Software Development

Hockey is a relatively simple game. You have a puck and you have two nets. You want the puck to go into the opponent's net. Sounds simple, no? Yet, some would claim that the strategies or how you get this done is somehow very complicated. Well, regardless of your opinion, you cannot change the fact that you need the puck in order to put it in the net. You can't score if you don't have possession of the puck.

This leads me to the following "truths" of hockey if you will. Your team can only ever be in four states. For now, we'll leave out one of those states. The three remaining states are as follows:

• Your team has possession of the puck.
  
• Your team is fighting for the puck.
  
• The other team has possession of the puck.
  

Except for one other case, these are the only "states" that your team can be in. The higher on that list you are, the better. There's a very real reason why faceoffs are the way they are. They start both teams in the second state where the puck is contested. And the reason you want the puck is because you get to a better state for your team. In contrast, any play that goes from a higher state to a lower state on purpose is a bad play.

So let's look at a few of those plays. If you have the puck and you shoot it in the corner, you went from puck possession to one of the other two lower states. Yes, you could regain possession. But as soon as you shoot it, you no longer have possession. So you go to a lesser state as soon as the puck leaves your stick. This is a bad play.

Now let's look at when two teams are fighting in the corner. You want to go from fighting for the puck to a situation where you have definite puck possession. So you don't want to have more than one guy in the corner. If you have two guys in the corner, then someone from the other team is going to be open. Even if you do come out with the puck, who are you going to pass it to? You've got nowhere to go and the other team has an extra open player to shut you down. So you don't really have puck possession. Unless you can do everything yourself, which is highly unlikely, you're going to have a tough time.

On the other hand, if you get two players from the other team to come after you in the corner, then you've done your job. You've increased your chances of going to a state where your team will get possession because you now have an open player to shoot the puck to and mount an attack. The two players in the corner will never be able to catch up if you skate full speed.

Now we come to mounting an attack. First, you need puck possession. But you're at the highest state in the list mentioned above. If this is the best state to be in, why would you risk losing it by mounting an attack? Well, as I've said before, there is one other state you can be in. The other state I haven't mentioned is scoring. Here's the full list.

1. The puck in the opponent's net.
   
2. Your team has possession of the puck.
   
3. Your team is fighting for the puck.
   
4. The other team has possession of the puck.
   

That first state is the ultimate state. That's where you want to be. So it's not enough to just have puck possession. You need puck possession so that you can score. This is called mounting an attack. Sadly, this is extremely rare in NHL hockey. As said in the last entry, they shoot the puck in the corner. This is a bad play because the attack is over. The chance to get to the ultimate state (#1) is over. Now all you can do is start over and fight for the puck (state #3) once more. Then you can try and get a lucky break and score. But that's all it is, luck. In short, you're hoping that the other team is so miserably bad that you can get a lucky break. That's no way to play hockey and scoring this way is kind of shameful because it means you can only score on bad teams or ones that make dreadful mistakes. No skill means no game. No one wants to watch a crap shoot.

How do you mount an attack? It's a sad day in hockey when a programmer has to describe how to do this. I'm speaking out because no one in the NHL will. I'm a fan and *I* decide if it's good hockey or not. No one else. Only the fans get to decide. And right now, it's boring hockey. We should be seeing at least two fast action and exciting plays a minute. Yes, per minute. If you think that one or two scoring chances a game is exciting, you've been deprived. Hockey is a fast paced game. Or at least, it's supposed to be. Not this bullshit coasting that all NHL players do now.

All right. So you want to score? First, you need to always be skating at full speed. Those legs have to be constantly moving. I want everyone reading to watch players' legs next time you watch a hockey game. Watch how often they're skating and how often they're coasting, especially when moving the puck into the other zone. If you see them coasting, they're spectators. Just do it as an experiment. Time how often they're actually skating full speed. You can tell full speed skating by comparing it to when two players are racing for the puck when there's a possible icing. Compare it to that. Any hockey player, NHL or not, can skate that hard for the entire duration that they are on the ice. If they're not doing it, there's something wrong. Send them to the hospital immediately.

So assuming that all your players are skating full speed, an attack starts in your own zone. It doesn't start in the neutral zone or in the corner of the opponent's zone. If you have players waiting at the blue or red line, you've already failed. You can't get up to speed fast enough if you're waiting at any line. To start an attack, you need at least two players. If you use a third, he should hang back a little in case you lose the puck after the shot to the net. We'll get to that in a bit.

So two players will start off skating full speed and there's about a second or two when another player should pass them the puck (from behind the net or otherwise) if they don't already have it. Too often, they wait too long. As soon as the two players get to full speed, get the puck to them. They should be close to the blue line in your own zone at this point. If they cross the red line, it's WAY too late. You've messed up. Regroup. Yes, circle back to your own zone and start again. The play is botched by this point. In case you've wondered why you see players fighting for the puck in the neutral zone, this is it. Players waiting or botched setups or not skating. Take your pick. Usually, it's all three.

When you mount an attack, you want the least amount of players from the other team in front of you. So if you can get the puck free and there are players from the other team in the corner, take off as fast as you can. Also, if you've set up your attack properly and you're crossing the opponent's blue line, do not shoot it in the corner. If you shoot it in the corner, not only do you no longer have puck possession (going from state #2 to state #3), but you need to skate one third of the ice to retrieve it again. That means ALL of the other team will also get to advance a third of the ice and be in position. So now there are FIVE players from the other team in front of you whereas before there were maybe one or two defensemen.

Let's continue. Assuming you've started the play correctly, you should be crossing the red line at full tilt with the puck and a wingman also skating at full speed. The objective here is to put the puck in the net. That should be the only agenda, to score. For hockey players, this should be what they live for. Speed is so important at this point. And this is the single most obvious reason why attacks fail at the blue line. The players don't skate. So they shoot it in. DON'T DO THIS!

Ok, so how do you get around a defenseman? Easy. And more than that, it's the wrong question. If you're skating at full speed, the question will actually be how does the defenseman stop you?! He can't. Not unless you really screw up or go too close to him. Currently, players don't skate fast enough and for some reason they always try to enter the other zone by going against the boards. If you go against the boards, all the defenseman has to do is check you against those boards. The boards act as an extra defenseman. You have no hope of outplaying the boards. Why these players keep trying is really mindboggling.

You need to cross the blue line a ways away from the boards, better if in the center. This way, you have MANY options. The simplest are going right or left around the defenseman. If you are a player going at full speed, there is no way that the defenseman can do anything unless he's also skating full speed backwards and has TONS of skill and experience in these situations. Luckily, no one does in the NHL, so it shouldn't be a problem. If the defenseman does commit to you, you can shoot it at the net or pass it to your wingman. No one can stop your wingman without hooking or holding. Almost every time I've seen players skate at any speed for the net, the other team got a penalty for this very reason. Unfortunately, the attacking team usually ends up in this position out of luck or coincidence. Not by choice.

Another option is that if you can go past the blue line a little, the defenseman will likewise be ahead of you. Now you've got this empty area behind you that another player on your team (possibly the third attacker) who you have the option of passing. Now the possibilities are endless. As a hockey player, you should be very excited to play this game. You can shoot and possibly score. You can pass and do a one-timer. You can pass it back and have the other players ready for the rebound. There's plenty you can do and this is where skill comes into play. Knowing what to do in what situations that will increase your scoring chances.

There are two very important things here. You need to have skills to be able to pass the puck through defensemen of the other team. If the defensemen are going for the puck, they've already lost because they've lost focus on you and you can do anything you wish. Anytime you lose focus of the player, you've lost. Remember that. But the attacker needs to know how to pass to his wings even with a defenseman coming on him. Too often, I see them wait too long. If they're directly on you, well, good luck. Too slow.

The other thing is that your wings have to be able to do a one timer. Unfortunately, you cannot do these with current hockey sticks. You need a wooden stick otherwise the puck will just slide off or bounce over your blade. Current sticks have no absorption of shock at all. They're useless for hockey. The next game you watch, I want the reader to look at how often a player will stop the puck and look at it to make sure it's stopped before shooting. Just in general, look at how players receive passes. You'll be amazed at what you see. You don't need to do this with a wooden stick because you can feel where the puck is. You can't do that with current sticks.

While all this is fine, when you're on the ice and you're thinking about scoring, you should keep two things in mind. One, don't go too far. There's only a certain angle in front of the net that are good angle shots. If you go too deep, you've missed your chance. You want to keep the puck in the danger zone so that you can shoot it. Second, always put the question to the other team. What does "putting the question" mean? It means to give the other team a decision. Give them the chance to make a wrong decision.

These situations are where the Gretzky's, Lemieux's and Crosby's get to show off their skills. This is also where the less or no skilled players get to make great plays and improve their talent. You don't show off skill by being in the corner or shooting the puck in. You see it when you make a play AT THE NET!

About putting the question to the other team, you want them to be wondering what you will do. Will you shoot it? Will you pass it? Will you go left? Will you go right? Will you pass it back? If the defenseman commits to any of these, then you can go around them or beat them straight up. This is why as a player, you also want to see the goalie commit early because you can swing the puck back and score on the other side. Today's hockey is devoid of places to show off skill and plays.

The biggest problem I see is that players don't know what to do with the puck once they cross the opponent's blue line. Shooting it in the corner is a loser's play. I can't stress enough not to do this. Sure, sometimes you don't have a choice because there's always something unexpected that can happen. But in the vast majority of cases, you should never shoot the puck in or shoot it in the corner. NEVER!

If you don't know what to do with the puck once you cross the blue line, here are a few tips. If you have a shot at the net, no matter how bad, shoot it at the net. Players usually wait too long thinking that they'll get a better shot. You won't. Shoot it now! If you have an opening, take advantage of it. Now, you're not going to score every time. Heck, you're not going to score most of the time. But you must try to put that puck in the net. Only if you don't have a clear shot, do you pass it to your wing.

Now, we come to a play that the NHL gets wrong ALL the time. Every time I see the very seldom play of 2 on 1 where they actually do make a play on the net, the wingman is usually a spectator. A 2 on 1 is a two man play. The guy with the puck is not the only player. The wingman has to try and make himself available to receive a pass. If you're just watching what your team mate is doing with the puck, then it's a one on one. The wingman should try and stay away from the defenseman to try and receive a pass or should try to lure him away so that your team mate has a clear shot. These are just some basic things to try. There's so much more that you can do once you learn proper hockey. But watch what they do in the NHL. The wingman is a spectator. So what happens? The puck ends up in the corner. Loser hockey!

Also, the wingman must not be going at the same speed as the guy with the puck. The wingman must try and cause confusion for the other team. Either go faster or a little slower. This will put the question to the other team's defenseman as it'll open up either the player with the puck or the wingman. If the defenseman tries to cover the pass, the guy with the puck has a clear shot at the net. If the defenseman tries to pressure the guy with the puck, then he has an open pass for a one timer. Next time you see two or more guys go at the net (if you're that lucky), watch if they're skating at the same speed. If they are, they're doing it wrong. Is there any doubt where these players will end up if they're all going at the same speed? And watch if they're going at full speed. Chances are they won't be.

So if you play hockey, don't be a spectator. Also, keep your stick on the ice. Don't be putting your stick in both hands while trying to skate. Amateurs do this and it's dangerous. When your stick is in the air, you're a spectator. You can't receive passes and are no longer part of the game. Keep your stick in front of you with one hand. Always try to set yourself up so that you can help your team mates. Don't just sit there and watch what the guy with the puck is doing. If you're in doubt shoot for the net or pass it. Quick, short passes are best. Practice this.

All right. So you've shot the puck at the net and the goalie stopped it and the other team now has the puck. What do you do? Well, first don't panic. This should be expected. And a note to the fans, don't point the finger at a player who tried and lost the puck. That's disrespectful and shows a lack of respect for the game. Support your team. You want players that want to go to the net. Don't let turnovers deter you from wanting to score. So the fans get part of the blame here. Support players who try and make plays. They'll only get better.

So the puck is coming back. Two of your forwards are behind the play. The situation may look grim to a beginner. But it need not be so. Keep a cool head. As I said before, you can't let turnovers deter you from getting scoring chances. Most of these will end up in turnovers. You have defensemen for a reason. And there's a reason the third forward hangs back a little if he was part of the attack. This third forward will go on the guy who has the puck and the defensemen now have the option of taking two more players. That takes care of all three forwards on the other team that is mounting an attack against you. The good thing is that if you're playing against an NHL team, they will likely be skating slow, shoot it in, shoot it in the corner, all be skating at the same speed, waiting at the blue or red line or waiting too long before passing and/or shooting it. So you should be in very good shape to regain possession.

Defensemen are taught that the boards are their best friend. They want the other team's attackers to go against the boards. There's no escape from the boards unless you're extremely fast. Again, NHL players generally don't skate fast, so going against the boards is a suicide play. Defensemen will actually give you room on the boards to entice you to take it. Once you're there, he'll close you out against the boards and your attack is over. If the puck ends up in the corner, his team can make up one third of the ice before anyone can touch the puck in the corner. So now the defenseman has backup and it's an upward battle. The defenseman has done his job if the puck ends up in the corner. That's what he wants. That's what he's trained to do.

If there's a 2 on 1 coming at you, then your defenseman has a tough job to do. Too often, I see the defensemen commit to the player with the puck. Unfortunately, current players are not adept at passing the puck and the wingman usually don't set themselves up. But against a team that knows how to mount an attack, the defenseman should try and cover the pass between players. The goalie will take care of the shot. If they do shoot, the defenseman has to be ready for the rebound. It is critical to pick up the rebound. This is another instance where it's so important to have a second or third player on the attack if you're the attacking team. Rebounds! And again, if you shoot it in the corner, no rebounds.

So there you have it. Basic hockey 101. Mount an attack and how to defend against it. Yes, there will be lots of turnovers after you shoot the puck at the net. But you'll likely score more too. You have a plan. They don't. I think the most frustrating thing is that fans point the finger to players who try and fail. Ok, so they took a shot and it hit another player's skates and caused the other team to catch you unprepared and they scored. So what? They scored on your mistake. When you score, you score on skill and planning. You don't need the other team to make a mistake in order to score like they do.

After a while, the players will know what to do. They'll start being creative and will wake up wanting to be on the ice as soon as possible. They will live every breath wanting it. They MUST start trying new things and see what works. Sure, sometimes it will blow up in their face. But they'll be the better for it. They will learn. The other teams will only be able to score when you make mistakes. Now think what happens when your team is learning and stops making mistakes?

Next time, I'll talk some more about holding your position which I hope was obvious from the descriptions in how to mount an attack. I'll also talk about changing on the fly and how to play on short handed as well as with a man up. So remember, keep your stick on the ice and always skate full speed with your team mates when attacking. You want to always be scoring and you want to always be part of all plays when you're on the ice. Bigger stats mean more money, more ice time and more fun.

Part Three