Breaking the puck out of my end

[Speed Demon 0]

Yea so here is my problem, I am going deep enough (to the hashmarks) and the puck is coming around the boards at a fairly decent speed and it is on my stick. I then get smoked. What should I do with the puck when I get it.. shoot it up the boards at the defencemen then force the puck (and hopefully center will force puck too..), or keep my feet moving and try to hit someone with a pass or move my feet and chip it passed the defencemen?

Also if anyone has a site that is full of great tips and stuff for players, post it in this thread because I need to get better.. couldn't break it out of my end today at all...

[ambro 0]

You just gotta read the play would be my advice. Sometimes you gotta move your feet, sometimes try and force it, sometimeschip it, sometimes look for a center or the far side wing, etc... I have the same problem, and that's what I learned. There's not one thing you can do every single time. Just gotta look where everyone else is before your D makes the pass to you and think about what you'll do when you get it. I'm working on that also.

[crosskore 0]

Well your team should have a breakout play. For instance, on my team, if the puck goes up the left side, then the right winger cuts into the middle. When the left winger gets the puck he shoots it through the middle onto the right wingers stick.

If that option isnt open for me, I usualy chip it off the boards and out. Keep in mind, you dont always have to make the break out successfull. As long as the puck leaves your zone, they have to regroup and it's good enough.

Also, start looking for the play before the puck comes to you, so when it gets to you, you know what your doing already.

[GekigangarIII 0]

Aren't any of the other wings looking for a pass? They should be your options at that point... You can try and chip it past the defenseman but if I'm playing defense I know you don't have any options if you're chipping it and I'll just stand you up...

[MDE3 0]

Your decision making gets much simpler as your rink awareness grows. As was rightly pointed out, look around as you go for the puck..see what everyone is doing...classic "read and react" scenario. One thing you might do is fake like you are going relentlessly after the puck when an opponent is doing the same...then hold up and let them get their a split second ahead.. covering the puck lane with your stick..you now smoke your opponent who has committed to the puck. You often will buy a couple of precious moments to be able to get clear and make a play, one you have already got a good notion about from your newfound rink awareness.

[biff44 0]

Agreed. Things happen fast. So you have to create time and space to get the job done. If you skate to the puck, stop, think about what to do, and get stripped, you are not doing it. Instead, as you skate to intercept the puck, know who is around you--both friend and foe. You should have a good feel for what you want to do as you get to the puck. Keep the feet moving to give you another 1/4 second and another 5 feet before someone creams you, and react. You could pass, skate and pass, flip it out (usually passing to a fellow teammate is vastly preferred), or just skate it out all by yourself, skate to the red line and dump, or skate it all the way...Lots of options, but try to keep ahead of the play.

Also you should make some personal "guidelines" to try to follow, like never stickhandle if you are the last one in your zone, pass quickly if you see yourself getting double-teamed, etc. That way you can react faster in certain situations without stopping to think about things.

[Speed Demon 0]

Thanks, I think I got the best idea from *thinking before I get to the puck*

[sherwood21 0]

Make sure to talk to your D men, and if they can make a direct pass, and don't then you let them know. If they are just ringing it around the boards to get rid of it, and have the time and space to give you a good pass, that they do.

[Jbone 0]

If the centerman is curling and theres no one near him then just skate towards your end and when it gets ringed around put you stick on the boards and angle it out to the centerman. I got good at that and I do it lots and I barely ever get hit.

[Tom351 0]

Here are some tips

http://www.nfha.com/101tips/1-10.htm

Also, take a peek over your shoulder as you skate back to pick up the puck. See what is happening, you already know where the puck is and where it is going so you can afford to glance back to see what is setting up for you. Learn and use your angles also, you can create space just by taking a good angle relative to where you are being approached from.

[Cavs019 702]

What everyone else said is extremely helpful, also make sure you have a low center of gravity when your catching/picking the puck out since its almost guaranteed your going to be taking a hit in that situation. Also, pick your head up before the puck gets to you. I don't know how many times ive stopped the puck, picked my head up and found the defenseman playing soft on me. Use any open ice to your advantage.

[all-star 0]

-When i use to play wing, i would go against the boards and pick up the puck, dont stop and let them hit you. go in the corner if you have to.

-Or you can just let the puck go right by if you know the dman has a tendency to come in for the hit.

-Get the puck stop it, stick your shoulder in the dmans face, grab the puck and go for a 2 on 1. *wouldnt that be a sweet play?*

-(practise this play before you do it in the game so your centre knows what to do) wedge your stick along the board so when the puck hits it, it pops right out to your centre, leaving him and the other winger to go on the attack while you may take the hit from the dman.

[MDE3 0]

One of my biggest coaching gripes was watching wings go to the boards and stand there.....keep in motion....keep circling (small circles close to your assigned position), so you give your D some options, and you are in motion already when the puck comes.

Similar technique to the one mentioned by "all-star" above, and which puts you in a stronger position:

When the puck comes around the boards, turn and back in, and stop with the heel of your lead foot (the one farthest "up the rink") jammed against the boards and with your foot slightly angled so the puck will kick off your skate and out in front of you. This leaves you facing the rest of the rink with better vision, and with the boards close, for support againt an incoming checker, and whom you can now see better as well. It also is much harder to move your skate for an opponent, to get to the puck, than your stick. You can now accelerate hard away from your checker, as opposed to when you go in facing the boards.

[biff44 0]

I spent some time at a D1 college game analyzing how the Dmen picked up the puck when it was sent down low. In about 80% of the time they skated fast down to the puck and continued moving with it until they were standing behind the net. They slowed down behind the net or stopped. Then they looked around and passed or skated with it. It seemed like their coach told them to do that as a rule. I guess the goalie can be your 2nd set of eyes to let you know if you are about to be crunched.

[Gongshow11 1]

always keep your feet moving before you pass. if you have to take the hit and keep the puck in your feet, usually a defenseman can come in and help. or swing it back down low for the defenseman. plus chipping off the glass is probably the most used breakout

[Fonya 0]

If we have lots of pressure and no breakout plan we ring it to the forwards then as the puck is coming around the boards the forwards hit it and it gets out. It works out different then it sounds but it works for us.

[MDE3 0]

I spent some time at a D1 college game analyzing how the Dmen picked up the puck when it was sent down low.  In about 80% of the time they skated fast down to the puck and continued moving with it until they were standing behind the net. They slowed down behind the net or stopped.  Then they looked around and passed or skated with it.  It seemed like their coach told them to do that as a rule.  I guess the goalie can be your 2nd set of eyes to let you know if you are about to be crunched.

Just a note referring to the above scenario....if you are on the forecheck and a defenceman takes it behind the net, and you are running a 2:1:2 forecheck(pressure forecheck), try to force the d'man out from behind the net to his backhand side. This will result in a more difficult clear/pass for that "D".

"Hints from Helouise"

[LarrieNation9 0]

no such thing as a breakout on my team. It's quite sad really. D lolly gag to the puck and flutter it around to the wings. The wings are so terrified now from getting torn apart they barely try to get the puck now. While I do figure 8's in the middle begging for a pass :D . Our coach isnt much of a breakout coach I guess.