Hockey How-to’s

Hockey is a complicated sport that many people are intimidated by when they first see it played.  It can be overwhelming, what with ten skaters on the ice at once, plenty of lines, fast action and of course, whistles.  However, when you break it down it’s actually a simple enough game that shouldn’t scare anyone away.

The most essential skill to learn in order to play hockey is skating of course.  You can’t be a good hockey player without being a good, strong skater.

So, here are some tips to help you get on the ice and get moving.

1.  Let’s start with tying your skates.  It’s important that the skates are tight and support your ankles well, you don’t want them to be loose at all.  However, you don’t want them to be too tight to hurt or stop circulation.

2.  Now it’s time to start some basic balance techniques.  No sense starting to do too much and falling and getting wiped out.

3.  Time to start moving a bit more now.  This will help you keep your movements correct and conserve your energy.

4.  Crossovers are an important part of being a good skater.  They help you skate with power, change direction and gain speed quickly.  This is a figure skating video but just as valuable.

5.  It’s always important when you’re skating that you actually know how to stop as well.  Otherwise, you will probably be introduced to either the boards or the net in a somewhat rude fashion.

6.  Congrats, you’re skating.  And hopefully stopping… but hockey is a two-way game and you will have to learn how to skate backwards just as well as forwards.

7.  Eventually we’ll have to add the stick to the mix.  You’ll need to learn how to stick handle or you won’t be getting by anyone, and you won’t be scoring either.

8.  Now that you can move the puck, its time to learn how to shoot it.  Wrist shots offer a quick release and are more accurate than slapshots generally.

9.  Slapshots are more powerful then wrist shots and move at a greater velocity, but it takes alot of skill and practice to do them right.

10.  Alright, you’ve conquered basic skating skills and puckhandling techniques.  You learned some basic shots, and how to put the puck in the net.  Now all that remains is lighting the lamp like these guys and figuring out how you’ll celebrate.

Busy Week Over

Well, we are five games deep into this season long seven game homestand, and the Wolf Pack have posted a 4-1 record thus far.

Wins over Portland, Manchester, Philadelphia and Albany put the Wolf Pack into a tie for points for second place in the Atlantic Division with 11.  So far, the division looks to be pretty tight, with Portland and Providence pacing the division with 13 points each, and Hartford and Springfield following up with 11.

Unfortunately, there were also injuries to Dane Byers and Brian Fahey, but hopefully the recalled Andreas Jamtin and David Urquhart can help to fill some of the voids left by those guys.

One last weekend of home games coming up before the Pack hit the road, they will face Worcester for the second week in a row, as well as Springfield for the second time.