Top NHL Defenseman

The Defenceman

Just as a forwards job is to score goals, the job of a top nhl defenseman is keep the opposition from scoring. He must check the opposing forwards and clear the puck out of his own and.

The way we play hockey nowadays, with all the emphasis on speed, the defenseman has to be able to skate almost as well as a forwards. Look at players like Paul Coffey one of the fastest skaters in the league of his time. So if you want to be a top NHL defenseman, I think first of all you should work on your skating.

The tips in the section on the forwards will help you to. But in addition to skating forward, at present should be able to skate backwards two. Suspend a little extra time on this when you’re skating. Generally speaking, a defenseman should be a bigger fellow, though it isn’t necessary. But you have to like physical contact is you’re going to have to get in there and hit the opposing players if you plan to stop them.

Checking

Since the most important play a top nhl defenseman has to perform is to check opposing players, we might as well start here. The best way to check an opposing player is still with the stick, so when you are playing, always have it on the ice. It won’t do you any good if it’s swinging around the waist high. As an opposing player comes across a blue line, you should sweep your stick in front of you as you slowly back up on your own net. You will find at this simple operation will foul up half the rushes the opposing forwards will make. Remember, before it has to go through you if he is going to get a shot on goal. So try to keep them from doing it. Whatever you do, don’t let him suck you out a position. Let him make the first move. Try to make him move to the outside, so when he does shoot, it will be from a bad angle.

Body checking, of course, also has its place in hockey. But remember, once you body check a man you have committed yourself. If you happen to miss or just get a piece of the forward, he’ll be around you and him first shot on goal. So when you decide to body check a man, make sure you don’t miss. I usually try to hit an opposing player in the chest with my shoulder. I think if he a for the middle of his chest, you will find this is the most effective place to hit him. There is also the hip check, in which you stick out your rear end and hit the opposing player at the hips. I’ve never been able to master this, but lots of top NHL defenseman find it a very effective way of stopping the forward.

Staying in Position

When a forward comes across the blue line, his uppermost thought is to try and fake you out of position. He’ll give you a fake to try and get you to commit yourself. And if you do, he’s in for a clear shot at the nets and a possible goal. So my advice is to hold your ground and force them to go through you or fire the puck from an angle so that the goalie should be able to stop it. As you gain experience, I think you’ll be able to judge when to make a move. I study the opposing forwards, I know certain players like to go to the outside and others move inside. So, based on that knowledge, I make a move. Of course you look awfully silly when you anticipate a move and the opposing player doesn’t make it. But that is part of the game of hockey. You are going to make mistakes. Just make sure you don’t make too many.

Passing

I personally like to carry the puck. Some top NHL defenseman don’t, but whether you are a good puck carrier or just an ordinary one, there is one rule I’d like to stress. That is, never carry the puck yourself when there is a teammate in front of you. Pass the puck to him. Since one of your big jobs is getting the puck out of your own end, I defenseman should be a good passer. You should spend some time on it in every practice. I’ll try to lay out a firm pass that hits the stick of my teammates so he doesn’t have to slow down. It takes a lot of practice before you can judge how fast you can fire the puck on a pass and still keep it under control. But if you want to be a top nhl defenseman, it’s something you will have to learn.

Blocking Shots

A defenseman can help his goalie if he can effectively block shots. But here’s a tip: don’t try and lose your three or 4 feet away from the shooter. If he is 15 or 20 feet away, and you try to block it, there is a good chance you may be badly hurt and also the puck is likely to deflect off you anyway, and give the goalie little chance to stop it. When I was younger I had a coach a while back, he taught us how to go down on one knee, rather than sprawling when trying to block a shot. The stick would be swept out in front of you with one hand while the other is placed flat on the ice so you can catch the puck. The advantage of just going to one knee is that you can still recover if the forward takes a shot and then tries to skate around you. If you sprawl on the ice, you have no chance of getting back in the play.

Working with your Defensive Partner

When Joe Primeau was coaching hockey, he used to say that two defenseman should work together as though they were tied together with a string. You should get to know the man you play beside. A good defense pair have to learn to cover up for each other. When one man rushes, the other one stays back. With my defensive partner who I’ve been playing with for five years now, we know what each other is going to do under almost every situation. It’s working together like this that makes a pair of top NHL defenseman effective.

Shooting

A defenseman especially a top nhl defenseman can help his team a lot if he has a good shot. Since most of his shots will come outside or just inside the blue line, this is the distance of which he should concentrate in practices. From this distance, my advice is to forget about aiming the puck at the corner. Just aim at the center of the net and you’ll find it much more effective. The best shot for a fair distance from the net should be from 6 inches to a foot off the ice. This type of shot can’t be caught, so the goalie will either have to take it out or stop it with his stick. In either case, there is likely to be a rebound which one of your players can put in the net. To keep a shot low, you shouldn’t flick your wrist too much. Instead, keep the blade straight and merely cuff the puck. This produces a low shot that often can be screened so the goalie doesn’t see it until too late. This is the shot you should concentrate on when you are practicing. If you can master it, you will be surprised at the number of goals you can score.

Summing Up to be a Top NHL Defenseman

As a youngster I hope to be a high-scoring forward. I suppose every young hockey player does. But I’ve learned to love playing defense. It has many advantages. For one thing, you get more ice time in the forwards. And if you like to play hockey, as I do, rather than sit on the bench, that can be pleasant. I’m sure if you work at it and follow some of the tips I’ve given you, that playing defense can give you a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment too. You know that in the NHL they say no team can win a Stanley Cup without a top NHL defenseman and top goaltending.

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