Defense playing away from the puck carrier

Good Hockey Habits by Guy Gadowsky
December 22, 2005 -- Good habits make good hockey players. University of Alaska Fairbanks head hockey coach Guy Gadowsky says that the following are hockey habits he emphasizes at the Division I college level. Most of these habits apply to all the levels. The sooner a player develops these habits the deeper they will root and the more consistent they will be. When college and pro scouts and coaches evaluate players they evaluate the consistency of many of these habits.

General Habits

Defensive Habits Playing the Puck Carrier

Defensive Habits Away from the Puck Carrier

These hockey habits apply when playing away from the puck carrier:

1) Head on Swivel. Keep you head on a swivel, always turning your head, looking around, and seeing and reading the play.

2) Stick In Passing Lane. Keep your stick in the passing lane, taking away the passing lane and ready to intercept passes.

3) One Hand On Stick. Keep one hand on your stick (in passing lane) presenting a bigger profile and keeping one hand free for making contact with your check.

4) Back check Through Middle To House. Backcheck through the middle of the ice all the way to the front of the net, the house. Pick up trailers, help out in front. This allows defensemen to pursue, maintain defensive pressure, and perhaps make a quick transition.

5) Never Caught Flatfooted. Never get caught flatfooted. Stay on your toes with a wide stance and a good knee bend so that you are able to react quickly in any direction.

Offensive Habits with the Puck

Offensive Habits Playing without the Puck

Defensemen Retrieving Dumb-ins

Bench Management

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