Some Good News About Hockey Shutdowns
Before I get on a roll here, let me first point out the above image (and then give you some time to consider what that player might be doing). And just to stall a little, let me explain how this thing about “Hockey Shutdowns” came about…
You see, a member and I were just today going back and forth on the state of youth hockey during the Covid-19 pandemic. And I couldn’t blame him for bemoaning the shutting down of numerous youth hockey leagues in his region. At the same time, I have my own personal feelings when it comes to times like these. Yup, my own personal feelings…
You see, from a slightly selfish standpoint, I’ve always liked it when I sensed others in hockey would be inclined to avoid working on their game. For example, you’ve probably heard me bash our North American youth hockey overseers for telling families not to work on their game during each off-season. And, while I’ll advise those in my charge to do the same — at least to a point, I’ve also always seen the summer months as an opportunity to catch or pass all those who use such excuses to become couch potatoes.
Okay, back to my featured image… Has anyone reading this ever noticed that a lot of players have difficulty banking pucks off the side boards? I’m talking about plenty of players in almost every age group, and I’m also talking about players trying to bank the puck for any number of reasons — like to get it around an opponent and to a mate, like trying to get it out of a given zone, or trying to do as the boy in that image above is attempting — to ring it hard around the boards. Does it matter the angle at which a player banks the puck? You bet (and let me tell you more about that in a coming post). For the time being, though, I might just ask: When does one find the time to work on such things?
Well, if you’re asking this old coach, I might tell you that I don’t easily dismiss opportunities to teach the game. And, during times like we’re experiencing right now, I relish the chance to work on some things that others will never find the time to cover. As a matter of fact, while I’ve always loved high energy practices, I’ve also known that players sometimes need the opportunity to just relax and experiment with something. Did that register with you? They sometimes need to just relax and experiment.
Okay, I intentionally cut short that conversation with the above noted CoachChic.com member, partly because I wanted him to spend some time reading this, and then drinking in all I’ve mentioned here. That done, I suspect he’s the kind of guy who will arrive at a number of new ideas to help both his own son and the kids in his charge.
