Hockey Skate Lineup Comparison
By popular demand, here is a lineup of current hockey skates by manufacturer and year.
Defensemen: Playing the 2v1 Rush
Being in a 2v1 situation can be a nightmare as a defender, especially in important games. This article addresses how to play the 2v1 correctly and how it impacts the play.
I’d love something specifically aimed at beer league teams. We’ve got a lot of individually skilled players on our team, but we struggle to make it all come together as a team.
Why this exists
Five players, no practice, one group chat.
Beer league doesn’t come with a coach. These pieces are short enough to forward before warmups and specific enough to try the same night: where to stand, how to break out, and what to do when the rush is two-on-one.
What this site is forStart with a shelf
All topicsHockey 101
Fundamentals a team can agree on before warmups: body position, zone shape, breakouts, and entries.
10 piecesIndividual TacticsWhat you do on your own shift. Gap control, angling, stick on puck, and body on body.
7 piecesTeam PlayBreakouts, entries, power plays, and the plays that need all five.
5 piecesPositioningWho stands where in the zone, for centers, wingers, and defensemen.
5 piecesThe shelf
Hockey 101: Basic Power Play Formations
Power plays are an opportunity to set up shop in the offensive zone and get some real puck possession. A few critical components of power plays are:
Hockey 101: Basic Offensive Zone Structure
Until the 1970s, most hockey was played with more structured positions for the length of the ice.
Alternative Defensive Zone Faceoff Formation
Faceoffs may seem like a trivial component of a hockey game, but winning more faceoffs directly translates into more scoring chances.
Hockey 101: Defensive Zone Breakout Basics
The defensive zone breakout is a fundamental part of hockey team systems.
Hockey 101: Defensive Zone Positioning- Centers
The position of the center in the defensive zone is the most difficult position and carries many different responsibilities. The responsibilities may be summed up briefly:
Hockey 101: Defensive Zone Positioning- Wingers
This post describes a “Sagging Zone” defensive system, which is a common and simple system for defensive positioning, used by teams at all levels, including NHL and…
Survey Data: Beer League Players
On December 23, 2016, I put together a survey of users from /r/HockeyPlayers.
Take the BeerLeagueTips survey
I have put up a survey of site users to make sure to get exactly the right content at the right time.
Hockey 101: Defensive Body Position
Body position is important for defensive players.
Defensive Puck Movement: Gaining & Maintaining Control of the Puck
When recovering the puck, the d-mans first job is to clear the “danger zone” (in red below). This is the most important part of a defenseman’s position and takes priority over…
Hockey 101: Defensive Zone Positioning- Defensemen
The basics of defensive zone positioning for defensemen are very simple.
Quick Introduction
Over the years of playing beer league, participating online with adult players and coaching youth teams, I saw a lot of stuff that beer league players could benefit from that…