Fear of scoring!?

Question
QUESTION: Rob
I suffered from this as a kid playing hockey, now my son (12) seems to have inherited it. Maybes its more of a personality psychological thing, but as a hockey expert  maybe you have seen it and can help.
Although a good puck handler and a quick skater, at least in a sprint,he lacks that 'finishing' instinct to simply skate to the net and shoot. He usually ends up  passing the  puck usually to a team mate often in a less desireable position-sometimes even going off side. Its he fears being a ball hog or showboat,but I know he wants to have more goals-his assists are pretty good. I tried to get him to block everything out and focus, but he still becomes extremly self concious. Whats weird is at other times during the game he is quite confident and contribute, even can throw a good clean check.
I have been thinking of a drill on the outside ice-if and when we get any-to just have him skate hard to the net and not focus on anything else-shoot-and get his own rebound.
Other than that I am lost.
Like I mentioned he is like I was. More of a team player than leader.
Thanks for your thoughts!

ANSWER: Bud,

First, thank you for writing.  Second, anyone can score goals.  In fact, there are so many goal scorers out there, that everyone wants to do it.  Goal scoring can sometimes be infectious to a point where the player doesn't even see his team mates.  He can't hear the crowd, he can't hear the coach and/or the whistle.  That's why you see players shoot after the whistle has been blown.

When a player gets like that, it's a very hard habit to break.  Those type of players forget that hockey is a team sport, it's not tennis, it's not football...blah,blah,blah.  It a sport that only skilled players can do.  Well, look at it this way.  If you took any athlete and put them on the ice with a hockey player, they would take two steps and fall.  But you place your son in any other sport, he will be able to do it.  He will be bored, but he could do it.

Currently I am coaching a University team.  But because at this stage in my player's lives, the only thing more important to them are girls and playing on the team attracts a lot of girls.  So puck hogging becomes second nature to my players because they get more attention from the girls...crazy isn't it.

We don't win a whole lot of games because everyone is playing as an individual, rather then as a team.  Beside, what's better for you as a fan?  Too see someone go coast to coast then miss the net or to see them attack in numbers, set the play up, move the puck around to confuse the goalie, and have all of the people in the stands go..."Wow, did you see that passing, it was beautiful!"  

The timing and the movement of the puck,is very hard to teach kids.  Especially when there are no play makers on the team.  When goals are scored by passing, I reaffim that passing is better then coast to coast...9 times out of 10, coast to coast doesn't result in goals unless it's an out and out break-a-way.  Even then, goalies aren't stupid, they know exactly what they are doing.

Not to get off the subject, but why do you think a goalie comes out when the shooter has that brek-a-way...to cut down the angle?  Wrong!  They come out to mind set the shooter. Example: once the shooter crosses a certain point on the ice, the goalie come out to mind set the shooter to deke.  If the goalie stays to deep in the net, then the shooter will shoot in the slot and the goalie will not have a good chance of stopping it due to the closure rate.  Thus less reaction time for the goalie.  But, if the goalie comes out, then the first thing that goes in shooter mind is..."wow, look at all that room behind!"  But, it's just water in the desert.  Once the shooter gets there to drink (deke) the space is gone.  All because the goalie mind set the poor shooter to think...deke.

You probably heard of Claude Lemieux..right?  Well, several years ago, we were shooting the shit and we got on a subject about attacking the zone.  Here's what he told me; "Rob for years and years I have been doing things wrong." Back when I was playing for Detroit Red Wings, I met a Russian player named Sergei Fedorov.  This guy was a scoring machine.  Do, you want to know how he did it?  So, with anticipation, I said...tell me.

He said, "I learned from him, that whoever enters the attacking zone with the puck always gets to shoot.  But before he can shoot, he MUST make the first pass to another player and that player that he passed too, MUST send it back."

So, when I coach, I hate the "Dump and Chase" tactic.  Why?  Because it takes something out of the game.  It leaves out the magic.  Anyone can go throw the damn thing in and go get it, but the team that can control the puck and still enter the zone, is a team that knows how to play together.  If not, it becomes a coast to coast game.  How much fun is that for a fan?

Okay, having said that, how do we get your son to score more goals?  Well that's pretty simple.  If he wants to score more goals, then he needs to be in position to receive the puck. (aka: puck support)  Well, think about this.  When you were a boy playing with your team mates and you both were on a two on one and the defenseman knew how to play that two on one, would you pass the puck to your friend if there was some inkling within your mind that the pass would not be completed or vice a versa?

So how do you make that play work with a 90% score rate?  Simple, once inside the zone with the puck, you take that defensmen out of the equation by moving from a side by side two on one to a position where the non-puck carrier moves towards the middle of the slot so that the pass can be completed back to the high slot or the player moving towards that area.  Then it's a matter of using the defenseman as a screen due to closure rate and the reaction time of the goalie.  The only thing left, is the crying.  Well, on the goalies side.

To penetrate the attacking zone, the only need to do a couple of thing.

1. Don't play linear hockey (skating up the ice within their skating lane)
2. Always cross skating lanes if you have the puck.
3. Always enter the zone on your off wing.
4. Always place the defenseman into a two on one as you enter the zone, then switch.

Let talk about number 3: Enter the zone on your off wing.  If you shoot left and you enter on the left side, you limit yourself by skating out side the scoring zone towards the boards.  If you try to turn towards the center ice, you no longer have puck protection because now the puck is closer to the defenseman then you are.  If you shoot left, it's always better to enter the zone on your off wing, which means the right side.  Why?  Now, when you turn towards open ice, it places you shot on the forehand, instead of the backhand (if you go on your on wing or the left side).  Plus, when you enter on the right side (if you shoot left)once you turn, the puck is on the outside where you now have your body between the puck and the defenseman.  This is called puck protection.

If you find yourself, entering the zone on your on wing...relax.  Do not be quick to get rid of puck, it only becomes a turn-over.  In fact, if you don't have a great shot, take it behind the net and set it up.  This means, once you get behind the net with the puck....stop!  Don't come out the other end.  Use the net for protection.  Then look for the trailing winger moving into the slot and pass on the stick side of the goalie.  If you do it on the glove side, the goalie has better chance of poke checking it with his stick.  Where as, on the stick side he has less mobility do to the shaft.

Last, there is nothing better in the world then to see a forward line clicking and working together in the magic.  It good for the team, and good for the fans watching. When I have a goal scored on you team, the playmaker get more recognition then the player that makes the goal.  Why?  Anyone can shoot, but it take a smarter player to see the play opening and take advantage of those scoring windows.  Playmakers are a rare gift to a coach, and in 30+ years, I have only had those types of players 5 times in my coaching career.  

Getting shooter to become play makers is one of the hardest things a coach can do.  Especially when the only thing they want to do is score.  When you have nothing but puck hogs, it reduces the cohesion and the comradery of the team.  You will find players slacking to puck support because they know they will never see the puck on their sticks, even if they skate there ass off too puck support.  The next thing you know, you will have players fighting each other because the "Black Holes" only think about themselves and not the team as a whole.  A really good movie to watch is the "Drumline"  It has everything to do with team work and the ability to being a team player.

I hoped that some of this stuff answered your question and thank you again for writing.

Rob Lopez - CEO / Commissioner
Pass the Puck, Inc. / University Ice Hockey League - Mexico
www.passthepuck.net / www.toroshockey.com.mx

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: THanks for the great tips! BTW I doidnt think there was college hockey in Mexico? Can you give me some info on that?

Answer
Sure! I travel all over North America building rink programs for rink owners that are about to go under.  One of the programs I build are hockey programs.  When I got here 15 months ago, there was a lot of killing going on, but things are much better now.  

At the time, no parents wanted to risk bringing their kids to the rink.  But, you know college kids, they think they are invincible and that they will live for every.  So, I started a University league that is now spreading across the country.  Sounds good...right?  Well, now that it is built everyone wants to run it.  

There's always someone that feels they can do a better job...LOL.  But, growth in ice hockey down here is very slow because the people running the federation are only into one thing...money.  It is a for profit federation and none of the kids get selected unless your daddy has money.  This way when the federation travels all over the world, they can live in the lap of luxury they are accustom too.

But, because I built this University programs, we are going to start registering kids underneath the University names, bi-passing the federation.  However, I'm really ready to come home.  Well home!  Anywhere but here.  I would love to find a GM (Ice Rink)in Seattle, Minnesota, Boston, or Canada....China would be nice.

Well, if you want, you can check out this website: www.toroshockey.com.mx  There you will see a listing of all of the Universities within the league.  This year, I also developed a JV league.  But it's really hard down here to get players involved because the ones that are playing, feel they should be playing for free...so they don't pay and the boss ends up kicking them out of the program.  Oh well, such is life.  You have to pay to play.

A 13 week mens program down here costs about $1850 peso or $135 usd. and they fell it cost too much.  They don't know what expensive is.  Wait until they go play anywhere else...it's double.  Last year, the boss was giving away free beer...if you joined the league.  I know, crazy.  But a lot of the players didn't want to sign up because they wanted whiskey instead...go figure.

I have run my web site Pass the Puck (.net)for about 13 years and if you know of anyone that would like free drills, all they have to do is sign up...no cost to sign up.

Take care and have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Rob