The Art Of - Keeping Your Feet Moving

I am sure that so many young players out there often hear coaches screaming - "KEEP YOUR FEET MOVING!"  This is a simple thing to do and easy to understand.  Now, don't get me wrong, I understand, as should you, that there are times when you should "save your legs" while out on the ice.  During your shift, you're not going to be flying around like a chicken with your head cut-off for its entirety.  There are moments when you just simply need to keep your feet moving.  It's simple.  Don't stop skating.  Crossovers.  Stride.  Quick.  Strong.  MOVE!  (I hear my coaching voice come out on those last few words)

In a game on December 27th versus the Carolina Hurricanes, Chris Kunitz of the Pittsburgh Penguins received a zone exit pass from Evgeni Malkin.  When you see Kunitz get the puck, it doesn't look like there is much space to go.  What's he do?  He keeps his feet moving towards the open ice.  Scroll ahead to the 00:45 mark of this video...

See how easy?  If Kunitz stops his feet from moving in that situation, it's an EASY play for Canes D-man Tim Gleason.  Instead, Kunitz charged the middle of the ice and Gleason's feet couldn't keep up.  As a defensman, you always want a few feet to get up to speed moving backwards.  Because Kunitz kept his feet moving, he beat both Canes defensemen to the middle of the ice and got a great shot on goal.  If you didn't notice, watch Bryan Allen, #5 of the Hurricanes again.  What does he do?  If you're still not sure, he STOPPED skating.  Yeah, it looks like Gleason has Kunitz wrapped up but it doesn't matter.  If the puck is going towards your goal, you have to do everything you can to get the puck out of the danger area.  As much as Kunitz's hard ward should be lauded in this play, Allen's should brought to the forefront as well.  That goal probably does not happen if Allen keeps skating.  Kunitz's speed and ability to keep his feet moving in traffic lead to a tying goal for the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Neal's goal wasn't pretty, but it doesn't matter.  A goal is a goal.  Plain and simple.  Kunitz is a blue-collar hockey player who is a "north-south" kind of guy, a guy coaches love (I will get into "north-soouth" another day).  He skates in straight lines, STRAIGHT to his target.  He works hard and always keeps his feet moving.  In this instance, it lead to a goal.

So when you hear your coach screaming at you to keep skating, DO IT.  Don't do what the other players are doing around you.  YOU need to always dictate the play.  If your opponent is moving slow, you speed up.  If you're on a forecheck and a defensman stops skating, move faster and be the first guy to the puck.  If you work hard and keep your feet moving, you will be rewarded.

Work Hard.  Have Fun.  And always KEEP YOUR FEET MOVING!

*Have to throw a quick shout out to former Ferris State Bulldog (my alma mater) Chris Kunitz.  Still, to this day, making us BULLDOGS proud!

 

One of the Greatest Coaches of All Time - Tom Landry

"A coach is someone who tells you what you don't want to hear, who has you see what you don't want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be."

Welcome to Coach Wagner's Blog!

I live, eat, sleep, breathe, just all around love this great game of ice hockey.  I've seen the best it has to offer.  I've unfortunately seen the worst.  This is my vehicle, this is my way of communicating to the world of ice hoceky some of the things I see and experience on a weekly basis.  The good.  The great.  The bad.  And of course, the ugly! 

I coach the Carolina Lightning in Raleigh, NC.  A great organization that is run by people that have the same beliefs that I do (for the most part).  Kids first.  Fun.  And Discipline.  I'm a very strict coach.  I preach discipline, respect, standard, pride, integrity and sportsmanship - oh yeah, and FUN!  I would rather win a game 4-2 with an empty-netter as the clock winds down than win 14-1.  I've coached teams in both spots.  We've won big, we've lost big, we've won championships, we've struggled, but all in all, it's about coaching the kids.  Not winning and losing. 

So this is where it all begins.  This is where I tell you what I am thinking.  What I see.  Where I get to complain about the officials, or applaud them.  Where I get to talk about what makes coaching great and what makes coaching rather challenging.  Yes, when coaching 15 and 16 year old boys, there are HUGE challenges.  I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Welcome to my world.  Coach Wagner's world.  I coach with a strong fist and a heavy heart.  I demand that the kids play a certain way - a way they would like to be played against.  So here we go.  This is my life as a Coach.  Let the fun....Begin!

Disclaimer - these are my thoughts and my thoughts alone.  They do not represent those of the organizations which I Coach.