Analyzing some great skaters
By Robby Glantz

From time to time I like to discuss the skating strengths of current NHL players. We do this to give you a
different perspective while watching these players perform, one that will help you improve your own skating
by better understanding what makes these players move so fluidly on the ice.

Joey Juneau
Blinding speed is what comes to mind when you think of the young star of the Washington Capitals.
However, he has the turning and stop-on-a-dime ability to go along with his speed, and that keeps
opponents back on their heels. What to look for: Juneau has such an impressive kneebend. His knees are
bent at the perfect 90” angle in all the maneuvers he performs in a game. Focus on his ability to keep his
body position low and his weight centered directly over his skates. In the forward stride, he has the great
ability to thrust his entire edge against the ice, rolling from the back of the blade to the front, to attain his
explosive speed.

Sergei Makarov
Had Makarov played in the NHL during his prime he would definitely have been considered one of the
league’s all-time greats. But even today, his excellent skating and play-making skills are quite evident as he
continues to be a leader on the Dallas Stars. What to look for: Makarov is a smaller player who uses his size
to his advantage. He has a tremendously low center of gravity and superb balance, which makes him
difficult to knock off of his feet. Notice how Makarov skates with a bowlegged style. Keeping the knees
turned outward is vital for being able to push your legs in the proper direction when skating. Also, he keeps a
very wide base when making lateral (side-to-side) moves, which keeps defenseman guessing as to which
direction he will be going.

Mike Modano
Modano is the marquee attraction for the Dallas Stars. He is one of those players who plays the game and
skates so smoothly that he appears to be moving effortlessly. However, it is excellent technique and
Yzerman: Strong and consistent skater.
fundamentals, combined with hard work, that are behind his great skills. What to look for: Modano is a taller
player who uses his long stride to full advantage. By fully extending his leg on every stride, he is able to
cover more distance and gain speed without having to use as many pushes as the average player. Modano
also has a great ability to explode wide on an opponent because of his excellent crossover technique. Notice
how he remains square to the ice with his upper body even (keeping his inside shoulder up) while on an
extreme angle with his lower body. This balance is what gives him the ability to perform such fast crossovers.

Luc Robitaille
So his straight-ahead speed is not that of a Paul Coffey. How is it, then, that Robitaille can constantly beat
defenseman to the spot, putting himself in position to score? For starters, Luc has great balance and knee
bend. And rather than going to the front of the net and standing on the flats of his skates, Luc always
attempts to plant himself squarely and powerfully over his edges. He uses his edges masterfully (at the
proper 45° angle) to grip the ice, and he is very tough to move.
One of the most underrated aspects of Luc’s game is also his work in the corners and along the boards. The
next time you watch a Rangers game, focus on how Luc gets lower than the checker when scrapping for the
puck. Try and see how he uses his edges when he is battling along the boards, rolling them deeply into the
ice in order to ward off the defender and still make a play. And Luc uses his outside edges as well as
anyone in the league; he can turn very quickly and has the ability to stop on a dime.

Jaromir Jagr
The great Czech winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins is what I would describe as deceptively fast. He doesn’t
have to move his legs 1000 miles per hour to generate speed. Instead, he uses full extension on every stride
and seems never to waste a push. Also, for a big player, Jagr is tremendously sturdy and has super balance.
He accomplishes this by using proper techniques that most big players seem unwilling to attempt. That is,
he keeps excellent knee bend throughout the game so he can best utilize his strong legs and, in turn, lower
his center of gravity.
If you think back to Pittsburgh’s last Stanley Cup run, you undoubtedly remember some of Jagr’s dazzling
plays and moves. In analyzing slow-motion videotape of Jagr, it’s amazing to see the strength of his ankles
and how effectively he uses edges by putting all his body weight over them—driving around defenders and
making them look as if they’re standing still.

Steve Yzerman
Yzerman, like Robitaille, is also so consistent and strong over his skates that we tend to take his exceptional
skills for granted. Yzerman can turn a defenseman inside out, perhaps better than anyone in the league.
Whereas most players feel more comfortable going to their backhand, Yzerman is extremely strong at
making his “skating” moves to the forehand. He has the great ability to make a tight turn on an extreme
outside edge (halfway to the ice) and come out of it without losing any speed by crossing over and springing
forward onto the inside edge of his toes. He gets that extra burst of acceleration, and manages to control the
puck as well.

Yzerman also has the ability to shoot hard and accurately while going full speed. He keeps excellent body
control, and uses his edges to drive off of, and then to land on during the follow-through—which is perfect
shooting technique.
Hopefully, these illustrations of the skills of some of the NHL’s superstars will help you understand that you
don’t have to be the fastest player on your team to be an effective player. Likewise, while having flat-out
speed is important, and certainly one of our goals, you don’t have to be the fastest skater to be the best
“power skater.”
Work hard on all aspects of your skating because each one is vital to the game. But don’t be surprised when
you hear people calling the local talk shows and saying things like, “Sure he scores a lot of points, but he
doesn’t skate very fast.”
I’ll tell you this much—I’d sure like to skate as “slow” as these guys!

Robby Glantz, power skating coach for the Los Angeles Kings, Swedish Champions Malmö, and the
German National Team, conducts skating programs throughout North America and Europe.

So Folks, this is the last Philosophical insert for a while before I start to get into Individual and Team Technical/Tactical stuff….. Keep in mind that I am known to ramble and rant from time to time, so don't be surprised when another Philosophical page is posted…

Continuing on with the theme of "Long-Term Development" which I touched upon in my last posting, I want to talk about a model that I believe in, and which is validated by the BC Athlete Training Manual focusing on hockey players.

As many people can attest to with whom I have conversed with on the subject of hockey in general, I believe certain "things" should be stressed at certain ages/levels of hockey. Since returning from Europe after hanging up the blades on my playing career, I have noticed two glaring deficiencies in hockey players in NB…. HOCKEY "IQ", and "passing", which go hand-in-hand.

As I have mentioned in previous postings, I believe the number 1 skill to have is "Hockey IQ", period. Just looking at Skating (Individual skill which can always be taught), player "A" may not be the fastest, but he knows when to skate fast or slow, and he anticipates well which makes up for lack of speed. At the end of the day, player "A" will be more effective in a game, than player "B" who can skate like the wind, and looks terrific doing it, but goes 100 km/h in a 30 km/h zone most times, and goes 30 in a 100 zone the rest of the time….. Player "B" will simply not be where he should be, "when" he should be there. Now, let's say Player "A" and player "B" both can pass the puck well (which is for me the # 2 most important skill), but because player "B" is flying around the ice being fast all the time, for the entire shift, he doesn't pass the puck at a young age, and therefore doesn't learn "When" to pass it as he gets older. By the time player "B" gets to an older age group like Bantam or Midget, where the space on the Ice has all but disappeared from when he was in Novice or Atom, he simply skates into pressure himself and takes away his own time and space, never learning "When" to pass. It is also known as "…going nowhere, fast…" . Player "A" on the other hand, who can't skate quite as well as player "B", developed at a young age the "IQ" to slow down and draw players to him instead of always trying to skate away from them (a rink is enclosed guys…. You can't get away from all 5 opponents all the time. They will time you and catch you…), and when the opponent(s) have committed to him, he simply passes the puck "when" he should... and not "when" he has to. It is too late then. By the Time Player "B" waits until he has no more time, space, and options to pass, and isn't aware of where his support is, he hasn't calculated into to the equation that since he took so long, the opponent has also taken away the time and space of his own support (team-mates). This usually equals a turn-over and bad Defensive positioning, and depending on where this happens on the Ice, it usually results in a face-off at Center Ice and a minus-1 for player "B" and his line-mates.

One of the better and more effective ways of teaching/developing "Hockey IQ" and passing skills, is to learn skills in small areas. Even play games in smaller areas. This forces the players to make quicker decisions, find their support early (head up), read the opponent, anticipate, do things "when" they should and not simply rely on their speed, AND IT IS FUN. It also teaches young players to move to open areas when they don't have the puck. This is IMPERATIVE to do at the youngest of ages so the players can start developing these skills through "trial and error"…. Along the lines of " Oooops, that pass didn't work, maybe I will do it earlier next time", or "I am not getting the puck here, maybe I will try over there"…. Etc. Don't get me wrong, SPEED is very important in today's game, but it is only effective when used properly. Compare it to a Pitcher in Baseball…… If a pitcher can throw a 96 mph fastball, straight as an arrow for strikes all the time, that is good. But if he doesn't have an off-speed speed pitch like a change-up, curve-ball, split finger or slider etc… which changes the velocity and movement (E-W or N-S) of the ball, then a good hitter will time his fastball, catch up to it, and simply deposit it over the center field fence every third at bat……. A hockey player must keep the opponent off balance with his speed and movement, just like a pitcher with 3 or 4 different velocity and movement pitches, does to a batter. The longer it takes a Pitcher, and a Hockey Player to figure that out, the longer it will take them to get to the higher "next levels". This is what the TV hockey analyst Pierre MacGuire (like him or not) refers to in part, as "…getting "IT"…".

As promised, below is the model from the BC Hockey Training Manual which shows generally what should be focused on by Coaches, and at what ages.

In finishing with the "Thinking" motto, here are some thoughts:

Henry Ford once said "Whether you think you can, or think you can't, you are right."

Once players realize that their thoughts affect and determine their performance, all they have to do is decide what kind of performance they want!! They can become a Champion, but only when they think like one!

Remember:

"…Luck is simply the combination of Preparation meeting Opportunity…"

- Jamie McKinley