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

Last summer I showed you how to toe drag and this summer I am going to show the backhand toe drag. The toe drag is a great move to use and very deceptive, if you can perfect the toe drag you will be able pull a few really nice dangles and have the guys on your bench cheering. A lot of people know about toe drag, but not as many people know about the backhand toe drag.

What is the backhand toe drag?

Basically the backhand toe drag is when you use the back of your blade to pull / drag the puck in close to your feet so you can get past the defenders. This is an effective move to practice because by quickly moving the puck in close to your body you will be able to protect the puck and get it out of the reach of other players.

There are actually a few different variations to the backhand toe drag so I have broken each version down in my video. In the video I show you how to practice off the ice, but once I start the deke of the week up again I will show you an on ice version.

Backhand Toe Drag on the side

In this version you will be stickhandling with the puck to your side. The best time to use this move is when a defender is skating at you and going for the puck. You can pull a regular toe drag and pull the puck in close to your feet, but I find it’s a lot easier to just roll the blade over and catch the puck with the back of the blade, then pull it in and push it forwards (shown in video)

Backhand Toe Drag in Front

This move is great to pull if you are cutting across the center of the offensive zone and looking to get a shot on the net. I usually do this one when I am on my off wing and moving into the center. Leave the puck in front of you a bit and stickhandle, the defense will likely go for a poke check as you cut across, all you need to do is grab the puck with the back of the blade, pull it in towards your feet and then pull it across your body. I usually have about 90% success rate with this move, and it looks (and feels) great

Backhand Toe Drag on your backhand Side

This one is done on your backhand side and is the most like the forehand toe drag. What you want to do here is roll the blade right over and actually use the back of the toe of the blade to pull the puck in. This one is pretty tricky to master but I can certainly see it coming in handy, and is helpful to practice for total puck control around your entire body.

Backhand Toe Drag Video

In this video I show you all the versions of the backhand toe drag that I have used on the ice.

Products Used

• Green Biscuit – check out the Green Biscuit review
• Dryland training Tiles – See our Hockey training tiles review

Last summer we wrote a bunch of articles and made quite a few videos to help with stuff like shooting and stickhandling. I get quite a few emails asking for drills or tips for ways to improve these skills off the ice so I thought I would make a collection of links to the articles we have made in the past that will help you this summer.

Off Ice Stickhandling Tips

• How To Stickhandle
  • This article and video share some great tips on stickhandling. There is also a video that every hockey player should watch because I share some tips that helped me improve my stickhandling A LOT
• How To Toe Drag
  • This article and video show you how you can perfect the toe-drag off the ice. I also share a few helpful tips that should help you avoid a few common mistakes when trying to learn.
• 20 Off-ice Stickhandling Drills
  • This article and series of videos from USA Hockey will help give you ideas for all kinds of stickhandling drills you can do at home on your shooting pad

Off Ice Slapshot Training

• How to improve slapshot power and technique
  • Last summer I did a slapshot challenge and was able to improve my slapshot power by 20 MPH! In this article and video I share some tips that really helped
• how to improve slapshot accuracy
  • What good is a powerful shot if you put it 5 feet wide every time, or can’t control where it is going. I show you a bunch of tips for controlling your x and y axis
• Slapshot Tips
  • This article and video goes over some of the common mistakes that people make when trying to learn the slapshot. Watching the video and reading the tips should help you avoid cheating, and help you get the most power from your slapshot

Off Ice Snapshot Tips

• How to take a snapshot
  • There is only one article for the snapshot but I give you a lot of things to practice.

Off Ice Wristshot Tips

• How to take a wrist shot
  • This is a basic article and video showing you how to take a wrist shot. In the video I sum it up in a minute!
• How to improve wrist shot accuracy
  • In this article I give you a bunch of tips for improving wrist shot accuracy and include two videos for shooting high, and for shooting low
• The two types of Wrist Shots
  • This is one of my favourite articles and videos. The video is a bit long but it explains something that I think a lot of beginner players don’t know about and it is very important if you want to score more goals

Recommended products for the Summer

• Roll-up Shooting Pad
  • I love this thing and use it all the time. I had one in my basement and one outside so I could shoot outside and stickhandle in the basement. I later installed the dryland training tiles which are pretty sweet but a tad expensive
• Speet-Trac Radar Gun
  • This is the radar gun I used in the slapshot challenge to improve my speed by 20MPH. The radar gun had a huge roll in helping me improve by giving me instant feedback. It is great for training by yourself, or with friends (you can have a lot of fun challenging them)
• Green biscuit
  • This is by far the best off ice puck out there. The only downfall is that you can’t shoot with it, but it works AMAZINGLY on concrete and ashphalt. I suggest you order 3 or 4 at a time because the shipping is pretty much the same for one puck or 4, and you WILL love it.
• EZ-Goal
  • I got this hockey net last year and beat the snot out of it, but it is still standing. I have dented the posts and ripped the net (150 slapshots a day for a summer will do that to a net) but with a bit of shoelace I fixed the mesh, and the posts are still very solid even with the odd dent (don’t forget I was shooting at 75MPH)
• Slide board
  
  • It is tough to practice your skating over the summer, and when you are stickhandling it sucks to stand still. The slideboard will replicate the motion of skating anywhere in your house. I use my slideboard all the time when stickhandling so it feels more like what it will feel like on the ice.
• A handful of cheap-o hockey sticks
  • If you don’t already have a few cheap sticks I suggest you get some. I always have a hockey stick in my car, a few in my garage and a few in my basement. When friends come over they always have a stick to use, and when I break one of mine I always have another to use. Cheap sticks are good for the summer because the concrete will wear down the blade in no-time, and you don’t want to use your $100 twig! Check this link for a place to buy cheap sticks and other hockey gear

I thought we would take a break from the Deke of Week for the summer and stick to off-ice training, I will be including stickhandling drills and other off-ice tips so you can improve over the summer. One skill that I have gotten a lot of requests for is the saucer pass. If you can send some nice sauce across the ice it looks great, and feels even better! In this article and video I will show you how to pull off a perfect saucer pass

When to use a Saucer Pass

If you have a defencemen trying to get his stick in between your perfect pass you need to lay on the sauce! A saucer pass is perfect to use if you have to get the puck across the ice and over a few obstacles.

How To Saucer Pass

There are a few different ways that you can pull off a nice saucer pass. The easiest way to do this is to simply open the face of the blade of your stick (like a wedge) put some pressure on the puck at the heel of your stick, and then sweep it across the blade and send it when the puck gets to the toe. There is a certain grace and softness you need to possess to pull the pass off, so you will have to practice a lot.

Saucer Pass Video – Forehand, Backhand, Flip Pass, Dangle & Sauce!

Patrick Kane on the Saucer Pass

I found this on youtube and  thought it would be cool to include some pro instructions, big thanks to Bauer for tossing this up!

Tips for Laying the Sauce

• For a high saucer pass start with the blade like a wedge, and pull up a lot as you make the pass
• For a long saucer pass you can take more of a wrist shot motion
• Practice getting the puck landing flat on the ice, you don’t want any wobble!
• Make sure you get the puck to land a few feet before the players blade, you want the puck to settle down before the other player receives it
• Practice stickhandling a bit and then making the saucer pass, this will enable you to make a saucer pass in any situation

How to Flip Pass

The flip pass is a cheeky play but when you can pull it off it looks great and your team mates will love you. Usually a bank pass or saucer pass will do, but when there is no other option the flip pass is the perfect way to air mail somebody a perfect breakaway! Let’s take a look at Kopitar with a couple beauty flip passes

Kopitar with a BEAUTY Flip Pass

Anze Kopitar show’s you how it is done with a really nice flip pass to Dustin Brown

Here is Kopitar with ANOTHER beautiful and perfectly executed flip pass

Tips for the Perfect Flip Pass

• You might think you need to put a lot of power in the flip pass but this is not true, in fact if you push too hard the puck will slide right off your blade. The trick is to do a nice smooth motion
• One method is to use the toe of the blade, pull the puck back a bit, then roll your hands over, open the blade and scoop it right under the puck. Once you feel the puck on the blade give it a nice flick motion while lifting both hands up.
• Another method is to start with the blade open and a few inches off the ice, you want to have the toe pointed slightly towards the ice. Think of this motion like scooping ice cream, you want to roll your wrists while moving the blade down, get under the puck, then lift it up. This is the motion Kopitar uses in the last video
• Check the video tutorial at the top and near the end I give you some tips on the flip pass.
• Remember that you want to land this pass in front of the player so they can pick it up and go, this requires some practice so try it out when you get some ice time.

If you want to dangle the bender and snipe the tender you can subscribe to our blog for more hockey tips!

Products Used

• Dryland training Tiles – See our Hockey training tiles review
• X-passer
• X-Deviator

This is one of my favourite dekes to pull on the defencemen when I am in a one on one situation and the D is matching my speed. If I have speed on the D I will usually pull a simple fake like I have shown in the previous dekes, but if the defencemen is matching your speed and skating backwards I find faking to one side and then tucking the puck under his stick and going the other way is a great way to get past them and freeze them in their spot. Check out the video to see how I do this move

In This Video

Here are a few tips from the video for those of you who like to read

• To prepare for this deke either deke to the outside to get the defensemen to make a move and sweep at you with his stick, or leave the puck out to the side like you are going to skate past him on the outside and then pull the puck across and under his stick
• You have to avoid the stick and the skates, to avoid the stick make sure you push the puck far enough ahead so it isn’t in the D’s sweep zone. Once the D goes for the sweep pull the puck straight across so he can’t catch the puck in his skates.
• This move is easier to pull on an opponent who is the opposite hand of you. A righty going against a lefty will have more success with this move than a righty going against a righty

Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog and youtube channel for more great tips!

If you ever wanted a solid go-to move to break out of your own end, well…here it is. I use this move on a regular basis and it is pretty much fool proof. There is nothing super fancy about this move, but it is very effective and can result in a breakaway in some circumstances.

Bank Shot Video

In This Video

The best time to use this move is if you catch the opposing player standing still, or skating slow near the boards. If you need to get by them you COULD try a risky move, or go with an almost sure thing and just bank the puck off the boards. If you want to be extra sneaky you can fake like you are going to try to squeeze by them along the boards, then just bank the puck off the board and quickly dart the other way and get the puck behind the player.

Key Points

• Best to use if the other player is standing still, or skating slowly
• If you bank the puck low on the boards it will come out closer to the back of the player
• If you bank the puck high on the boards the angle will be different and the puck will land farther away from you, this is a good way to create more distance, or clear the puck
• A tricky move is to fake like you are going to beat the other player along the boards, if he moves to block you or hit you, bank the puck then beat him on the other side
• A fun move to try it to skate to the center, drop the puck and stick between your legs and then bank it off the boards, the other player will not expect this and it could throw them off (try it during practice)

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