The 80/20 mindset is one players should start buying into.

The best players in the world seem to always rack up points as if the puck somehow has a way of always finds these players. Or could it be these players know how to manipulate the empty space on the ice? This article dives into a philosophy I have implemented with my high school team on this very debate.

I believe hockey is a game of 80/20: 80 percent of it is what a player does without the puck, while the remaining 20 percent is what the player does with the puck. How can this be true? Let’s look at the statistics that support this philosophy.

Nathan MacKinnon is one of the best hockey players in the world. His average ice time in the 2020-21 NHL season was 19 minutes a game. He averages four shots on net a game and the amount of time the puck is on his stick a game ranges from 45-75 seconds. In a game where he plays 19 minutes, he has the puck sometimes less than one minute. So we can conclude that what he is doing without the puck is vital to giving him the best position to support the puck and giving himself a good scoring opportunity.

This is a mindset that players should start buying into. Teaching players this philosophy can help open up their minds to how important every player is on the ice, whether they have the puck or not. What is their 80 percent? Are they putting themselves in the best spot on the ice to give their team the best scoring opportunities? When they do have the puck, the 20 percent is then easier to achieve. Shoot, pass, move into the o zone or deposit the puck.

Here are some examples of MacKinnon doing the 80 percent to achieve the 20 percent and giving his team the best possible scoring opportunities.

Having the on ice mentality that 80 percent of the game is without the puck can be as simple as being 2-5 feet away from your teammate to support the puck and the play. It can be the back checking that is needed to prevent a scoring opportunity from the opponent. It could also be placing yourself at the best spot on the ice in the slot as the F3 to achieve scoring opportunities.

Notice it is not 100 percent of MacKinnon with the puck that achieves these goals. It is what he is doing without the puck. One example against Team Sweden (third video), MacKinnon decides not to leave the offensive zone during overtime, even when it seemed as though the offensive opportunity was over. This mentality of understanding how important you are to the play without the puck is what landed him the goal. This philosophy helps players understand that everything they do on the ice has a purpose even without the puck.