One of my most memorable rec league hockey games was due to only seven teammates -- six skaters and our goalie -- being able to make it to the rink that night.
For those who play rec league in any sport, your team is at the mercy of having other family commitments, being stuck at work, battling the flu, or dealing with other things.
Our captain was sick and so was one of our alternate captains who typically sets the lineup. I happened to wear the other A so I had to think quickly on how to make do with our skeleton crew.
Our top defenseman and I had the best endurance on the team so the strategy was for the two of us to play the entire game as the only D pair while the other five rotated at forward.
The mantra throughout the game for those five was to strive for 30-45 second shifts so we could get as fresh legs as possible on the ice.
In contrast, the other team had a full bench, enough for three forward lines and three D pairs.
Our team ended up winning the game 5-3 with one of those goals being my fault as a point shot hit my glove on the way to the net and deflected past our goalie.
Moral of the story: keep shifts short.
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Coach’s Edicts
Thankfully, that lesson of keeping shifts short is something that Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton is already professing and hopes to make a staple of Blackhawks hockey.
"We weren’t competitive enough. We didn’t have the commitment. We didn’t have the work ethic away from the puck. We didn’t have discipline with shift length and puck management and all those things. That’s what adds up to winning.
"The teams that have success, they’re able to control the pace and tempo of the game by playing in the offensive zone.
"In order to do that, you need guys that are competitive, hard-working, responsible, play on the right side of the puck."
(The preceding quote by Colliton is courtesy of
Ben Pope’s November article in the Chicago Sun-Times.)
Keeping shifts short is a great strategy in theory but it does boil down to two factors that can make or break this philosophy.
One factor is whether the players can actually get on and off the ice in optimal time. Even if the Hawks want to change, the opponent’s aggressive forecheck may not let them.
A poor habit of the Hawks is getting hemmed in their own end because they fail repeatedly to win puck battles and make successful breakouts once they do gain possession.
It’s maddening when they get too fancy or just make extra moves to clear the zone when one smart, hard pass or simple clearing effort is all that’s necessary.
The second factor is what the players do during their time on the ice. This is where Colliton’s other maxims of work ethic, competitiveness, and defensive responsibility come in.
No passengers and no mailing it in. Go all out for every second then get to the bench so the next line or pair can pick up where you left off.
And this brings up another maxim that Colliton is preaching which is leaving your teammates in a good position to do something productive with the puck once you exit for a change.
"Putting the next line out in a good spot, managing the puck, being willing to focus on the defensive game; maybe you've got to play a shift where nothing happens, just don't get scored on, get out of D zone and change, those are all things we've been talking about with the whole group and we need it to be up and down our lineup, that mentality, willingness to work away from the puck, willingness to compete for 35-40 seconds as opposed to maybe resting, playing a minute 10, a minute 20. That's what winning teams do."
(The preceding quote by Colliton is courtesy of
Charlie Roumeliotis’ October article on NBC Sports Chicago.)
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Undercutting
A hockey coach I follow on Twitter is Greg Revak (@CoachRevak) who shares lessons and breakdowns of plays and drills. I learn a lot of the intricacies of the game reading his material.
One of his recent lessons focuses on a racing term called
undercutting which he applies adeptly to on-ice time management. Here's a summary of his tweets on this concept:
Undercutting = racing strategy where a car pits for fresh tires earlier than their rival to gain a performance advantage from fresh tires.
Those faster lap times then allow the car to pass their rival when their rival eventually pits.
Based on a chart from Micah Blake McCurdy: shots for + against over time, based on shift start location:
* First 15 seconds account for abnormally high shot rates
* 15 to 40 seconds there is an equal share of shots
* Beyond 40 seconds = getting caved in defensively
There is a massive competitive advantage by changing in 40 seconds and under.
There is a massive performance degradation that quickly leads to ‘shots-against‘ increasing significantly while ‘shots-for’ decrease significantly.
Tired players = bad players
The difference between good and great can sometimes be as simple as undercutting shift length.
At least from the eye test, an Achilles’ heel of the Blackhawks is illustrated well by what Revak describes in these tweets.
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Even Strength
So what is the optimal time per shift?
I have zero coaching experience so what I recommend is based on what I’ve learned from some who do coach.
The general rule of thumb is one minute or less but that’s not specific enough.
Another metric is one strong push up ice (i.e. offensive rush), one strong push down ice (i.e. backcheck), flip the ice then make a line change.
Again, problems arise when you get hemmed in your own end for an extended span of time that wears you down rendering your defense to desperation attempts rather than fundamental plays.
When you play desperately, the puck is handled like a grenade instead of taking control and moving it with purpose and conviction.
Furthermore, when play is in your favor, a new dilemma emerges. Is it a good thing to stay on the ice to keep offensive momentum going even if your shift has reached optimal time?
Or is it better to make a change -- whether incremental or wholesale -- to get fresh bodies to maintain that momentum?
As referenced in his last quote, Colliton prefers the latter.
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Special Teams
On the power play, TOI should be managed where the 1st unit isn’t on the ice the entire two minutes. Obviously, the ideal scenario is having the 1st unit score within the first minute.
If the 1st unit can’t score, then get the 2nd unit out there to have a go at it for another half minute or so. Then if no dice, try to get the 1st unit out there again for a final drive.
Replicate a similar time allocation strategy for 4:00 and 5:00 power plays.
When on the penalty kill, shifts should be much shorter. Essentially clear the puck deep then get off the ice for a change. Lather, rinse, repeat.
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Clearing Attempts
Being able to avoid getting hemmed in your end at even strength or on the penalty kill -- or heaven forbid on the power play -- requires solid clearing attempts started by smart fundamental plays.
Of course, the other team won’t make it easy so resourcefulness is often a necessity by using the boards or glass to ricochet the puck out or even sending it airborne to center ice.
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Patrick Kane
Except for the penalty kill since that’s not his duty, all of the above also applies to Patrick Kane.
This brings up a critical question about a common strategy: should Kane be double and triple shifted?
The short answer is no. Doubling and tripling up Kane’s shifts should be the exception rather than the rule. Doing this in the 1st or 2nd period rarely makes sense.
Yet, in the waning minutes of a game with the team down, by all means get your best players -- which should include Kane -- on the ice as much as possible.
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Readers Q&A Mailbag
Calling all readers! If you have any questions you want to ask about the Blackhawks or IceHogs, please send me a private message or email me at
[email protected].
All questions will be answered and featured in an upcoming end-of-year mailbag blog to close out a whirlwind 2020.
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What’s Your Story?
For those who have a story to tell, what’s your most memorable sports game you played in?
It doesn’t have to be a hockey memory if you play other sports. And it can be at any level: youth, high school, college, rec league, semi pro, etc.
Feel free to share on the message boards!
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Isn’t it ironic that a blog about keeping it short ended up being quite long?
Time to make like a tree and leave.
Time to make like a banana and split.
Time to make like hay and bail.
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See you on the boards!
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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