If you are a centermen one of your major responsibilities on the ice is to win face-offs. Some players who are new to the game overlook the importance of this job and approach the face-off dot without much thought, but no matter what level of hockey you play the face-off win is vital for your teams success. A lost face-off could result in a goal for the other team, while a nice clean and well thought out face-off win could lead to the game winning goal. When you think of faceoffs in this manner you begin to understand how important it is to win, hopefully this will get your fired up to win more faceoffs and try some of the tips and tricks I share in the video and article below.

How to Win Face offs Video

A step by step guide to winning more face offs

1. Have a plan when you approach the face-off dot
• There are many different ways to win a face-off, how you plan to win the face off depends on where the face-off is taking place. In the neutral zone you may try something cheeky like tapping the puck forwards and blasting past the centermen, in your own end you may tie-up the other centermen and have your defence or winger come in and get the puck, in the offensize zone you could win the puck back on your fore-hand, back-hand, between your legs or even put it right on net. Never approach the face-off without a plan
2. Let your team mates know about your plan
• Think of where you want to win the face-off to, and let your players know. If you are going to win it back to the defencemen, give a little wink to the d-man so he knows the puck is coming. If you are going to tie up the centermen let your players know so they can be prepared.
3. Get nice and low
• I probably said this about 20 times in the video, haha. When you are low to the ice you can react faster to the puck drop and you will be anchored to the ice. It is important to be nice and stable when the puck drops in case the other centermen tries to push into the circle.
4. Choke up on the stick
• In the video I show you how I like to hold the stick, but it’s not just me. Watch almost any NHL player and they move their top hand about halfway down the stick, and their bottom hand right near the blade. This helps increase their reaction time, and allows them to get more power and leverage on the stick. If both players go for the puck at the same time you need to be able to out muscle the other guy, so it is important to get your bottom hand close to the blade.
5. Switch up your grip
• If you are going to win the puck on your backhand or between your legs you should modify the grip on your stick. Roll your bottom hand over and hold the stick as if you were going to cross-check someone in the teeth. This grip helps you improve your quickness and power, I show the grip in the video above.
6. Use your body!
• You don’t always need to win the puck back with your stick, there are other options. You can forget about the puck altogether and just tie up the other centerman (and have your winger or defence come in and get the puck) or you can just chop the other players stick (moving it out of the way) and then go for the puck. You can also try spinning into the face-off dot and then using your feet to kick the puck to one of your players.
7. Know your opponent
• Knowing your opponent is very helpful if you want to win more faceoffs, if the other centermen likes to go for the crisp win every time, modify your face-off plan, instead of going for the puck, just chop his stick out of the way, then get the puck. I had a centermen who would always push the puck forwards and then blast past me, I knew it was coming so I quickly closed my legs. The puck bounced off my shin pad while he flew past me, I then grabbed the puck split the D and got a shot on net.
• You can get to know the centermen by paying attention to their technique when you line up for a faceoff and while the other lines are facing off. If there is a particularly good centerman you know of try to remember what team he is on so you can be prepared the next time you play them!
8. Tape up the slash zone
• Centermen tend to break sticks more than other players, it’s because the flex zone of the stick takes so much abuse during faceoffs. I like to tape up the bottom part of my stick to avoid those little chips that eventually lead to the stick breaking mid-shot. The tape also gives you a bit of grip during the face off.

Tips From the Pro’s

David Steckel is consistently among the top NHL face-off winners, last year he was the #1 face-off winner in the league. I have embedded a video below with a few tips from David Steckel.

We have had a lot of requests for more skating videos and articles so here is one for forward skating, we have some basic articles already for how to skate and how to stop, so this one seemed like the net logical video / article to publish. In this video we show you the basics to the crossovers and a few easy drills you can do to improve your crossovers and turning. I have also embedded a video that goes into a lot more detail on different types of crossovers / drills you can do to improve.

Forward Crossovers Video

Forward Crossovers Tips

• Keep your knees bent and remember to use your edges
• While doing crossovers around the circle your OUTSIDE leg will be pushing and giving you speed / power
• While doing the forwards crossovers (zig-zag drill in first video) your INSIDE leg is pushing and giving you power
• While doing the circle crossovers try to always keep your stick inside the circle, you can lean on your stick a bit to get lower to the ice

Detailed Hockey Crossover Video

Here is a good video from Hockey Canada that goes into good detail on the crossover and shows a bunch of drills you can practice.

When you are playing organized hockey it is important that everyone on the team plays their positions and does “their job”. I like to teach each player what their job is so they understand where they need to be and what they should be doing in each situation on the ice. If just one player on the ice is out of position it can alter the outcome of the game, so it is important to understand your role on the ice is and the role of the other players. I have already written an article on the role of a winger in hockey, and in this article I will detail what a centerman should be doing in various situations on the ice.

The Responsibilities of a Centerman

In general the centerman is the “support man” this means he is helping out the other players when they are in trouble, the centerman is also considered the quaterback as he will win faceoffs, and lead breakouts. The wingers typically stick to their side of the ice, however the centermen has more freedom to roam. Even though the centerman covers the most amount of ice (and usually does the most skating) that does not mean you can just skate around and hope you get the puck. Your general duties as a centerman are to win faceoffs, cause trouble in front of the other teams net, stop players and pucks in front of your own net, score goals, make passes, help out your wingers, lead break-outs and back check.

Duties of the Centerman in the Offensive Zone

In the offensive zone (as in other zones) the centerman’s job is to offer support to the other team members. A good “general area” to hang out until you are needed is in the slot on whatever side the puck is on. Remember to always keep your feet moving and always be skating, this makes it easier to get going when you need to!

While you are in front of the net you will be reading the play, keep an eye on what the other team is doing and what your team is doing. If your winger has possession of the puck get open in front and call for a pass. Remember your other winger will also be trying to get open in front of the net so don’t block him. If your other winger is close to the net then go to the high slot, if your winger is in the high slot then go to the “backdoor” of the net or if you think your winger will get a pass and shoot just screen the goalie and be there for the garbage goal (rebounds).

If your winger does not have possession of the puck then read the play, will he get possession? If you are unsure get a bit closer so you can help him out if help is needed. Remember you are the support guy, so if your winger is getting double teamed along the boards get in there and dig for the puck to help him out.

Remeber to Give your players options if your winger has the puck and is looking for a pass either get open in front of the net, or head behind the net so your winger can cycle the puck back to you. If the winger is heading up the boards and cycles the puck back to you then look for him moving to the net, this is a great way for the winger to shake the D and then get open and then you can feed him the puck for a shot on net.

What if the other team has the puck?

If the other team has possession in the offensive zone then you should switch to defense. They will be attempting to break out and you don’t want that to happen. While on defense in the offensive zone you need to read the play, see where guys are moving, and watch where the guy with the puck is looking, this will help you predict their moves and hopefully intercept a pass or strip the man of the puck and re-gain possession. Usually when they get possession you should start moving towards the blue line, that way if they try to make a break out pass you can intercept, or at least have a bit of speed going to back-check / keep up with the play, you don’t want to get caught deep in your end with the other team breaking out.

Duties of the Centerman in the Defensive Zone

In the defensive zone your team is trying to stop the other team from scoring and you are trying to get the puck out. Just like in the offensive zone your job as a centerman is to offer support. Also similar to the offensive zone you will be hanging around the slot area, but this time for different reasons.

When the other team has the puck and is trying to score they will be trying to get open in front of the net, usually they will have a winger and a centermen, and sometimes a D-man will sneak in close to the top of the circle if the opportunity arises. This means there are 1-3 men who are looking for a puck in front of the net. On your team you have two defencemen, one is usually busy trying to get the puck, while the other is in front of the net being a BOSS and not letting people get near the net or get open. As a centermen you want to help him out and pick up anyone who might be open. Hang out in the slot, block the cross ice passes, and tie up any open man.

A lot of the goals that get scored come from cross-ice passes, one-timers, and back door tap in goals, these occur when a player on the opposite side of the ice gets open and his team mate feeds him the puck for a nice open net goal (especially if you have a slow goalie). As a centerman you want to make sure this does not happen. Try to see what lanes are open and block them, you don’t have to shadow a player, but keep your head on a swivel and take away any passing opportunities while your d-man battles in the corner to start the break-out. If your defenseman is outnumbered along the boards you can go and help him out, just make sure you aren’t leaving a man wide open in front of the net (in this scenario there would probably only be one person in front of the net and your other defensemen should have him covered anyways).

Tips for clogging up the center area and blocking passes

• Read the play and think about the ice in “lanes” what lanes are open? what options does the opposing player with the puck have? if you can get in their head you can stop a lot of plays
• Watch the eyes of the player who has the puck, they usually look before they pass so it can give you some clues to where they will be skating or passing
• You can take up a lot of ice and still stay mobile, take a look at the picture to the right. This is a good pass-blocking position. The player uses his stick to block in front, his front leg is in a position to block a saucer pass but still allow him to get up quickly if he needs to, and his back leg is kneeling which covers some ice behind him. Of all the pass-blocks I see this one is the most effective (I used this method to stop the other team from scoring an empty net goal recently!)
• Remember that this is a good technique for blocking passes, but as good if the person is taking a slapshot, for that you could read our article on how to block a shot.

What happens when your team gets the puck?

When your team gets possession in the defensive zone it is time to start the break-out. There are a number of ways to break out but it usually starts with the d-man passing to the centermen who then feeds a breaking winger, or the winger getting the puck and feeding it to the centerman.

Make sure the puck gets out of your end!

Sometimes when the defensemen gets the puck all three forwards start skating for a breakout pass, but this can cause problems. Read the play, does your d-man have a clear pass to a winger? If he does then great, start skating out of the zone for a pass from your winger. If the defensemen doesn’t have a clear pass you can circle in and get an easy short pass to start the break out. Another option is when the defense have the puck behind the net, this is your cue to skate hard behind the net and either pick up the puck, or leave it and then get a pass from the d-man, or head to center for the d-to-winger-to-centerman pass. Remember you are the support man so you should always be giving your players options for passes

Duties of the Centerman in the Neutral Zone

In the Neutral zone you are either attacking or playing defense. For the break out you will either have the puck, or looking to get the puck. If you have the puck you can pass to the head man (if that’s an option) skate with the puck into the other teams end, or if the defense have you covered just go for a dump and chase, or dump and change.

If your team mates have the puck you have a few options, if your defencemen has the puck you can skate across lanes in the neutral zone in order to give your defencemen someone to pass to, if your winger has the puck you will either get a pass from him in the neutral zone or break into the offensive zone. While breaking in the first man in should go hard to the net, and the second man in will stay high.

If the other team has the puck you are basically trying to stop them from getting into your zone. In most cases you will be playing catch-up so skate hard to get into the play and try to get in the way of passes, or sneak up on the guy with the puck and strip the puck from him. If you are in front of the play you can help the defensemen, try to either pick up the man closest to you who is trying to get open for a pass, or if you are closest to the guy with the puck match his speed and force him to the boards.

Tips for taking and winning Faceoffs

Winning the faceoff is very important no matter who’s end you are in, below I will outline a few tips that should help you win more faceoffs

• Choke up on the stick, having your lower hand closer to the blade of the stick allows you to get a lot of power on the draw and react quickly
• If you are winning the puck to the back hand turn both your hands over (like the picture to the right) this helps you pull the stick back quickly and gives you a slight advantage
• Talk to your wingers and defencemen first and let them know what you plan to do off the faceoff, usually a quick head nod will do the trick but it helps if you have a plan
• You don’t always have to win the faceoff with your stick, you can tie the man up and have a winger come in, or you can tie up the wingers stick and kick the puck back with your foot
• Watch the refs hand or elbow, if the ref holds the puck high then watch his elbow as this will move first, if the ref holds the puck lower then watch his hand. You don’t have to stare at it, but keep an eye on it in your peripheral vision. When his hand moves you should start moving to win the faceoff.
• Read the other player and try to predict what he is going to do, this may help you change your strategy and win more faceoffs.
• A good trick for faceoffs in the neutral zone is to tap the puck forwards and try to blast through the defence, it’s a risky move but it works.

In Summary

WOOH, that only took me a few hours to write and edit, hopefully I covered everything In summary the centermen will usually be hanging out in the slot / circles in the offensive and defensive zones. While in that area the centermen should be looking for opportunities to get the puck either by calling for a pass, intercepting a pass, or by recognizing a moment when his teammate needs help and then going in and getting the puck. The wingers and defence have areas they should always be, but the centermen has the freedom to roam around these areas and help out. Faceoffs are very important so the centermen should take this skill very seriously and always be working to improve his faceoff win percentage. Centermen should also be good skaters and be able to give and receive passes very well.

I think that pretty much sums up the role of the centermen, if I missed anything or you are unclear about something just let me know in the comments below and I will do my best to respond.

If you are looking for a new move to try out during practice or shinny then todays deke of the week is a great one to practice. This is a shifty move that I like to use when I need to gain the center and there is a pesky defencemen in my way. Usually this works the best if the D-man is a few feet in front of you, and a few feet to your side (the side furthest from the blade of your stick) and he is trying to keep you to the outside. I have used this move a lot in games, it looks great and it works! If you want a full explanation of how to do this move visit our article and video on how to do the backhand toe drag.

Backhand Toe Drag Video On the Ice

Backhand Toe Drag Tips

• Practice a lot before trying it in a game
• You need to pull the puck in close to your feet to protect the puck
• Don’t be afraid to try variations of this move and come up with your own style / moves
• Make sure you have enough room to do this move otherwise the d-man will stop you every time
• Keep your head up (especially if you play contact hockey) so you can read the defencemen and tweak the move if you need to

How to Backhand Toe Drag

I think I might have a problem, I just can’t bring myself to throw out my broken hockey sticks. Many people pay over $100 for a stick, so when it breaks half way through the season it might be hard to accept the $100 loss and throw the hockey stick out. In this article I will share a few things that you can do with broken hockey sticks. I also have a video showing you how you can build your own defencemen to use while practicing your stickhandling and dekes.

Stick a Blade in it

If you have a one piece hockey stick and you break the blade, or pretty close to the blade you can continue to use the shaft, this is very easy to do.

• Take off the grip from the top of the stick, this is where the blade will go
• Buy a blade from the store
• Heat the glue up with a heat gun, or over the stove (try not to drop glue on the burner)
• Jam that blade in there, tape the spot where your blade USED to be, and you are good to go.

There are a few disadvantages to doing this, the stick might be shorter you are used to (depending where it broke) and also some high-end sticks have a specific technologies. For example many sticks have the kick-point manufactured into the stick, by flipping the stick the kick point will be at the top rather than at the bottom.

Give it to Your Kids, or make a street hockey stick

If the stick broke near the blade, you can flip it and put a blade in it like mentioned above. If the stick is too short after doing this you can keep it for ball hockey or road hockey, or give it to your kids (if you have any)

If the stick broke in the middle of the shaft just cut the jagged part off the shaft, tape a grip on it and give it to your kids to use for road hockey or mini sticks.

Make A Defencemen

This is my favourite option as it will help you improve your skills and you get a free hockey training aid. I did this as a kid and use it quite a bit, I just made another one and thought I would share it with my readers.

More Uses Suggested by Readers

• Collect a few and make a “tree” out of it. Use the hockey stick tree to hang your gear on for it to dry out after a game
• Attach a weight to it and use it to strengthen your wrists
• Buy a road hockey blade (they are plastic and slide over the shaft) and use it for road hockey (similar to my suggestion above) A broken hockey stick = a NEW road hockey stick
• Use it to hold up tomato plants (for the Italians out there )

What have you used broken hockey sticks for? Let me know in the comments section below.

In an effort to bring you the most comprehensive and in depth hockey training I have created the complete guide to stickhandling. I have written a number of articles on stickhandling as well as produced quite a few videos but many of the How to Hockey readers wanted a complete guide that shows everything from start to finish. I spent the entire summer writing, editing and shooting video for this e-book and training video. Every time I thought it was finished I would remember a few more drills, or a few more tips but eventually I think I emptied my brain into this book and training video.

What you get

Stickhandling Guide – You get an 18 page e-book that covers everything you need to know about stickhandling. This e-book will take you from knowing nothing to knowing basically everything. After you learn what is possible with stickhandling I show you how you can practice and train to become amazing with the puck. I include over 20 off-ice stickhandling drills to help you improve every aspect of puck control that I teach in the e-book.

Stickhandling Training Video – The training video is over 30 minutes long and explains the concepts discussed in the e-book. I also show you exactly how to do every drill that was outlined in the e-book.

Progress tracking sheets – I include a progress tracking sheet with instructions so you can keep track of your improvements. This will encourage you to keep on practicing and improving and gives you something to look back on and see how much you have improved.

Sneak Peak

Order here

Visit the complete guide to stickhandling to learn more and order

In the latest deke of the week (or month ) we bring you the toe drag. The toe drag is a very effective move IF you can master it. This is one of those moves that you don’t want to try in a game unless you have done it flawlessly 10 times in a row during practice. The first video shows you the deke of the week version with in-game scenarios, and the second video is our “how to toe drag” video that we shot last year. (If you are from the United States of Amurica remember, it’s called the toe drag, not a curl and drag)

On Ice Toe Drag Video

How To Toe Drag

Tips for performing the toe drag

• You have to practice this move a lot before you can master it, I recommend using a nice smooth surface like the roll-up shooting pad and a puck instead of a ball, for the most ice-like feel try a shooting pad and the green biscuit
• If practicing at home or on the ice start with a wall behind you, that way if you miss the puck you don’t have to go and get it each time
• When gripping the stick with your top hand loosen your grip while rolling the blade over and let it fall into your fingertips. Hold it in your finger-tips while you start to pull the puck back, then while pulling the puck back and catching the puck tighten your grip and hold the stick in your top hand how you normally would
• Practice pushing the puck out and toe-dragging back in on your side and in front of you.
• During the game try toe-dragging the puck in towards your feet, that way if you don’t catch it, or a defender knocks the puck off of your stick you still have the option of kicking it up to your stick with your feet
• The trickiest part to learn is actually catching the puck after you drag it back with your toe, you need to quickly roll the blade over and catch the puck, if you practice a lot you will get it!

After releasing my Complete guide to stickhandling I had a number of requests for a way to track progress while completing the drills in the book / video. I decided to make the tracking sheet and methods available to everyone, but if you need some tips for stickhandling and drills / variations to use (to make the drills more challenging) check out the stickhandling course (linked to above)

Download the full 3 page PDF here – Click to view online, RIGHT CLICK to save to your computer

Lets be honest, there is a lot to learn when it comes to positioning in hockey and you might have heard it 20 times but some of us just aren’t verbal learners. For all the visual learners out there I have created the hockey cheat sheet. This is an all encompassing guide that pretty much covers everything that your coach will yell over the boards at you. If you like this guide be sure to share it with your friends

How To Hockey Cheat Sheet

This guide should help you figure out what to do wherever you are on the ice!
(Click to see full-sized image)

Want to download or print?

You can grab a pdf version here

 Kid Friendly Version

In the first version we used bad words like damn and screw, while not the worst out there it might not be the friendliest for the mites out there so here is a version that the whole family can enjoy!

CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE THE FULL SIZED VERSION

Hey guys, we are pumped for the new hockey season and will be trying our best to get videos and articles up as quickly as possible. In this video we are on the ice again and sharing tips on how to safely block a shot in hockey. Remeber that blocking a shot is always dangerous, but you can help greatly reduce your chance of injury by following the tips in the video (and the text below)

How to block a shot in Hockey – Video

In this video Ken shows the WRONG way and the right way to block a shot

More shot blocking tips from Tim Thomas hockey school

Here are some more tips that I thought were very helpful

Quick tips for blocking a shot

• DONT’S
• Never expose – and always protect – vulnerable areas of the body (head, face, crotch, any areas with little padding)
• Never turn your back, remember most of the padding is at the front of your body
• Never turn sideways, open your legs, throw your stick out, or lift your leg. Remember, you are trying to block the shot, not screen your goalie
• Never lead with your stick, the puck can deflect off the blade and hit you right in the kisser
• DO’S
• Try to ensure that your entire body is covered with some type of protection. Know your vulnerable areas and remember to cover them with padding (the back of the gloves are great for covering those special areas)
• The closer you get to the shooter the better. The closer you get the more of the net you will block, and the puck will not be able to build much speed
• Try to remain standing as you block the shot, if you are standing and block a shot it could lead to a breakaway!
• If you get hurt try not to squirm around on the ice for everyone to see, suck it up and get to the bench, then squirm all you want.

Thanks for reading, if you have any questions just leave them in the comment section.