Thinking the Game – Defensively

Where Do Hockey Drills Come From? Part 1

By CoachC | March 6, 2024

It’s been several years now, since one of my Team NEHI assistants described something he’d seen on a newscast.  I guess the sports segment showed some clips of our local NHL hockey team, and then it highlighted the team’s new coach…

Drill: Tic-Tac-Toe Down Low

By CoachC | February 7, 2024

This drill needs at least 7 players for flow at one end of the ice, from the hash marks to the boards…

Dustin Pedroia’s Hand-eye Coordination

By CoachC | February 2, 2024

A future MLB star played lots of tennis and ping pong as a boy, and I thought…  That’s something that deserves some discussion here…

Learning Hockey — with Coach Chic & Chomper

By CoachC | December 29, 2023

If your son, daughter or team is at the stage where they need to learn hockey’s basic rules and positioning, this is the video for them…

Opening Night for the NEHI HS Prep Hockey Team

By | December 11, 2023

I don’t doubt member coaches, parents and older players will find a few things that’ll also help them (sorta like some food for thought)…

Maximizing Athletic Potential: Unleashing Your Unique Learning Style in Sports

By | November 23, 2023

While physical prowess and skill development are crucial components, understanding one’s learning style can be a game-changer in achieving peak athletic excellence…

The Role of a Centerman, Winger and Defenseman

By | November 21, 2023

I get asked about this a lot — I mean, how I perceive the role of a hockey playing centerman, a winger or a defenseman…

Coach Chic’s Hockey Podcast 43

By | October 30, 2023

In my honest opinion — and after decades of observation, I firmly believe that young hockey players should learn checking…

The Nature of Our Game (revisited)

By | October 26, 2023

Despite my inclination to frequently think outside the proverbial box, I’d like members to know that I don’t make hockey related decisions without a lot of serious thought. In fact, over my forty-plus years in coaching, I’ve mostly relied upon a set of standards I’ve come to call “The Nature of Our Game”…

Troubleshooting Hockey Backchecking

By | September 24, 2023

A Pee Wee level coach was looking for help in a hockey forum. And, after noticing few others offered him anything that would really work, I decided to step in, troubleshooting the problem his kids seemed to be having with their backchecking…