Cranbarry Tags

Change it up. Over the course of a long season it's not unusual for players to begin to tune out a coach. Try turning a practice over to one of your assistant coaches or perhaps bring in a guest coach to run a practice.

It′s important to keep your head up when passing the puck. Most bad passes are caused by not looking up to spot your intended target. You should also be aware of where you are on the ice. Blind cross-ice passes are the leading cause of grey hairs among hockey coaches....

It's not that we will or should agree with every decision the DOPS makes. Even its members have told me they don't want or expect that. It's just that we'll wring our hands over suspensions far less if we understand a few important rules and misconceptions. The next time you...

Players must learn to protect themselves especially along the boards. When going into the corner use some fakes with your body stick or skates to avoid being a stationary target. Keep your skates parallel to the boards rather than pointing toward the boards. As soon as you pick up the...

Repetitions without being repetitive. We are all guilty of relying on our favorite tried-and-true drills to work on specific skills. A coach should not lose sight of the importance of continuing to promote skill development but mixing in different drills and small area games with new objectives can go a...

Checking is one of the most demanding skills in hockey and also one of the most overlooked by players coaches and fans. It is probably the least glamorous of all skills but one of the most important when it comes to defensive team play. Checking is a skill designed to...

Never slap at the puck. You want it to roll off the blade from the heel toward the toe in a sweeping motion as you transfer your weight from your back foot to front foot. As the puck leaves your stick make sure to follow through and point the toe...

Sometimes a player makes the mistake of carrying the puck in front of him so the goalie knows what he′s going to do because he can′t shoot the puck from that position. As you get close to the net bring the puck to your side so you can either take...

When it comes to receiving a pass you want to turn the blade slightly toward the ice to form a pocket. Keep the angle of the blade so it takes the puck squarely. Don′t hold the stick too tightly when you are receiving a hard pass or the puck will...

When it comes to effectively passing the puck accuracy is the key. You want to look at your intended target and take your time to make a good hard accurate pass. It′s all in the follow through. It′s important to work on passing in practice. Take your time and work...