Category: Blogs
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Pletsch: Michigan names to keep an eye on during B1G second half
By Fred Pletsch – There are 33 Michiganders rostered on Big Ten men’s college teams this season. The Kris Draper-numbered allotment is led by Michigan State (18) and Michigan (12) with Penn State contributing a pair and Ohio State a single skater. Here’s a projection of the players that will have the biggest impact as…
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Eliot: The Winter Classic is over, but the hockey excitement has just begun
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By Darren Eliot – The Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium and the Hockeytown Winter Festival at Comerica Park have come and gone. Both left lasting images and memories that will endure the test of time in these parts. I got the sense that the special bond between players and fans/fans and players that is…
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From The Crease: Mental Toughness (Part 1 of 2)
By guest writer Dave DeSander – Over the past decade of coaching summer camps, private lessons, and team practices, I’ve seen hundreds of goaltenders display near-perfect technical skills in their game. Through countless hours of practice, training, and off-ice work, these goalies get better physically year after year. Yet, the one skill that separates the…
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Eliot: “Play the game”
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By Darren Eliot – The Detroit Red Wings, in the midst of a 0-5-2 winless stretch, talked about working harder, not “gripping the sticks too tightly” and generating chances heading into their game against Carolina. Those are common platitudes players default to when things aren’t going well. We have all heard them before. Coach Mike…
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Eliot: Both positives and negatives in Red Wings’ OT woes
By Darren Eliot – If you’re a Red Wings fan, all you can think about is their implausible 0-0-5 record over their past five games. How you view that depends on your sensibility. Certainly, there is frustration for all involved in not picking up those all-important bonus points available in overtime and then the…
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Jeff Lerg: How to be successful in shootouts
One of the most exciting plays in hockey is the breakaway. This one-on-one situation can even garner the attention of the most talkative hockey moms. The chaos of the game seems to disappear and all of the attention is now on just two players. A breakaway save can be a big momentum swing in the…
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Jeff Lerg: A goalie quickness drill to try at your next practice
Here is a drill that I grew up doing with my goalie coach, just for the sole purpose of working on quickness and full-out explosiveness. Three stationary shooters should try to time each shot, so it is a difficult but savable shot. I try to make it fast to work on going from extension mode…
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Eliot: Argument to keep fighting in hockey is now punchless
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By Darren Eliot – Fighting in hockey: It is a fight the game can no longer rationalize, nor win. Not in today’s climate of player safety, where protecting the head is a priority and sensitivity to the risk of concussion is top of mind in society at large. It is a sentiment Steve Yzerman…
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Eliot: Wings focused on internal changes, not schedule changes
By Darren Eliot – Hockey is finally underway in these parts. I know, the USHL and OHL began a couple of weeks ago and UM kicks of its season with a preseason game on Sunday. But, the NHL being officially back – on time, I might add, after last season’s lockout-shortened campaign – signals…
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Jeff Lerg: Stick involvement a skill that has been neglected for goaltenders
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By Jeff Lerg – If you ever watch highlight videos of a game from the past generations, you will quickly notice the different style of play of the goaltenders from then until now. Almost everyone will agree that the modern butterfly style gets the job done better than the stand-up style from the 1980s. The…