Defenseman: Getting the puck at the blue line – what to do?

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As a defenseman, your job is to stop the opposing team from putting the puck in your net. Of course, it’s much more than this. From playing the man in the slot to re-launching the attack, a defenseman’s tasks vary widely.

Today, we look to help those who play defense and are not quite sure what to do or what decision to make when they receive the puck at the blue line in the offensive zone.

There’s a lot of things to take into consideration here, so let’s break it down step by step.
First of all, you need to be AWARE.  Like any other position in hockey (or any other sport for that matter), you want to know what’s going on in the game. What’s the score? Are you winning or losing? Does either team have a penalty? How much time is left in the period?

These are all questions you need to ask yourself. This should be done before getting on the ice for every shift. Occasional glances up at the score clock is also wise. This may seem silly, but being aware of the game situation and what’s going on is just a measure of the level of hockey sense you possess. For example, good players know when to play passive and when to play aggressive based on the score of the game and how much time is left.

Once you’re aware, you need to LOOK. Where are your teammates? Do you have support if something goes wrong? In other words, if you make a bad play, is your defensive partner there to back you up? Also, where are your opponents? Are they playing man to man or are they just playing zone defense? Is the front of the net open, or is there a battle in front? These are all questions that you must think of and process in a matter of seconds.

As you look, you need to know what you’ll be doing with the puck if it comes to you. You have several options: PASS, SHOOT, WALK- IN, RIM DOWN or SLIDE( in no specific order).
PASSING is a good option. You need to know where you’ll be passing the puck before you get it though. The skill of a defenseman is often measured by his speed of execution, and this means getting the puck and making a quick decision as to what he’s going to do with it.

Before you get the puck, scan the ice. Is your defense partner open and in good position to receive a pass? Are your wingers open on the sides, or is your center open in the slot? This has to go through your mind BEFORE you get the puck. If you get it, move it quickly.

While you scan the ice, if you see that you have no pressure on you, you can afford to keep the puck a little longer and look to either SHOOT or WALK-IN. If you have no pressure at all and can walk into the slot unchallenged, this is your best option. Walk-in until you start to feel pressure, then either take a good shot or dish the puck off to the side to one of your open wingers.

If you have time but not enough to walk in, then you’re shooting. Don’t hesitate. A shot is always a good play, and your coach will never tell you otherwise. You won’t score if you don’t shoot. It doesn’t have to be a perfect shot, just place it on net. You can even direct it to one of your players positioned beside the net for an easy tip-in. Again, all this information should be taken in before you get the puck. Your head and eyes must always be going to be effective. You can learn how to take a hard slapshot here.

If you’re under pressure, you just want to find a shooting-lane and get the puck on net to try and create a rebound and a scoring chance. As you’ll probably have opposing wingers in your face trying to block your shot, take a step in either direction and shoot beside them to avoid their pads. It takes practice but if mastered can be very dangerous. If you hit the pads, it can be a potential breakaway for the other team, and maybe even a goal against.

If you don’t think you can get it by the winger’s pads, then maybe you should be SLIDING. Sliding is when you carry the puck along the blue line as fast as you can to open up the play. If the winger covering you keeps following you, then both the opposing wingers will be on the same side of the ice, giving you an easy outlet pass to where you started from. If the winger stops following you, then you should have a clear shot on net or enough time to make a pass to a teammate. Sliding is used to give yourself more time when you have pressure on you, or to give yourself a shooting-lane when you can’t see the net.

Your last option, which will happen very often, is that you have absolutely no time to react and can only RIM the puck down. This happens when you receive the puck and there’s already a winger in your face, a stick’s length away ready to take the puck off of you. This is when you throw the puck down the wall, hoping your team recovers it. It’s better to do that then to try another play and most probably get it taken away from you which turns into a breakaway for the other team.

RIMMING is always a safe play, but you have to be careful! Rimming all the time doesn’t generate much offense, so don’t abuse it. If you can shoot, shoot. Even if you can only see a shooting-lane beside the net, it’s wise to take it. It can bounce off the boards and come back in front of the net for your team to try and put it in. The boards are your friend, so use them whenever you need to.

These tips should help you make smarter decisions at the blue line. Just remember, you need to know where the puck is going before you receive it. And be aware of the game situation – if you’re down a goal with a few minutes left in the game, it’s OK to pinch in to try and keep the play alive. The opposite is true if you’re up a goal with a few minutes left and you’re not sure you’ll be 1st on the puck. Always be aware!