It’s not how fast you skate that matters, it’s how fast you think. Sport IQ enables the athlete to play fast with the right intuition. 🎥
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ADAM OATES, NHL HOF PLAYER
Believes in Sport IQ: “There’s a technique for every skill”
Q. Why do the best players play 25-30 minutes in games and avoid contact and make the game look easy?
Rod Brind’Amour simplifying what playing defence is all about. There are some important skills & tactics omitted but his point about trying to simplify things is important. Like, which F is first back to the DZ of the three, on a turnover, because it’s a race!
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Wise words from Daryl Sutter. It’s no secret. You need great goaltending, right personnel committed to defending (good habits) and a checking mindset, grind and give the opponent nothing (time & space) to make plays.
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TORTS sound bite on the reason you need a strong forecheck game. Must listen. Top teams are relentless in their puck pressure on the forecheck. Old saying: give average players space to make plays they become good players, give good players space, they become great players.
FLAMES Assistant Coach Ryan Huska provides insight on the importance of a player creating his identity and what he has to do to remain in the lineup. Worth a listen. Kids aspiring to play at higher levels need to know the importance of creating an identity as a player.
Darryl Sutter favourite moment. “We’re creatures of habit, if you did it in practice there’s a good chance you’d do it in the game.” He’s old school but right about the importance of Deliberate Practice.
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The game within the game: the area from the top of the face-off circles to the net is the game you MUST win if you’re going to win hockey games. Rod Brind’Amour says defending isn’t hard you need numbers to defend & players willing to defend.
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Words of Wisdom from Darryl Sutter. Study the top 4 teams in the NHL if you’re interested in learning the skills & tactical situational play areas of the game that have to be mastered. It’s not a secret, the X’s and O’s are just a part of the right process to get right outcomes.
Playing fearless is key to developing players. Coaching plays a big role in creating the right mindset for players, especially, early in their development to ensure they’re not play scared to make mistakes.
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80% of the Game is played 3’ from the boards. I refer to that area as the Grit Zone. Players need to have the skills and abilities to dominate their opponent in this area of the ice surface.
This sound bite from NHL HOF Player Adam Oates is so true. The players with a high hockey IQ make the game look easy because they avoid contact by distributing the puck properly. It’s a Possession Game & you need to play as a connected group.
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Good Teams Defend:
1/The House - Top of face-off circles to their net
2/Middle Ice - Areas between the dots
3/Grit Zone - Areas outside the dots
4/Their Blue Line - Entrance into their zone
Study the habits of good defensive players & groups to learn how to defend.
Change of Direction in Tight Spaces
1/Body position (athletic posture)
2/Edge control
3/Puck out in front of him
4/Accelerates out of the turn (quick feet, crossovers)
5/Right technique
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Adam Oats talks about playing a contact sport like hockey and avoiding injury by learning how to absorb force, recognize pressure, and contact situations to protect yourself. Important subject to gain confidence playing a contact sport.
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Anatoli TARASOV’s vision (1975) is today’s game. Hockey is a Possession Game. How we support the puck (structure) and manage the puck (decision making) in all 3 zones determines if we win or lose the PG. You win the PG, you generally win the hockey game.
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Relationship Based Coaching Approach:
You can’t coach anyone who doesn’t want your coaching.
Worth reading - The power of positive coaching and its impact on the Stanley Cup playoffs
There’s Another Way. Have a listen to Head Coach of the Buffalo Sabres speak about getting out of the way of his players when it’s time for them to take over. You can’t have too many Leaders on a team. Good advice on how to create Leaders.
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Tocchet speaks to reinforcing good habits like getting pucks deep and boxing out. The top teams pay attention to the simple principles and concepts of the game. The players develop good habits to play the right way. Stray from them…and you’re not going to win.
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Sutter on Changing the Culture & Creating an Identity
1/It’s not an easy process
2/You need the group pulling the group (can’t have too many Leaders)
3/There’s always a handful of players who are a challenge
4/Competitiveness as a group essential to change
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80% of the game is played 3’ from the boards. What Adam Oates is addressing in this video is player safety. How to take a hit & absorbing contact is a necessary skill to learn. You want to be able to play the Wall Game and knowing how to protect yourself builds confidence.
Coach Don Granato talks about an important subject - going to the net with conviction. Teams today are getting better at defending (taking away space) so if you want to create scoring you have to get to the net as a group with purpose. It’s gotta be part of your identity.
Development process with young Defensemen:
1. Playing minutes {experience}
2. Lots of conversations & dialogue
3. Making plays & mistakes
4. Coaching mistakes making corrections
5. Knee deep into the process to learn he’s coachable & going to improve
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Back Pressure Support|Forwards
🏒Between the dots
🏒Full speed
🏒D-side of he puck (opponent’s inside shoulder)
🏒Take your man to the net
🏒Get stick under opponent’s
🏒Don’t get out worked
All boxes checked
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Darryl Sutter speaks to the process. It’s a grind, players need to learn to play with pace, compete and pay attention to the details of the game, and it starts with your top end players. Worth a listen!
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Offensive Puck Support:
You’re not supporting the puck offensively if you’re not in position to receive a pass. O-Players without the puck have a responsibility to get open, separate from coverage, set a clean passing lane with a good angle for the passer to get you the puck.
Process vs Outcomes
One of the most important messages in getting better: Understanding the journey and that it’s supposed to be hard. Get use to hard, get use to being uncomfortable, get use to failure because you’re going to fail. Get good at handling hard.
"If you want to be successful, you need to be bad.
Then you need to be good and when you are good you need to fail.
When you fail, you're going to figure it out.
There is a process.
There are steps that you need to fill.
There are no shortcuts.
It's a journey." -Nikola Jokic
There’s a technique for everything. Adam Oates explains the importance of the right technique in mastering a skill which is often overlooked by coaches. Mastery doesn’t result from talent or 10,000 hours or 10 years of practice. Deliberate practice matters in the equation.
Rod Brind’Amour simplifying what playing defence is all about. There are some important skills & tactics omitted but his point about trying to simplify things is important. Like, which F is first back to the DZ of the three, on a turnover, because it’s a race!
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Team Identity - Lou Lamoriello’s description of team identity is so well explained. Every coach has the opportunity to create their team’s identity and that’s not an easy task because some players don’t want to play the way you need them to play. That’s the Coach’s challenge.
Darryl Sutter was correct about there being a Right Way to play. You must play a 200’ game and play as a connected group 5 in support of the puck offensively & defensively in all 3 zones. You can’t cheat the game, it takes what it takes.
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Words of Wisdom from Darryl Sutter. Study the top 4 teams in the NHL if you’re interested in learning the skills & tactical situational play areas of the game that have to be mastered. It’s not a secret, the X’s and O’s are just a part of the right process to get right outcomes.
🧵TEAM IDENTITY
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Team identity refers to the mutual connection of individual team members to work together in accomplishing goals. It is a sense of responsibility to prioritize the demands of the team first before their own.
Rod Brind’Amour’s philosophy on how the game should be played, the “Right” way is obvious when you watch the CANES play. Top 4 teams have emulated his approach to win the Possession Game.
CANES under Rod Brind’Amour are one of the best teams in the NHL in the Possession Game. Hard on pucks, pressure, pressure, pressure the puck as a FIVE and on the PK. Working on containing the puck battle in the DZ strong side corner.
Top teams defend to win. Defend middle (between the dots) ice in layers. The neutral zone is defended to take away the opponent’s Attack Rush Game. They defend entrance into the D-Zone with proper Angling & back pressure support (tracking) from F’s.
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Triangle Offence: Multi-Sport Concept
🏒forecheck (F1-F3) is part of the triangle offence (geometric) concept structure to support the puck to outnumber on a puck & exit space for a play on net.
🏒when F1-F3 are working in concert you see how it works.
🧵BRUINS Brad Marchand on Getting Ugly Goals
1. It’s tough to score goals against good teams. They don’t give you much (time or space).
2. Have to be disciplined with good habits which take time to develop and become part of your game consistently.
Message from Don Gallant about the process: “Competitiveness” is a performance character skill that’s learned & developed in people. You’re supposed to give your best effort every day, every opportunity and focus on being the best version of you every rep.
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TORTS: Sitting A Player
1/ Player didn’t listen
2/Doesn’t share the subject/topic matter (between coach & player) with media
3/ Not too much of an ask for player at this level
4/ Holds players accountable to his standards for the group
👏
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Good feet and hands. Excellent posture that provides the balance to support his technical skills execution.Head up 👀 up with puck out in front of him. 👍clip.
Young F’s and D out there. Can’t stress enough the importance of protecting middle ice:
▪️give the opponent space outside the dots to try & beat you with speed, never give the option of beating you inside the dots.
▪️practice Angling, body|stick|puck😉
Face off Draw
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Rod Brind’Amour teaching good habits & fundamentals of taking draws. Learning from the best. You see his passion for teaching and working with players.
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GAP CONTROL is important to playing as a Defensemen. How much gap in different situations is an important skill. Everyone is quick to blame the goalie but the Shooter was given too much space & time to get this shot off. TOR44 too deep and doesn’t apply pressure.
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I like this message from one of my favourites TB12. Why, because not every person takes advantage of life’s opportunities. Great message for young kids.
Defend to win is the recipe for a winning record, it is hard work and takes a group committment. The best defensive systems defend middle ice and key areas of the ice surface. They establish defensive (inside) position and there’s seldom breakdowns in coverage assignments.
Defend Entrance into Your Zone:
Too many young defensemen are not being coached to play 1 stick gap at their own blue line. Part of a 200’ game (need back pressure support). Too many kids backing up giving away blue line and middle ice. Come on now...😉
BRUINS PP CREATES SPACE - HOW
1️⃣use of the width & depth of the zone
2️⃣structure to support player & puck movements
3️⃣outnumbering at different levels in zone (high,med,low)
4️⃣timing of player & puck movements
5️⃣isolating on a group of defenders in space
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Love this clip from Adam Oates where he explains Hockey IQ. Hockey IQ makes sense. Teaching of Universal Hockey Skills to young players makes sense ✅. Watch Adam studying the player’s technique.
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Love this sound bite of Brad Treliving defending Sheldon Keefe. This was about a new voice, new leadership. Often a Head Coach is fired and moves on to a new Head Coaching job and is successful. There are many examples of this in the NHL.
Enjoy listening to Don Granato. Character drives performance. Don’t tell me about your goals, show me what you’re willing to do to achieve them. It’s about your habits & the choices you make. It’s about being able to handle hard, it doesn’t get easier.
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Favourite Back Checking Clip|Compete Level Clip
🏒How many young players in competitive hockey come back to defend like this young man? Set expectations with kids, not too much to ask kids to play 200’ game and give best effort.
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Wouldn’t you like to analyze the player development process on a team like the CANUCKS with Rick Tocchet at the helm?
A relationship based coaching approach is the only way to teach & develop people. Love to examine their process.
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Bruce Cassidy (Coach’s Corner) Tips for every young player:
1. Be competitive every shift.
2. Know your strengths and bring them to the rink every game.
3. Grit and perseverance are a requirements of every player.
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Excellent narrative
@belfryhockey
on stopping at the net. It’s important to teach a player how to stop at the net, sound stupid? It’s an area of the ice where you have to know how to protect yourself when you stop at the net to battle for a puck, redirect or rebound safely.
Wyatt Johnston is a young NHL forward who ACTUALLY stops at the net as a habit. It’s not just stopping at the net that’s most impressive it’s the positive impact that one habit has on improving the quality of his routes and his timing of his net play.
Angling in the neutral zone with the right approach angle neutralizes the speed advantage of a faster offensive player. Inside out control, don’t give the Puck Carrier the middle of the ice, make the PC beat you with speed. Establish Defensive Position.
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Kuznetsov|Ovechkin|Wilson
🏒Tough F unit to play against: speed, physicality, skill and know how to support the puck as a group.
🏒Bottom 3 defenders get all they can handle with this line below hash marks
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Love this. Everything is earned is a core value of most top teams. Making the roster, depth chart position, who you play with, minutes, PP mins, PK mins, is part of creating a competitive group. Players need to know why they’re sitting or part of changes. Good Coach explains.
Angling (Checking) is an art. One of the most important checking skills in the game to defend middle ice (inside out control). It’s a skill required to take away a Puck Carrier’s space in all 3 zones. The skill must be practiced in tight areas and in full ice.
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Brind’Amour coached team:
1/Angle in the NZ to prevent N-S play.
2/200’ game.
3/Play as a connected group FIVE.
4/Coverage assignments.
5/Nobody gets between you & your net.
6/Consistency in their execution of fundamentals.
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☑️F1 Puck Pressure - causes rushed forced 1st pass
☑️F2 Puck Support - 1st to loose puck moved to F3 high
☑️F3 Puck Support - Finishes quick release
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The ability of your group to “play fast” in all three zones offensively & defensively hinges on the group getting to the Unconscious Competence Stage (Level 4) in the Hierarchy of Learning in skills, tactics, (individual & group),key concepts and principles.
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Wise words from Darryl Sutter whose preparing his group for the Stanley Cup Playoffs: Importance of the Green
#1
Area (Doorstep) to create scoring when things tighten up & your opponent isn’t giving you much.
Overloading/Outnumbering to win a Puck Battle
▪️you need numbers to win pucks under forecheck pressure
▪️bring 5 players down low to support a puck win & exit with numbers to beat the opponent’s 3 F’s
▪️pressuring up as a group (Wolfe Pack)
▪️breaking out DZ pucks with #’s
Competitiveness, Discipline, Work Ethic of a Connor McDavid. The best players want the puck! Best players don’t over skate the play, are always in position to make a play offensively or defensively, that’s what makes them great.
Jon Cooper TBL - 30MAR22 Preparation for Playoffs
✔️Decrease in opponent’s chances
✔️Improved play by guys away from the puck (competitiveness)
✔️Being harder to play against - more in the opponent’s face
✔️Defence
#1
- offence comes off defending better
👍Excellent teaching clip. Rationale for pivot and not crossing over. Essential for D angling to defend ice. Push off the inside foot 🔑 and timing of pivot to close the gap.
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TORTS speaking to importance of the grind & checking part of the game and being harder to play against. Creating offensive opportunities by defending.
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TOR34 is F3 in Zone. Doesn’t do his job to get defensive position on his check assignment & take him to the net. Instead, watches, doesn’t move his feet, glides from the red/blue line in. Keefe shouldn’t apologize for his best players not being his best players.
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Share this again, primary concepts of the game from Anatoli TARASOV. Watch for them in G6 between the AVS & TBL - they are a big part of how both teams play the game.
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Great coaches set the standards of play with clear expectations. They’re more concerned about the process than the result. They’re interested in individual players and the group being the best version of themselves every play opportunity.
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Love this from CTG. Part of that environment is helping the player to become self-reliant, never complacent, helping the player with confidence, creating good habits, no fear of failure and getting a process that works for the athlete.👍CTG
What's a Coach's role? Do we fix problems for them? Show them how to do everything the way we want it? Point out every mistake?
Or do we provide the opportunity for players to solve the game on their own? Creating ownership, engagement, confidence, and transferring that to life.
Enjoyed watching Rod Brind’Amour as a player. Enjoy watching and listening to him coach. He’s crystal clear on how he want’s his group to play. The evidence, listen to him on the bench and watch his group play. CANES want the puck.
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Lessons From The Coach: Jon Cooper on learning lessons from adversity & players learning how to respond to different situations. Being where your feet are and being in the moment to handle each situation your faced with is part of the development of the team.
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Consistency 🔑 to the process. Love this short share by Rod Brind’Amour. Coming to the facility to practice at game speed and provide your best effort every day is hard. Not everyone is willing to make the sacrifice to be the best version of themselves every day.
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TARASOV’ s key concepts and principles from the 70’s are prevalent in today’s game. The player and puck movement in all 3 zones in support of the puck offensively & defensively is key to winning the Possession Game. You win the PG - you generally win the contest.
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3 on 2 Driving the Middle Lane - The Why
1. FLA10 drives the middle lane isolating on strong side D to create 2v1 player advantage (outnumber offensively) preventing back pressure support from defending him.
Concept: Boxing Out|5 Defenders Collapse Down Low
🏒FLA identity - they consistently box out as a unit to prevent their opponents from getting inside body position (between defender and their net).
🏒Most important area to defend is top of face off circles to the net.