People often say hockey is pretty simple: you’re just trying to get the puck in the net using your team around you. 

This is not the case for seven-time Stanley Cup Champion Barry Smith. 

Smith describes hockey as fast, chaotic, and messy with the puck going all over. This is why Smith places a strong emphasis on practicing transitional and positional play in practice. Hockey IQ and Hockey Sense is the biggest jump from each level according to Smith and being able to process the game is key to a player's success. Smith highlighted one of his former Detroit Red Wings players, Nicklas Lidstrom. He stated that every defenceman that played with Lidstrom had the best game, month, or season of their career because of his ability to process the game and put his defense partner in good situations.  

In order to develop players’ Hockey IQ and Hockey Sense, Smith recommended changing the way many drills are run. The puck never starts on your stick in a game so why should the puck start on your stick to start a drill in practice? An effective way is to make a player receive the puck while receiving pressure to get the puck to start a drill. Another area Smith highlighted is that shooting a puck on net with no pressure doesn’t occur in game either. Creating drills that model game situations and pressure in practices will make a difference in players’ ability to recognize play and create higher hockey awareness and sense. 

Another area of the game that is not emphasized enough according to Smith is puck battles. Every 4.5 seconds there is a race on the ice for a loose puck. Teams that have players who battle and can win pucks are the ones who control the pace of play and experience success. Incorporating drills that have quick battles in situational areas is a great way to get the competitive juice flowing for practice while also training players to battle in order to get to the inside and win a puck race. 

An additional area of the game that Smith encourages is more focus on the wall. 60-70% of the game is played on the boards and should be more focused on in practice. Taking the time to put players in situational drills will allow them to make smarter, more effective plays when they get to a game setting and have to think quickly. 

The final area that Smith pinpointed is that superior teams are the ones that can support the puck and each other the fastest. This all stems from having a high Hockey IQ which is instilled in practice and by coaches. Wins come from a collective effort and the quicker a team can react to each other on the ice, the more successful they will be. 

Noteworthy Timestamps:

• 1:25 Importance of Hockey IQ
• 4:15 5 characteristics that everyone wants
• 6:20 Different examples of situational awareness
• 7:30 Races
• 10:20 Today’s Game
• 14:30 Creating game-like situations
• 20:25 Two types of offence
• 22:45 Races video clips
• 24:50 3 Key Moments in a Game - No Team Possession
• 28:05 Team Puck Possession
• 31:00 Transition