Hey there! It s Ben from BuiltforHockey.com Hopefully you ve had a chance to sit down and go through the Hockey IQ Quiz. If you haven t, check your inbox now for the quiz and complete it before moving on (if for some reason you didn t receive it, send me an email at ben@builtforhockey.com and I ll send you another copy). As I mentioned at the beginning of the quiz, the real value you ll get out of this exercise will come from the answers & explanations for each question that I m about to share with you. That s why it s imperative that you sit down and really take the quiz without glancing at the answers in this document. It s easy to just look at the answers and assume that you would have done the right thing, but it s more challenging when you don t have the answers in front of you. Do yourself and your hockey skills a favor and only look at the answers after you ve completed the quiz. It might help you pinpoint a part of your game that really needs work and that can make all the difference if you re a serious hockey player trying to get better. That being said, if you re ready for the answers, here they are! ***Spoiler Alert*** PART I True or False (15 Questions / 15 points) 1) When screening the opposing goalie as a forward, it's best to be behind the opposing defenseman (ie: in between the opposing defenseman and the goalie). Reason: As a forward screening the goalie, it s better to be in front of the defenseman in order to try and deflect an incoming puck. Defenders are told to try and front attackers, which essentially means get in front of them so they can block the incoming shot from the point or the high crease. As such, it will be a battle for better positioning between you and the defenseman. Your best bet to gain an advantage is to not remain stationary in front of the net. Instead, float around the crease and get into the advantageous position just as your teammate is about to let his shot go. This way, the opposing defenseman won t have time to go around you and position himself in front of you in order to try and block the shot.
2) The most effective way to backcheck is by the boards (outside) rather than by the middle (inside). Reason: The most effective way to backcheck is by going down the middle of the ice, because it s the shortest distance and thus the fastest way to get from point A to point B. It s also better to backcheck down the middle because you re never too far from the play and can adjust accordingly to any situation. 3) As a defenseman on the offensive blueline trying to keep the play alive, your most important cue to follow through with a pinch along the boards is if you re sure you can play the body and eliminate the winger from jumping up on the rush. Reason: While making sure you re able to eliminate the winger from joining the rush is important, it isn t the most important. Keeping the puck in at all costs is what most coaches will teach you. If your coach doesn t mind you pinching as long as you prevent an attacker from joining the rush then that s understandable his system is probably built to compensate for your defensemen pinching and so it s OK in this case. However, 9.5 times out of 10, the only time you should pinch is if you re absolutely sure you can keep the puck in the zone. If you re a rec league player, you most likely fall in this category. Remember this line: If you don t know, don t go. 4) As a center, you should always be the first man out of your zone to start the attack. Reason: As a center, your job is to help support your teammates in order to get the puck out of the zone as fast as possible while remaining a safety valve for your defensemen. As such, you will most likely not be first out of your zone on many occasions. You re usually too low in the zone either supporting your defensemen or wingers to be the first man out of your zone. If you re a centerman that s always first out of the zone, you should re evaluate your playstyle. 5) The quickest way to regain confidence in your skills when you re in a scoring slump is to try and complete a nice move against your opponent at some point during the game to get your confidence back. Reason: Unfortunately, trying to pull off a dazzling toe drag is not the way to regain your confidence. If you pull it off, you ll feel a little better. But if you miss it, you ll feel much worse and your coach and teammates will give you an earful. The best way to regain your confidence is to go back to the basics and keep things simple until you find your comfort
again. Make simple passes, chip pucks by defenders, and focus on not getting caught out of position that s when you start to force the play and make mistakes. Once concept I like to use is play ugly hockey play as if you re playing on a bad outdoor rink where there s a ton of snow and all you can do is move the puck forward and keep the play going. Little by little, the confidence will come back and you ll be doing toe drags in no time. 6) On a breakaway, you notice the goalie is deep in his crease. Your best chance at scoring a goal is to deke. Reason: If the goalie is deep in his crease, your best chance at scoring a goal is to shoot. The deeper the goaltender is in his net, the more openings there will be for you to shoot at. This is of course a rule of thumb if you re Patrick Kane, you can deke any time you want. 7) On a breakaway, you notice the goalie is high up in his crease. Your best chance at scoring a goal is to deke. Answer: True Reason: If the goalie is high up in his crease, this means you have a better chance of scoring off a deke as he s covering more of the net due to being out so far. Your best bet is to try and freeze him with a move at about the hash mark height. Then, use your speed to take him to one side and react from there five hole if his stick is out of position during his lateral slide, up high if his glove/blocker is low and the bottom corner is covered, and down low if you simply beat him to his post. 8) As a center in both the defensive and offensive zones, your initial job directly after the face off remains the same. Answer: True Reason: As a centerman, your initial job off the face off whether you re in the offensive or defensive zone is always to lock up your opposing centerman. It may not be for long, but at least until your team has possession of the puck. Tie up his stick for a quick second this should give you enough time to read the play and adapt to either an offensive or defensive situation. On offense, you ll most likely be jumping in to help breakout of the zone or start the attack. On defense, you ll most likely tie him up longer so he can t get open for a scoring chance. 9) As a center in the defensive zone, your initial job directly after the face off changes depending on if you won or lost the draw.
Reason: As mentioned above, your initial job should still be to tie up your opposing centerman s stick regardless of whether you win or lose the draw in your defensive zone in order to give yourself time to react to what s happening. 10) When trying to score with a lot of traffic in front of the opposing net (both teammates and opponents), it s best to shoot top glove or high blocker to assure that your shot gets through to the net and doesn t hit any sticks or skates in the way. Reason: When trying to score with a lot of traffic in front of the opposing net, your best bet is to shoot the puck a few inches off the ice just a little higher than the goalie s pads. This makes it too high for players to get with their sticks or block with their skates but low enough so that players can t catch it with their gloves or block it with their chests. The reality is that there s a ton of traffic both along the ice and up high the sweet spot is a few inches off the ice to clear skate, stick, and goalie pad level. 11) When you re on the powerplay (5 on 4) and the opposing team gets another penalty while in your own zone, it s best to keep the puck and set up your breakout so you can head down the ice 6 on 4 after your goalie gets to the bench and an extra attacker jumps on. Reason: When you re on a powerplay and the opposing team gets another penalty while you have control of the puck in your own zone, it s best to give the opposing team the puck right away so that the referee will blow the whistle. This way, the time stops and you get more powerplay time at 5on3 rather than simply 5on4. Plus, you save the time it would take you to break out of your zone and take the puck down the ice. This makes the extra attacker you re allowed to put on while the call has not yet been made not as attractive. 12) When you re on the powerplay (5 on 4) and the opposing team gets another penalty while you re in their zone attacking, it s best to give the puck away to the opposing team so the play can stop and you can have more 5 on 3 time. Answer: It depends! Reason: Here, the opposing team gets another a penalty while you re in the offensive zone. You can either give them the puck right away and take the 5on3 or keep the puck and put another attacker on while the call is yet to be made and have a 6on4. This really comes down to preference. Some coaches believe more 5on3 time is better because there s more space and it allows for more puck movement. Others like to have more bodies on the ice in total to try and get as much traffic in the zone as possible so they can fire pucks at the net and hope for someone to bang it in. Both are effective I think it comes down to your playstyle and the type of powerplay your team has (If you re a coach, I d love to hear your thoughts on this contact me at ben@builtforhockey.com with your opinion).
13) One of worst ways to beat a defenseman in a one on one situation is to make him crossover because he gains speed. Reason: To the contrary, making a defenseman crossover is one of the best ways to beat a defenseman because it means he s essentially committed to moving in a certain direction. For more tips on beating defensemen, read my post titled Beating Defensemen 101: 5 Proven Techniques For Blowing By Defenders. 14) When killing a penalty in your own zone, it s important to always keep your speed and momentum by turning rather than stopping and starting again so you don t get tired and waste energy. Reason: When killing a penalty, you want to stay in position as much as possible and conserve energy by doing stops and starts. By turning, you re essentially creating more room and passing seems for the opposing team to make plays and create scoring chances. By stopping and starting and staying systematic in your movements, you take away a lot of your opponent s options. 15) When attacking on a 2 on 1 situation and you are the puck carrier, making an early pass (before the top of the in zone face off circle) is a good play. Answer: True Reason: By making an early pass, you force the defenseman to adjust and react quickly. If you simply keep the puck, all he has to do is backup and remain in the middle. On the other hand, if you pass early the goalie also has to slide across his crease in order to front your teammate. One simple pass made early can put both the opposing defenseman and goalie out of position just enough to create an opening for you and your teammate to take advantage of. An early pass on a 2 on 1 is always a good play. PART II Multiple Choice (10 Questions) 16) You are a winger in the defensive zone (your zone) getting ready for a breakout pass near the half wall and you've just fallen down. The pass from your defenseman goes by you and up to the opposing defenseman at the blue line. You know the opposing defenseman is going to try and shoot, as he has a good shot. The best way to make it out and block that shot when you've just fallen and are out of position is to: A. Skate directly towards the opposing defenseman in a straight line B. Slide on your knees into his shooting lane
C. Collapse back to the front net and forget about trying to block his shot D. Skate towards the middle of the ice until you re in his shooting lane, then skate up towards him E. Switch positions with your center and have him block the shot while you cover his man for him Reason: Your ultimate goal is to get back in the shooting lane in order to block the shot. The fastest way to do so is to skate towards the middle, position yourself in front of the shooter, and then apply pressure while moving up towards the defenseman while remaining in the shooting lane. Both C and E could have been correct answers under certain circumstances if you pick up an open man in front (C), or if you have some sort of agreement set up with your centerman beforehand (E). 17) When backchecking towards your zone when the opposing team is on an odd man rush, it s most important to stay aware of... A. The closest opponent s body B. The closest opponent s stick C. The puck D. The winger if you re a winger, and the center if you re a center E. Nothing. Just get to the front of the net as quickly as possible and figure it out from there Reason: Simply put, if you take care of neutralizing the closest man s stick, he s unable to score and you ve done your job your main goal should be to take away your closest opponent s stick at all costs and follow him to the net. If you catch yourself watching the puck (C), you ll lose track of what s going on away from the puck, making it harder to react to passing plays. 18) As a centerman, where should you position yourself for the highest chance of carrying out a successful breakout? A. Slightly lower than your half wall winger to be an option for everyone B. Slightly higher than your half wall winger so you re ready to take off down the middle quickly when you receive a pass C. Right at the top of the crease so you re already in front of the net if there s a turnover D. Low in the corner so you can gain speed Reason: Positioning yourself slightly lower than your wingers (A) allows you to be a good option for both your defensemen and your half wall wingers without compromising your defensive positioning you re close enough to the front of the net if you need to help out, yet close enough to your wingers for a quick breakout. If you re too high (B), you re less effective defensively and you have less time to react when receiving a breakout pass. If you re just hanging in tight around the net (C), you re not a pass option for your defensemen. 19) As a defenseman playing a 1 on 1, your best bet in order to not get beat to the net is to focus on the opposing player's...
A. Head B. Stick C. Chest D. Puck E. Feet Reason: Watching a player s head (A) makes you an easy target for head fakes, which can be quite effective. Focusing on a player s stick (B) or puck (D) is the worst thing to do as one successful deke takes you out of the play. Watching an attacker s feet (E) can cause you to cross over too quickly as he ll most likely be trying to zig zag in order to get you to commit to one side. By watching a player s chest, you ll know exactly where he s headed as his torso can t move in a direction other than where it s actually going (sounds weird but it ll make sense if you try it). Aim to keep your attacker s chest in front of you at all times. 20) The most important thing to do before receiving a pass is to A. Call for it B. Give a target with your stick blade C. Take in information D. Make sure you re on your forehand to increase your odds of catching the pass E. Put your stick on the ice Reason: Calling for a pass (A) is encouraged, but isn t the most important thing to do before receiving a pass. Same goes for (B) and (E). The most important thing to do before receiving a pass is to take in information ( C). This is probably one of the easiest yet most effective things you can do to improve your game. More information leads to better decision making with the puck, leading to more effective plays & scoring chances. Give it a shot. 21) As a defenseman defending against a 3 on 2, your main objective should be to: A. Hold the dot lines and keep the attackers near the boards as much as possible B. Deny the pass to the 3rd open man because he s usually the most dangerous C. Play man to man and leave the 3rd man open so your backchecker can pick him up D. Match the puck carrier s speed then look to lie down and block the shot or pass once he s in close to the net E. Press the puck carrier and let your defense partner play the 2 on 1 Reason: The best way to take a 3 on 2 rush is to protect the middle of the ice by forcing the attackers to the outside ie: the outside of the faceoff dots (A). The third attacker is the 1st back checker's job. This scenario is very much a read and react scenario, and depending on your team s style of play, (C) could also be correct. However, both (B) and (D) are not effective plays. (D) is used as a last second effort once the attackers have successfully penetrated your defense. 22) One of the worst things to do on a 1 on 2 or more situation as the attacker is to:
A. Dump the puck in the zone B. Try to stickhandle your way through C. Turn back and wait for help D. Take a low quality shot on net from far out Reason: Trying to stickhandle your way through when you re attacking alone can be dangerous. If you re alone, this probably means your team is on a line change, and so a bad deke that causes a turnover can mean an odd man rush towards your net plus, you ll also have to slam the breaks and backcheck. It s simply not the best play due to its high risk, high reward style. A safer play is to place the puck in the corner and go get it, take a shot, or isolate the puck along the boards and wait for your teammates to come and help. 23) When dumping the puck into the opposing zone in order to get a line change in, it s best to: A. Take a shot on net hoping to score B. Rim the puck hard so it goes all the way around the boards C. Lob it to the goalie hoping he fumbles the puck D. Place it so it dies in the corner E. Place it so it dies behind the net Reason: Although a shot on net (A) or a lob to the goalie (C) gives you a chance to score, it also gives the puck to the other team if the goalie is a good puck handler, he can fire the puck down ice for a quick transition play. If you take a shot, make it a good one and finish strong at the net to force the whistle. Rimming a puck (B) likely gives the puck to the opposing defenseman or winger. Arguably the best play is to place the puck so it dies in the corner (D). Being that you re skating forward, you have a good chance of beating your defenseman to the puck because he has to pivot. If you get there first, you ll create some offensive zone puck possession time for you and your teammates. Fast skater? You ll learn to love this play. 24) If you re a winger on the half wall and are given a pass by your defenseman for a breakout but you have instant pressure (you have less than a second to react) from the opposing team, your best play is to: A. Let the pass go by you and then play defensive B. Skate down towards your own defenseman and away from the pressure to give you more time C. Try and flip it in the air or chip it off the glass to get it out of the zone D. Throw the puck to the middle for your center to break out with it E. Take the hit/protect the puck with your body Reason: The emphasis here is the 1 second to react. It s extremely hard to make a smart play under pressure so much so that pro players are told to simply eat the puck not literally bite the puck, but protect the puck with their bodies from incoming attackers. This way, your defensemen and centermen can come in closer for support and you can then dish
the puck out to one of them when the coast is clear. Think of it as simply buying yourself time by positioning your body between the puck and your attacker. If there s contact, take the hit. If there s no contact, simply use your body as an obstacle. 25) If you're rushing up the ice in a 2 on 2 situation as the puck carrier with a supporting teammate, what should you do if the defenseman on your side decides to close the gap on you (denies the blue line)? Choose the most effective option: A. Turn back and wait for support B. Chip the puck into the zone for you or your teammate to recuperate C. Lob the puck at the net for a scoring chance D. Dump the puck hard around the boards for your teammate E. Cut towards the middle of the ice and cross the blue line in the middle of the two defenders Reason: Both (B) and (D) are viable options in this situation. If your teammate is coming towards your side of the ice to support you, then a simple chip into the corner is your best play either you or your supporting winger can race for the puck and beat the defenseman to it more often than not if well executed. If your support stays wide, then a rim will work better. As for a lob on net for the goalie(c), it s not the most effective play as he can play the puck up ice fairly quickly if he s good. If you do decide to shoot, make it a hard rebound shot for your supporting forward driving the net. Last but not least, cutting towards the middle (E) along the blueline just forces your teammate to stop stationary at the blueline or worse, go offside. END OF QUIZ ANSWERS There you have it! I tried to explain the scenarios as best I could in words. Again, hockey is very much a read and react game, so take these explanations at face value. However, they re still the most effective & efficient choices in each game situation presented. Now, I want you to do three things: First, tally up your score give yourself 1 point for each correct answer and see what your score is out of 25. Second, share your score with the Built for Hockey community by leaving a comment on this blog post with your score out of 25. Third, if you want to know how your Hockey IQ compares to that of your friends, share the quiz with them by copy + pasting them this link : http://builtforhockey.com/hockey iq quiz/
I hope you enjoyed the Hockey IQ Quiz from BuiltforHockey.com! I ll share some more info about the quiz with you in the upcoming weeks to give you some insight on how you rank compared to others, so be sure to check your inbox for an email from Ben at BuiltforHockey.com. If you re happy with your results, then just keep on improving! There s nowhere to go but up. If you need help, don t worry BuiltforHockey.com is going to have tons of articles, guides and courses to help build your hockey mind & skills in order to become a dominant hockey player. Have any hockey related questions? Leave me a message on the Built for Hockey Podcast for a chance to have it featured! That s it for now. Talk to you soon! facebook.com/builtforhockey twitter.com/builtforhockey Talk soon, Ben Levesque