We didn’t even do one meat grinder

So there I was, already to start work on some nifty plays when I decided to scrap the whole practice I had planned and just skate the puck all night. It was a little cold in the rink and I know enough to keep everyone moving to stay warm. Tuesdays are traditionally our skating night. Mondays we work on the small stuff that needs tweaking. What we work on follows the same methodology I’ve used for many years, but what I see in practice and games sometimes redirects what we work on. At the beginning of the season I told the team that I wanted to work on “over speed and under handling”. That boils down to skating faster than is comfortable for each player, and moving the puck without over stick handling, which can slow puck movement. We have been improving in both aspects. The more we work on both together the better I see the players move the puck quickly down the ice. Another limitation we have broken through has been our transitioning from defensive play to offensive pressure in the neutral zone. Our defense quickly becomes our offense and our forwards are not so quick to back off knowing that they can regain the puck if needed without a wholesale retreat. Some teams back off too soon and allow us to push them back into their own zone. Tonight we split into two groups. One end of the ice was set up for a 3 on 3 cross ice, and the other two thirds was used for sprints to the puck off the end boards with and without sticks. We made a game of getting as many pucks back to the centerline as possible forcing the players to compete with speed and later trying to steal pucks from each other with poke checking and dekes.
After a few short water breaks mixed throughout the practice we went end to end with two on twos and then later 3 on twos making use of both end nets. Popping the puck out at center with the occasional slide to the offense allowed us to control the flow of the attack and counter attack. Remember it's important to stay hydrated during practice and let the coaches know if you don't feel well or need to rest. Pushing the limits is one thing, but you also have to listen to your body when it tells you enough is enough.. At the end of practice we had an elimination race around 75% of the rink. They skated hard. On the way home my son said to me: “ I thought we were going to have a hard skate tonight, we didn’t even do one meat grinder!” ……………………Really?