Blocking the shot vs. letting the goalie see the puck

[Felonious Python]

It seems that there's conflicting ideas about backchecking.

Players are expected to block shots, but also to let their goalie see the puck.

How would that be done without one compromising the other?

 

[Beezeral]

It seems that there's conflicting ideas about backchecking.

Players are expected to block shots, but also to let their goalie see the puck.

How would that be done without one compromising the other?

If you are reasonably sure you will block the shot, then do it. If you are not close enough or not in a position to get a clean block, give your goalie every opportunity to see the shot.

Nothing is worse than a defender partially blocking a shot and the end result is a deflected puck that is even harder to stop. Obviously bad bounces happen, but the goal is to keep those to minimum.

 

[HIFE]

It could depend on what league you're in. For myself as a beer league D I honestly don't try too hard to block shots. I will stand up to the shooter but won't crouch sideways, turn my knee, or lift my foot like I see NHL players doing. I will dive and scramble like hell to get a stick in the way, but not my body. Sometimes players need to trust their goalie and instead prepare for a rebound...

 

[Ozz]

My team always goes heavy on the shot blocks. Our goalie complains sometimes, but only because that means he gets less shots to face. I can't remember a time we actually flubbed a block and sent it into the net. Other weird deflections have sure done that, but not straight up shot blocks. Anyway, I say ask your goalie what he likes

 

[Frankie Spankie]

Depends on your goalie.

Some goalies, you're better off trying to block the shot instead of letting him see it.

For me, it depends more on where I am and where the shooter is. If the shooter is about to take a slapshot from the blue line, I'll step out of the way. If the shooter is up close and I'm already there, I'll just try to block the shot because I may have time to step out of the way but the goalie won't have much time to react since I'm screening him.

 

[Siamese Dream]

Personally as a goalie I would rather my defender to either make a challenge to knock the puck off the guy or get out of the way. Active sticks, don't stand directly in front of the guy, force him to the outside so he has to make a pass or just throw it on net.

But anyway like someone else said if it's just beer league you aren't expected to block shots.

 

[Summer Rose]

I'll echo the others who say it depends on your goalie.

Ask your goalie what he prefers.

It's also true that in beer leagues no one really expects you to try and block shots. I did when I was much younger, but don't anymore.

 

[STC]

If you are talking about men's league then the answer is simple, never block a shot. This isn't the NHL.

 

[Jarick]

I will drop and slide my shins out to try and block the shot but if I stand up to block usually I'm just screening him.

 

[izzy3]

I'd say if you're close to the shooter try and block, cause it will not cause your goalie loose much time, should the puck get through. Otherwise let him take care of business. Or if your goalie sucks just block anyway...

 

[Ozz]

Food for thought:

Earlier in this thread I said our goalie often complained that we let up too few shots, partly because of shot blocking. The other day we didn't bother to block any, and it seemed every damn puck went in. Gotta love that!

 

[expy]

Honestly, from a goaltender's point of vue...

If you're not totally sure you're going to block the puck and have it deflect AWAY from the net into a harmless zone, then don't do it. Especially if it's a shot from the blue line or beyond the hashmarks in a non-dangerous zone.

If anything, from that distance, use your stick instead of your body, because at least we can still see the puck that way.

When in close, avoid using your stick to block shots as you may ultimately deflect the puck towards the net.

 

[sanityplease]

Competetive, it's up to the coach.

Beer league, it's up to the goalie.

Depends where the shooter is & where I am, if I'm playing the wing & covering the point, I block. I'm far enough away that if the puck gets through me, the goalie should have time to stop it. & if I do block it, it often turns into a breakaway for me.

If I'm in close (in front of the goalie), I often stand to one side of the net & let the goalie have a clear view. While using my body position to "barracade" 1/4 of the goal area. I've found that if you communicate what you're doing with the goaltender, sometimes he/she can 'cheat' a bit to the exposed section of goal.

 

[jack mullet]

It seems that there's conflicting ideas about backchecking.

Players are expected to block shots, but also to let their goalie see the puck.

How would that be done without one compromising the other?

in my opinion, its all up to your goalie, NOT your coach. most goalies i have played with prefer you don't try to block a shot from the top of the circle and above, as they are confident they can stop 99% of those shots. the main thing in my opinion is communication with your goalie.

 

[sanityplease]

If you play competetive hockey with formal team management/coaching structure, your coach is the boss. Period. If he/she wants you to play in a defensive, lane clogging system, you block shots, or you don't play. & if the goalie has a problem with that, he/she doesn't play.

If it's beer league. Ask your goalie.

 

[expy]

The coach definitely makes the decisions, but if the coach makes a decision that is against what the goalie prefers (as in, what the goalie feels more comfortable with to be able to stop the puck efficiently) and doesn't consult the goaltender, then he's not doing his job right.

 

[CoopALoop]

in my opinion, its all up to your goalie, NOT your coach. most goalies i have played with prefer you don't try to block a shot from the top of the circle and above, as they are confident they can stop 99% of those shots. the main thing in my opinion is communication with your goalie.

I tell the players on both my teams the same thing.

Make an imaginary crease from where the two face off dots are. If the shot is coming from outside of that line, I will make the save 99% of the time.

If it's inside this imaginary crease, feel free to block it. Chances are I'm making a blocking save myself, so any help is nice.

Though in the end, communicate with your tender, find out what they like, and use your best judgement.

Sometimes letting a guy get a clean shot from a bad angle is a better alternative than making a block from the save shot and having a bad bounce end up where no one wants it.

 

[Hank4Hart]

my rule with my teammates...

if you are closer to the puck than you are to me (the goalie), then feel free to do whatever you want

if you are closer to me than you are to the puck, then get the hell out of the way

 

[Jarick]

Somewhere I read about a goalie telling his players that he's got the equipment and skills to make a save, they don't. Goalies will stop an unscreened shot from the blue line 99% of the time, but a player might only stop 1 or 2 of 10.

I try and let my goalie have the shot without letting the shooter walk in for a deke. Taking away the pass is way more important.

 

[Thesensation19*]

i believe in creating any sort of pressure for a shooter as a defender or for anyone holding the puck. but to blcok a shot must come w some awareness and intelligence.

if you dont plan on putting a full wall in front of a shot, then ur best bet might be to move so the goalie can see. i thought tgis was a big issue w anaheim ducks and some of their players last year. they gave a lot of goals last year from the outside, players got in front of shots but they looked like they didnt want to... like tgey were forced to. and so a lot of deflections occured and.ddint go there way.

if the shot is more than 12 13 feet ahead of u, and ur in the crease... i would say move but make sure ur goalies aware. speak up tell him shot and be confident w ur decision.
ask ur goalie what he prefers too

 

[Jarick]

One thing I had some success with is going after the body and stick, so long as it's not an odd man rush (i.e. your partner has the open man covered). This way it's not just me watching him take a shot on the goalie but making it harder to shoot. Worst case scenario, he still gets the shot off, but there's a good chance you knock the puck off his stick or knock him off balance.

 

[bozak911]

Granted, this is only in a "beginner league" but I have made my goalie laugh his ass off, during a game.

As D, I went down into the butterfly to block a shot. Pinged off my left shin pad and went out of the zone.

We had a good laugh, as a team, about it afterwards.

 

[Hounsy]

As a goalie I don't mind people blocking if they are good at it. Some people just do not have the instincts for it and end up too often an added screen on a play than a shot blocker.

 

[Steelhead16]

General rule for my high school kids is block shots if you are outside the faceoff circles with a gray area being from the faceoff dots to the top of the faceoff circles if you are oving towards the blue line. Shot blocking in the slot better be an accident. If they are in the slot with a defender I would rather have them tie up the defender and if they are in there with nobody to cover, let the goalie have it.

 

[cutchemist42]

As a beer league goalie where I don't expect people to block shots because its beer league, I yell for people to move. I'd rather have a clean view of the shot and in case of a mishandled rebound, have my player better ready to clear that mishandled rebound. I would rather have pressure put on him.

Just my 2 cents.