The Science of Hockey by Kevin Snow

Author:Kevin Snow
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781683584667
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Published: 2023-06-15T00:00:00+00:00

SETTING THE BARR

I had the chance to sit down with Dave in April of 2022, and we discussed numerous topics and situations that coaches have to deal with during a game.

If you feel like you’re having a successful night of bench management, what is going right for you on those occasions?

“That’s a loaded question because everybody has their own idea of what bench management means to them. Some coaches put a real emphasis on matching lines with certain players or lines. If you’re playing against [Niklas]Backstrom, Ovechkin, and who’s ever playing the wing with those two, you might decide that you want a particular matchup with them all night long. So before the game you’ll say ‘Hey, we’re gonna match up the Smith line against the Backstrom line. So if you see them on the ice, as soon as you can get a change that makes sense, please let’s try to get this accomplished.’ This is especially important when you’re on the road and you don’t have last change. Some coaches are real matchup guys, so it’s real important to them to emphasize this. That’s one way of managing your players.

“I think another big part of it is recognizing when somebody’s having an off game and recognizing when somebody’s having a good game. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen [a] guy play poorly for two and a half periods and then suddenly play really well the last 10 minutes of a game. It just doesn’t happen, and sometimes we as coaches don’t recognize it. Yes, my best right winger is having an off night tonight but I’m going to keep playing him to get through it; maybe he’ll find it soon. I think that’s important.

“It’s also really important to recognize when certain players are playing well and are on top of their game for whatever reason. If you notice that someone is a little tired and they just don’t have it, then maybe it’s time to shuffle the lines to get some jump. This is [an] important part because you can make a big difference by pulling a guy up from the fourth line who’s doing his job and has the capabilities of playing on the second or third line. So you move him up and now he’s got some spark on the second or the third line, which buoys them. Recognizing when players are on their game is a big part of game management.”

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