower my center of gravity (read bend knees and drop butt down), and the go stick on stick\puck, and drive my shoulder up and through their torso. This would leave them either on the ice or off ballance with my stick on or around the puck. On the boards, same technique but I have to admit that sometimes I did try to imprint my shoulder number on the glass behind them (not often as you could easily hurt yourself). Usually i would just bump them and then snake the hip through leaving them trying to regain ballance while I skated away with the puck. I have to admit that I'm not exactly an angle here. I delivered my share of blow up hits, launched guys into the benches, etc. I even broke a few pieces of plexi glass with solid shoulders checks.... but I realized just how badly I could have hurt someone and that I usually wasn't left in a position to get the puck so toned it back a bit.

Don't know if you remember when the whole NL head shot crackdown - for lack of a better description - started...... The NHL did specifically say that players were responsible for keeping their heads up when the sideways, quartering, and head down open ice hits had everyones panties bunched. Same thing for the stuff on the boards.... Players were expected to NOT put themselves in a vulnerable position. The problem was that there was no responsibility really put onto the player throwing the hit to respect his fellow player and not throw those hits... and to this day you still don't realy have that.... Look at how many guys are just looking for the chance to catch someone coming throuhg the middle or across the blue line.... It's a two way street..... as for the stuff on the boards... they are too used to just following and just riding or driving the oponent in... too used to just giving a quick cross check - especially when a skill guy has the puck and reverses direction on the boards (and he eats the corner of the dasher). Face it, these guys are fast ad good... if they didn't take a piece of them when they have a chance the puck could end up in th net.... gets back to the stuff your son faces.... can't catch him so pound him.....

Like I said, take the "big hit" out of the the game and I think most of us will like what we see... . As a coach, you know that there is nothing gained from delivering a head down blow up hit in open ice that isn't better accomplished with a more precise and measured check. The puck carrier and the checker are usually left with no chance to gain posession of the puck on a blow up....