by Jeff Serowik, former NHL'er and owner of Pro Ambitions Hockey, Inc
December 6, 2002
A former teammate of mine Yanic Perreault who plays with
the Montreal Canadiens now makes 2 million per year because
he’s one of the leagues premier face-off guys. NHL
GM’s value these guys like goal scorers because the
more face-offs your team wins the more puck possession
the team has thus creating a winning environment.
Face-offs are all 5 guys (I refer to guys in this article
but I haven’t forgotten about the girls) responsibilities.
Each guy on the ice has a job and needs to pull his weight.
The center is the leader on the ice and needs to make sure
all guys know their responsibilities each and every time
a face off is taken.
In the Offensive Zone the center has 3 options:
Win the puck back to defenseman for
a shot and all forwards hold up their opponent and crash
the net for screens and rebounds.
Push the puck forward and
trying to either get a shot on net off the face off or
put it in the general vicinity of the net and crash for
rebounds.
Tie the opponents stick up and
have your winger come in and get puck
Typical alignment on these face offs is wingers on either side of center.
The guy in front of the net holds up his guy and then goes to net for
screens.
The winger on the boards is assisting the center for loose pucks and
going into corner to fight for puck if the center loses the draw.
In the Neutral Zone the center has the same types of options
listed above, but is ultimately trying to win the face-off
and gain possession of the puck. Wingers must hold up and
then get open for a pass from defenseman.
Defenseman must be ready to receive puck and either move it to your defensive
partner, pass to the wing or center, or dump it in. (If you dump the puck
in, it must be either a soft dump-a chip in so the wingers can chase after
it, or a hard rimmed dump that the goalie can’t stop behind the net.
If you dump the puck in and the goalie stops it and gains possession it’s
a give away).
Tip: It’s imperative
that wherever the puck is you must support the puck. This
means you must always face the puck, open up your body
and be ready for a pass with stick on the ice. You never
want to have your back to the puck because if a pass comes
you won’t see it.
In the Defensive Zone possession is the vital. The center
must make sure his linemates know their responsibilities.
The center has the same 3 options listed above but wingers
can have several different alignments. I generally like
to have the wingers on each side of the center. The winger’s
job if the face-off is lost is to get out to the defense
and prevent them from shooting the puck. You have to battle
through hold-ups, stick on the ice and take out your defenseman.
If the defenseman knows he is going to get punished every
time he shoots the puck he will rush the shot and get it
blocked or it will be a soft shot. I broke my nose 2 different
times shooting the puck from the point in games as a pro.
The forwards came at me so hard and try to intimidate you.
I broke my beak when the forward threw his shoulder or
stick in my face after I shot the puck. Needless to say,
I rushed my shot and paid the price.
If the center wins the face-off the defenseman grabs
the puck and goes behind the net with breakaway speed and
hits his winger on the far side. This is an art and needs
to be worked on with the coach putting pressure on the
defenseman to simulate game situations. Defenseman should
always stay tight to the net and use it as a deterrent
from the opponent. After you pass the puck the defense
must skate up ice as hard as he can to try and create offense
as a 4th attacker or if the puck is turned over the defense
has great gap (right in the face of the other team)
Tips for taking a face-off:
Great knee bend
Grip the stick with one hand on top of shaft and the
other hand really low on shaft for leverage
Watch the referees hand and try to bat the puck out
of the air as he’s dropping puck
If your having trouble winning face-offs in a particular
game, at least neutralize your opponent and tie his stick
up and have your winger come get the puck.
Believe you can win every face-off and take tremendous
pride in it.
All forwards should be aware of how to take face-offs
in case the center gets bumped out.
I hope this helps,
Have fun,
Jeff Serowik, President
Pro Ambitions Hockey, Inc.
PO Box 565 Dover, MA 02030
508 497-1089 www.proambitions.com
PS REMEMBER ANTIMIDATION AND PERCEPTION IS VITAL IN HOCKEY.
WHEN YOU GO INTO THE FACE OFF CIRCLE LOOK LIKE A HOCKEY
PLAYER. KNEES BENT, 2 HANDS AND A SCOWL ON YOUR FACE. IN
A 1 ON 1 BATTLE ONLY ONE PERSON CAN WIN MAKE SURE IT’S
YOU.
