If there is a player ahead of you and wide open, simply move the puck. Making your linemates stop and wait while they watch you lug the puck up the ice is a little like making your date wait all night while you check yourself out in the mirror. It’s just not cool.
“Head-manning” the puck means advancing the puck to someone on your team who is further ahead up the ice and is open.
I like the expression, “See the play, make it!”
Too often we think we see one play. Now we go to look for three or four other options and then decide. By that time, these forwards have been moving up the ice expecting the puck and are forced to stop at the blue line. This is due to the puck carrier trying to snake through everyone and comes late. Now the other players have to slow or stop. As such, it will either force an off-side or it will totally isolate and abandon this player as they enter the zone. If you have a player ahead of you up ice that is wide open, move it right away.
The team that can make a head-man pass three or four times in a row, will often create scoring chances.
Let me review how a team might make three or four head-man pass in a row:
Defense collects the puck, comes around from behind the net, passes to a wing. There is one pass. Wing passes to the centre swinging through in support. Two passes. Maybe the centre gives it back or moves to the weak side winger; thats three passes. If you can make these three passes in a row successfully without hesitation it’s very hard for the team you’re playing against to defend. The more your team can head-man the puck, keep it moving within a couple of seconds from receiving it, the harder it is for the opposition to defend. The puck moves much faster than a puck carrier that is skating. “Head-manning the puck” and “making a lead pass” are two terms that mean the same thing, and are critical tactics for team success.
