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Long time reader... very first time poster...

Apparantly Patrick Roy has some issues with Guy Boucher's 1-3-1?

I am less interested in what guy is doing in the offensive end, as I have learned all about the 1-3-1 on this board for years, than what he is doing in his own end.

Reading his player's quotes indicates that he is trying to outnumber the opponents on the puck at every opportunity in his own end, and watching some game video repeatedly shows D1, D2, and F1 all attacking and supporting in the strong side corner, leaving F2 with the net front, and F3 not much higher than the strong side hash marks.

I don't remember seeing this covered in these hallowed grounds,(I certainly may have missed it), but I am interested in what a logical rotation would be if the puck is sent by the offense from one corner to another. F2 would be the first man on the puck and become F1, D1 and D2 have a long way to go to get corner to corner... I assume that the original F1 would also race cross ice to become the new F3 on the strong side hash marks, and F3 would move from the now weakside hash marks to the net front, becoming F2.

I might have that all wrong...

But what I find really interesting is that a coach who is using a 1-3-1 system in the offensive zone and neutral zone, designed to limit the lateral cross-ice chasing, seems to be doing just that in his own end with a significant number of players?



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We play a D-Zone similar to what you describe. We outnumber 3 on 2 in the corner and have the weakside wing sag all the way down and play net front. The idea is to pressure so hard and fast that it doesn't allow the offense any time to make plays. When the puck is thrown from one corner to the other. The high forward sprints over to cover the strong side D, the net front forward approaches at an angle to deny the pass to the point and any quick play to the net. The defense beat their man back to the net and when a scrum is started in the other corner, they return to outnumbering 3 on 2. It has been very effective and can play tough to play against.

Most teams counter by throwing pucks from corner to corner and cycling behind the net to gain time and space.

----------------------------
Eric. Is the diagram I just did what you describe about the overload? Sorry I was thinking pk before.
Tom

   
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If they are cycling with 3 players the 2 D and F1 cover man to man and the middle forward has net coverage. If all their F's are on one side then the player they would be passing to is their weak side D who the middle forward in front is responsible for so he would go to the D in the corner and the 2 D and F1 stay with their men.

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Would like to hear what Tom has to say. Tom any jpegs to support your point?

We ran a 1-3-1 but we ran it as sort of a trap in the N Zone.
In the O zone we didn’t attach like the Lightning do. If opponent doesn’t have the puck we pressure. But if they have control that’s when we get into formation. With F1 in the middle pushing to the boards.

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We want to pressure whenever a player is close enough to get stick on stick. Take away the D to D and the pass to the wall.

If they have total control then we play contain taking away the walls and forcing the play wide.
When we have control on the right offensive side the RD is part of the cycle and the LW stays back and on the left side all three forwards are in on the cycle. The RD and LW are always ready to go back door or get a pass below the goal line to switch sides on the attack.
We also always want 4 on the rush.

Key Points:
Pressure inside to outside angling toward the puck carriers back shoulder with the stick on the puck and in the passing lane.

Description:
A. Pressure 2-2-1
-Either C or RW force the player wide. The other reads to double team or pressure the d to d pass.
-LW take away the pass to the right wall and -RD take away the pass to the left wall.
-LD support from the point and honour any stretching-- player and lock on mid support.

http://hockeycoachingabcs.com/mediagallery/video.php?n=20080727110408764 is a video of the forecheck in a MRC vs U of C game. 5 is the LW and 10 is the LD. You can see the RD pressure a pass to their LW.

B 1-3-1 Contain if Opposition has Control
-C and RW play an I tandem pressure wide
-LW and RD cover above the wings.
-LD support from point aware of mid lane pass or stretch.
-LW and RD go with wings on stretch.


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Just_A_Dad

You need a beer avatar!


I also like the look a 1-3-1 powerplay provides in the offensive zone. Many teams don't know how to play it. Lots of support options. You need to choose the right people for the various positions. IE: net front player has to be courageous, good at screens, tips, rebounds.

I saw several teams practicing and playing this in Europe at the World Championships when I was coaching there in the late 1990's. With their skill levels, it was scary. Hockey Canada (Pat Quinn) used it at World Juniors a couple of years ago and they had an amazing PP conversion percentage. Granted, they had skilled players and they ripped apart some lesser skilled teams (which padded the stats) but still... pretty successful!


Dean
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I do need a beer! oh, yes... and an avatar.

If I remember correctly, the Cdn Jrs ran the 1-3-1 PP last year as well, at least early in the tournament, but then converted back to a more "conservative" set after some turnovers and odd man rushes against. When they had it going... and were hanging onto the puck... it was scary.

Didn't run quite so smoothly with my 10 year olds, but we were able to match the turnover part pretty well.

Again, I remain very interested to see how teams continue to attack the TB defensive zone. I haven't watched them play in the last couple weeks, but I notice they have given up 20 goals in their last 5 games. All the reasons why I feel their 1-3-1 and 2-2-1 work well as a forecheck... not requiring players moving laterally across the width of the rink... is why I am surprised that they overload in their own end, and seem susceptible to little dumps from corner to corner.

-------------------------------
NHL teams have gone to creating defensive overload situations. Backpressure the puck carrier and create a 1 on 2. If you dump the puck into the zone most teams overload the corner with one D on the puck, one below the goal line to cut off the pass behind and one on the boards to cut off a pass to the wall. The C will be on the dot for a short outlet pass and weak side wing in front. On the pk they also do this. Any time the offense is scrambling for a loose puck some teams will do this.

On the 1-3-1 pplay the point D has to miss the first checker or he is in trouble.

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I got a chance to watch the Lightning play the Ducks the other week. It seemed to me that in the NZ the 1-3-1 was intended to force a dump and the combination of the goalie stopping any wrap around attempt and deep D man getting a 20ft head start on the fore-checker allowed TB to turn the puck up quickly up ice in transition and put the pressure back on Anaheim. The Ducks countered by using a little chip off the board to get the puck just in behind the 3 and having the next closest forward go off to the races. Your basic close support to isolate a 2 on 1. It started generating odd man chances for the Ducks. The Lightning stayed the course, I assume because even though they were giving up opportunities, they were also still generating them. The Ducks finally figured out that they if they gained possession quickly after a TB rush that TB was so committed to the rush that they could move the puck easily up ice with long passes in transition to generate their own rush. The result was very exciting wide open hockey that I haven't seen in the NHL since the 80's. What TB didn't count on was that this open style of play awakened some primal urge in Selanne to turn on the after burners. For the better part of the 3rd period he was a one man show for the Ducks and looked like the guy that had the 130 pt season for the Jets. Selanne eventually netted the game winner in OT.

Funny aside: The game started out with about 10 line changes in the first 2 minutes of the game. It seemed that Boucher was determined to get a matchup and Carlyle was having none of it. They changed so often and so quickly that wasn't able to figure out exactly what matchup Boucher was going for and who finally gave in.

We too have been running the 1-3-1 PP. Its the exact setup that Tom detailed here in an earlier post. The key is the rotation into the 1-3-1 from the Overload forces the PK to leave an open shot from just above the high slot or a one timer to the faceoff circle, both with traffic in front. I have my PP rotate back into the Overload if the PK adjusts by rotating into the diamond, which creates another mismatch until they rotate back into the box. The result has been that my PP is producing 6-7 times more quality scoring opportunities than with just the overload. It allowed me to put the decision making into the hands of my D, who are much better at that skill than my F's. If only Ye Hockey Gods would be so kind as to bestow my team with some scoring touch.

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I am trying to get my team to do the same thing. Start with and overload and cycle low and try to score. This brings the pk down and makes it easier to move into a diamond 1-3-1. Moving back to the overload is a good idea as well. It is a work in progress but we did score a few pp goals on Sunday.
I posted a drill we will do tomorrow in part 6. We need to use the fake shot and pass like Lindstrom to set up the one timers and shot pass options.

In college I used the 1-3-1 forecheck but more as a contain on the walls with the lw and rd. Pierre Page has the lw and the rd part of the cycle on their sides and back at the point when the puck is on the weak side. We went over this last night in a walk through since some new players joined after I did a lot of team play and they were confused. We played it perfectly in the first period on Sunday and their only shots were on the power play. The next two periods my players slipped into a 2-1-2 with a strong side pinch which is a very high risk, high reward way to play and not something I want them doing.


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Here is what I see teams like Detroit do when they kill penalties and there is a loose puck, especially after a dump in.

T4 Penalty Kill On Dump In

Key Points:
Overload the attackers on loose puck situations and cut off blind passes.

Description:
1. Defenders read loose puck situations.
2. Closest D battle for the puck.
3. Supporting D cut off pass behind or join 2 on 2 in the corner.
4. Strong side forward cut off pass up the wall.
5. Weak side forward support from the dot and cut off passes to the front of mid point.
6. Defend always with the stick on the puck and in passing lanes.


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Quote by: Eric

We play a D-Zone similar to what you describe. We outnumber 3 on 2 in the corner and have the weakside wing sag all the way down and play net front. The idea is to pressure so hard and fast that it doesn't allow the offense any time to make plays. When the puck is thrown from one corner to the other. The high forward sprints over to cover the strong side D, the net front forward approaches at an angle to deny the pass to the point and any quick play to the net. The defense beat their man back to the net and when a scrum is started in the other corner, they return to outnumbering 3 on 2. It has been very effective and can play tough to play against.

Most teams counter by throwing pucks from corner to corner and cycling behind the net to gain time and space.

----------------------------
Eric. Is the diagram I just did what you describe about the overload? Sorry I was thinking pk before.
Tom


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Tom,

Yeah, that is it.

Only change is that on the rotation to other side, the high forward stays high and skates hard to defend the strong side point again. The forward that was in the corner with the D then sprints back to the slot and protects net front and is in the shooting lane of the weakside defensemen.

---------------
Eric, thanks. I think I got it now. Some of us are slow learners.

   
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Bostonian,

Guessing that you are from the Boston area, methinks you need a picture of one of the many quality Samuel Adams beers as your avatar!

http://www.samueladams.com/age-gate.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2findex.aspx

Perhaps a Harvest Pumpkin Ale, as it 'tis the season!

The next time I am in the Boston area (well, that will be the first time!), I will be looking for a tour of the Sam Adams plant!

Tom, your Duff Beer avatar is excellent. I am jealous that you have one (well actually two... I need to convince you to 'donate' one to my beer shrine!) and I am also jealous of Kai's avatar!

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming concerning the 1-3-1...


Dean
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hockeygod,

Thanks for the suggestion! Something is up with my log on, so I'll be a guest until I can get it resolved. I love Sam Adams and the Pumpkin Ale is quite festive. If you are in the Boston area, you may consider a tour of the Harpoon Brewery as well. They are not very well known outside of the north east, but they brew some excellent swill. If you make it to my adopted home area of Southern California, tour the Stone Brewery. I hold my team's training camp in Escondido just to make an annual visit there. Their idea of a tasting after the tour is 5 full pints.

Back to the matter at hand, I'm not sure I have the constitution, or maybe it's that my D don't have the long range passing skill, to try the 1-3-1 like TB does in the NZ. I think there are some nuances that occur after the D gain possession that free up all that passing room. I found myself just enjoying the speed and transition, and forgot to open my mind up to what Boucher had the F's doing down ice.

Tom, great drills. I have to say that I ran nearly the same progression and layering on the cycle may be the next step as we will be facing teams that have seen our new PP for the second time coming up next semester. As of now, teams have been so focused on stopping our standard overload and low give and go that the low press has uniformly been the PK of choice against us. That freed up my D, but they were settling for low percentage shots from near the blue and boards. The rotation into the diamond has thrown everyone for a loop and at worst we are settling for a shot from center ice, 10-15 feet inside the blue, as the week side F on the PK is always following my D when he pinches into center. Often the one timer to the week side F is very open and leaves the D with the only option of switching, which most teams haven't figured out yet..

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Didn't know where to put this one... "Articles" or "Art of Coaching" but since the title of this one bears his name... I will put it here!



Boucher enjoys whirlwind ride with Tampa Bay

Busy year for coach; 'It's been a great start for me, personally'


By Randy Phillips, Postmedia News November 18, 2010



Guy Boucher...innovator?

"I'm just trying to be myself," the head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning said. "I'm not trying to be an innovator. I'm not trying to be different than anybody else. I'm not trying to be the cocky new guy who thinks he knows it better.

"I just feel I've developed a way of doing things that suits my personality and suits my qualities. I focus on my strengths, and it's turned out well for me over my career."

Call it what you may, Boucher has taken the National Hockey League somewhat by storm in his first year as a head coach and, at age 39, as the youngest bench boss in the league. His Lightning are 9-7-2 after a 4-2 win Wednesday against the New York Islanders.

After spending only one season in the American Hockey League, guiding the Hamilton Bulldogs, Boucher has brought a high level of intensity with him -- just look at his eyes during a game -- and a unique fore-checking style. In technical terms, it's a 1-3-1, where the first forechecker's responsibility is to angle the puck carrier to one side of the rink or the other, while three middle forecheckers line up behind in support, looking to force a turnover. One defenceman backs up the rear.

The Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Que., native has long maintained he doesn't coach systems, but coaches players, and that "managing people comes first on my list."

He added: "If I have 24 players on my team, I need 24 ways to coach ... I found out that if you care about the players, they will care about what you have to say after that."


In a telephone interview on Tuesday while waiting for a flight to New York, Boucher was asked if he was "a players coach" and if his age was a complement to an obvious ability to reach out to them as a teacher and motivator?

"The thing is, I don't have any reference points because I'm not an older coach," the McGill University graduate and former all-star centre with the Redmen said. "I'm not somebody else. I haven't lived this [NHL experience] before. The only reference points I've got are what I'm living now. But the one thing I feel with our team is that we've got guys who really care. Guys who play hard and want to do better."

"They're extremely receptive, and so for me as a coach it's been quite a treat to have players like that," he added. "At the same time, I'm surrounded by quality people at all levels in the organization and on our staff. So I feel very fortunate.

"I feel that it's a great growing process for me and, at the same time, we're doing pretty good, so it's been a great start for me, personally. But as a whole, I wouldn't say it's better than expectations, because I always expect extremely high standards of my teams."

With Hamilton last season, Boucher posted an impressive 52-17-11 record despite several players being in and out of the lineup after being called up by the Canadiens.

"Yes and no," Boucher said when asked if he has had time to digest how fast everything has happened over the past year. "It's been a whirlwind. I've just been so engulfed in what I've had to do and what I've still got to do.

"From the moment I did the interviews for the job, got named, and then coming here with wife [Marsha] to find a house. After that, interviewing people for the assistant coaches and the rest of the staff, and going over the team and our plans with [general manager Steve Yzerman]. Planning everything for the year and making sure we start the culture that we want and how to do it ... it's all been crazy.

"I really didn't have any summer at all, which is all positive, though. But I haven't had time to sit down. At home, I barely had time to sit down and feel like I'm home, but it's been great."

Boucher and his wife have three children, son Vincent and twin daughters Mila and Naomi. He estimated he and Marsha, his longtime girlfriend before they were married, moved 13 times in his first nine years in coaching.

"I've stopped counting, so I don't know where I'm at now," he said. "My wife certainly deserves a medal. She takes a lot of the load."

The Lightning went into Long Island on Wednesday night mired in a three-game losing streak and having lost six of their previous seven games. That after starting the season 5-0 and posting a 9-3 record in October.

Boucher's club is facing adversity for the first time, especially with injuries to forwards Vincent Lecavalier (broken hand) and Simon Gagne (neck), and defenceman Victor Hedman (foot).

"It's funny, because we're playing just as good as before and even in some games we're playing better than at the times before," Boucher said.

"The reality ... what's getting to us now is our [lack of ] scoring. We're creating and getting a lot of chances. We're just not burying the thing.

"So it's a struggle right now for us, but it's not because our guys aren't working hard. They are working hard. If they weren't, I'd be the first to know. I just tell him to keep working. We're going to get through it."
© Copyright (c) National Post


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