Sometimes someone can describe something you’ve always seen, but never noticed. Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock did that for me during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs.
At the time, Hitch was not coaching. He was an analyst for Sirius/XM hockey and probably other outlets, too.
“Nobody is going to beat this Blackhawks team. Nobody. When I look at the tape they’ve got ‘5 in the picture’ all over the ice.”
“5 in the picture.” The perfect way to describe ideal puck support by a team whether they are attacking or defending.
As a contributor to The-Rink, I hope to do for you what Hitch did for me.
Here are a 5 “big picture” things I look for when watching a hockey game. (I’ll cover more in future articles.)
- How well are Blackhawk defenders working together to exit their own zone? Often the first “tell” of how a game may go is which teams’ Dmen cannot consistently exit quickly and cleanly after a dump-in. That team is usually in trouble. The Hawks 2015 Cup run featured a lot of “shuffleboard passing” between Hawk Dmen. They fought off a forechecker with their bottom-hand and arm, while pushing the puck to the open D partner with their top-hand/arm. I see very little use of the shuffleboard pass this year by Hawk D.
- Center play. The center is a 200-foot player who acts as a third Dman in his own zone, provides puck support all over the ice, often begins the offensive rush through the neutral zone, takes faceoffs, and usually influences the overall tempo of his team’s attack. If a team gets a good night from all four of its centers, that team usually wins. Look to see if the Hawk centers are moving in the right direction — that is moving in the direction the play is about to go or is going. On a bad night, you will see Hawk centers moving in the opposite direction.
- Team skating. I’ve said this numerous times but it’s a huge tell of how competitive a team will be that night. How are players changing direction when the puck changes direction and/or possession? Are they stopping and starting or making big “aircraft carrier” turns? The team that stops and starts the most wins the most puck races and battles.
- Team passing, Speed of puck movement dictates how fast a team can play. Nothing slows a team down more than poor passing. A poor pass brings everything to a grinding halt. It either creates a loss of possession or a puck battle. Beyond obvious poor passes that miss the intended player, look for passes that the passer should not have made. These are passes in which the passer is not only passing the puck, but “passing the problem” of heavy pressure onto a teammate. Players that continually “pass the problem” need to rethink how to better cope with pressure situations. Strong passing is the engine of special teams play, especially the power play. (Let’s talk PP another time.)
- Possession creators and killers. This is one of the ‘game within a game’ things I follow when watching the Blackhawks. John Hayden has made several fine plays this year by turning 50/50 pucks into Blackhawk possessions and ultimately Hawk goals. Hayden did not receive an assist on these plays, but he made the play that began the chain of events leading to the scoring chance and goal. Watch for these important plays that make all the difference, though the player does not get a point. On the flip side, is the possession killer. These are plays in which the Hawk has the puck, has time and space, and makes a poor decision of what to do with the puck – ultimately “giving” the puck to the other team. (See Hawk PP.) Possession killer plays are often the catalyst for a goal by the other team, though the killer may have gone for a line change and won’t even get a minus for his flub. Look for Hawk players that are consistent possession killers. Do they turn the puck over in the same areas of the ice? In the same way? In the same situations? Is there a pattern?
A big thanks to JJ, Gate, and everyone at The-Rink.