How do I play against faster guys?

[Chadd 916]

I have to disagree Chad.

A tight gap, prevents the speedy player from reaching top speed. Back away and give too space and that speedster will make you look like a fool.

The goal is always to take away space and time.

If the guy doesn't have the puck you aren't going to slow him down without interfering with him. If the guy has the puck, I agree. However, that was not what he said.

If you have the right angle on a fast player and you have a tight gap the fast forward is going nowhere

The "right angle" in hockey changes from one second to the next. In cases like the one originally posed, it results in getting beat by the faster player.

[sickwilly 37]

I'm still looking for an inexpensive time machine. Until I find it, I think I'm going to have to work on getting into better shape and regaining some of my flexibility (so that I can stay in a good skating position longer).

[Levsauce 2]

I play rep hockey a year up and I am on the ice almost every day and I have gone to clinics with some of the best instructors on the planet and they all say keep a tight gap and angle. Just so you know Connor mcdavid told me that to beat a d you should try to make the gap bigger and then beat the d with a crossover

[chk hrd 164]

Like I said before, if you are playing at an elite level you can keep a smaller gap. If you are not elite then it needs to be wider. I'm a pretty decent skater, have been playing along time and know positioning. When I play against elite level (college, semi pro, Junior) these guys are so much faster than me if I try to play a small gap they will beat me everytime or turn me inside out. Beting a D man by catching them in a cross over works great, if you can do it, but once again you have to have the ability to keep your head up while skating with the puck and watching the D mans strides. Easy to do at the higher levels. Keep in mind that when pros tell you things it's usually coming from them at the pro level; what they do, not the average player level. If you feel that you are good enough then close the gap and force the play where you feel comfortable. Experience is the only way to develop that.

[Tailboard Jockey 25]

I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I always try to keep my stick on the puck against faster guys, and go for a stick lift when able.

[Chadd 916]

I play rep hockey a year up and I am on the ice almost every day and I have gone to clinics with some of the best instructors on the planet and they all say keep a tight gap and angle. Just so you know Connor mcdavid told me that to beat a d you should try to make the gap bigger and then beat the d with a crossover

A bigger gap will give the D more time to recover and pick up the man again. At the major junior and professional levels, their definition of large and small gap is completely different from that of most people playing the game. Hell, the game itself is completely different in nearly every way. The amount of restraining and body contact allowed is completely different and you also won't find the disparity in talent at that level that was the impetus for this topic.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

I play rep hockey a year up and I am on the ice almost every day and I have gone to clinics with some of the best instructors on the planet and they all say keep a tight gap and angle. Just so you know Connor mcdavid told me that to beat a d you should try to make the gap bigger and then beat the d with a crossover

This was something I was very interested in. I spoke to our coach (Former Team Canada Coach) and his thoughts are keep it as tight as you can depending on if he has the puck or not. If has the puck close quick and ride out to the boards. If not having the puck a slightly bigger gap but also keep him/her to the outside as to run a slight interference but not enough to get a penalty. Then head to the net where he is most likely going anyway. Head on a swivel.

Hope that helps..

[iceholes 0]

better angle play and don't be shy about putting body in the way.. not easy and can hurt sometimes..lol

[chrisehyoung 14]

My biggest issue with this is working on predictability. I have to remember to go inside, go outside, j-hook, pass off. Just keep it unpredictable. My tendency is to use speed to go wide and cut in a la Glenn Anderson and most d-men I play with know that. I've become very conscious of changing it up lately and i'm finding I have way more success.

As for working on passing during the game, i'm the guy who is passing the puck to everyone instead of shooting during the warmup. I find this has really improved my passing during games.