Hockey IQ Newsletter

Share this post

What Do Tired Legs and Tired Minds Look Like?

hockeysarsenal.substack.com

Discover more from Hockey IQ Newsletter

The best resource for improving and developing hockey IQ / hockey sense, hosted by Greg Revak.
Over 6,000 subscribers
Continue reading
Sign in

What Do Tired Legs and Tired Minds Look Like?

How to spot when players have played too much hockey

Greg Revak
May 23, 2021
Share

It’s playoff time. It’s an exciting time of the year for hockey fans. It’s also a grueling and taxing experience for the players.

What happens when players are overused and tired? Let’s take a look at a game from the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Columbus vs Tampa series.

The 2020 Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets had just come off a season where many of their best players decided to move on - Matt Duchene, Sergei Bobrovsky, Artemi Panarin, and Ryan Dzingel.

Just like the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, there was a motivated group with something to prove.

In the COVID-shortened season, the Blue Jackets got into the qualifying round and faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in what turned out to be a slugfest.

August (YouTube highlights linked)

  • 2nd = Win 2-0

  • 4th = Loss 0-3

  • 6th = Win 4-3 OT

  • 7th = Loss 3-4 OT

  • 9th = Win 3-0

Instead of a break, they headed directly into the next round with a game on August 11 that resulted in a 2-3 loss in 5 overtimes, almost three full games worth of play!

A few days later, the gusty Blue Jackets found a way to win on the 13th with a 3-1 result. The following game had all the telling signs of a tired team that had battled hard and left everything on the ice.

The Telling Loss

From August 15th, 2-3 loss

Goal #1 - Going straight-legged

Twitter avatar for @CoachRevak
Greg Revak, CFP® @CoachRevak
Are tired legs and mind becoming an issue for CBJ? (A thead) Goal 1: Liam Foudy tries to make a high risk, skilled play instead of the normal safe play... bank off the wall to Gavrikov for the zone entry Puck banks off Bogosian to Cirelli who finds Killorn for break + goal 1/3
Image
1:22 AM ∙ Aug 17, 2020

While the attempt at a skilled play can be chalked up to a youthful rookie error, there are telling signs with the backcheck. Foudy starts with crossovers to get back and quickly succumbs. His power is weaker than normal and eventually ends up with poor knee flexión - commonly referred to “going straight-legged,” where a player’s bend is less their ankles and knees and mostly in their hip.

This happens at the end of long shifts and a key reason why short shifts are a competitive advantage.

Goal #2 - Puck Watching

Twitter avatar for @CoachRevak
Greg Revak, CFP® @CoachRevak
Goal 2: Wennberg gets beat by Brayden Point Center’s job off any faceoff is to make sure they are on the defensive side (side closer to their net) + battle with opposing center Point out works Wennberg to get to the net, gains inside positioning, and puts home the rebound 2/3
Image
1:23 AM ∙ Aug 17, 2020

Watch the center, Wennberg’s head. He loses focus on his assignment as he watches the play happening - commonly known as “puck watching.” At the lower levels, this is extremely common. Sometimes it’s just laziness and unfocused play. In this case, it’s likely due to a tired mind trying to interpret the most efficient next movement and then react in order to save energy.

Goal #3 - Lack of Awareness

Twitter avatar for @CoachRevak
Greg Revak, CFP® @CoachRevak
Nick Foligno #71 simply cannot got straight legged and puck watch CBJ had 4 players back to Tampa Bah Lightning’s 3 Hedman does great job to beat Foligno up ice, get the puck in the slot, and score Long, hard fought games might be catching up with the Jackets 3/3
Image
1:23 AM ∙ Aug 17, 2020

The mind and body are tricky to players sometimes. It’s constantly trying to find shortcuts and players are in a constant battle to overcome them. As players get tired, habits break down. One of those habits that often breaks down first is awareness. Players simply don’t look around as often.

In the above video, Nick Foligno has about a 10-foot head start on the backcheck on Victor Hedman. Foligno stops skating, is straight-legged, and simply has his stick in front as a token deterrent. If he had looked around to gain awareness, he would’ve seen Hedman and taken the extra step or two in order to block the scoring chance.

Pierre Luc-Dubois didn’t help much easier by transitioning with a large loop rather than a tight loop or stop/start.

Telling Signs

Some telling signs of fatigue are when these things happen more frequently:

  • Getting straight-legged; especially early in shifts.

  • Puck watching.

  • Big transition loops over tight turns or stop/starts

  • Lack of awareness

  • Throwing the puck away instead of making hockey decisions.

When players get tired, you can see telling signs like these. In the NHL playoffs, it’s tough to give players time to rest and recover. In youth hockey or during the season, it’s a great practice to notice where players are at and give them rest.

Further Reading

  • What is puck positioning?

  • Using the rink’s natural barriers to your advantage

  • History of hockey goalie’s post play


Did you enjoy this newsletter?

Help us spread the ideas within and share it with the people you care about

Share
Previous
Next
Top
New

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Hockey’s Arsenal
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing