"This experience opened my eyes to the teams who use the back of the net in the offensive zone to their advantage in their strategy to include all five players in the attack."

As a self-proclaimed hockey nerd without a team to coach for the first time in 28 years, I have spent the past two seasons (the Covid years) starting a player video feedback service. Jim Montgomery and myself created Coaches Café, which regrouped 120 coaches world-wide from U18s to the NHL, and also started a podcast with Darren Gill, The Hockey Masterclass, focusing on navigating minor hockey years. I’ve spent some time consulting in analytics and consulting with coaches from all levels as well; I’ve had a lot of time to do deep dives and bounce around ideas and concepts with the coaching fraternity. This is how I ended up coining the term “Trap Goals.”

The past two NHL playoffs I had the privilege to work directly for an NHL Head Coach remotely, writing up post-game reports that would include tendencies, quick strike strategies, any areas that could be considered “fragile,” really it was a customizable report. This experience opened my eyes to the teams who use the back of the net in the offensive zone to their advantage in their strategy to include all five players in the attack. On the flip side, those defending teams that were able to disrupt or deny this access tended to reduce scoring against in defensive zone coverage situations. Many teams play 3 vs. 5 in a quadrant of the defensive zone, outnumbering and shrinking the area the opposition is trying to score from; maybe we stop thinking that east-west in the offensive zone comes from only D-to-D blueline passes?

Offensively all we want is SPACE!!! Accessing the trapezoid/back of net area can happen in a multitude of ways: on entries with & without possession, set face-off plays, and offensive zone plays (net cycling, high to low rims) to name a few. Entries under full control, getting to hash mark levels, gives players more space to make reads, delay, take to net, carry behind net, relieve pressure with pass/rim to the weak side; aren’t we tired of watching players skate themselves into the Zamboni door in the corner?

Concepts and strategies that empower players to play with fewer restrictions and to understand that since the game is typically played 95% or more of the time without the puck, support is key and a team’s well-established structure for relieving pressure can allow teams to continue to play fast. And yes, even on place & chase situations, teams can become very proficient by playing behind the opposing team’s D, changing point of attack quickly on retrievals and not underestimating a teams’ ability to create turnovers below the goal line, say on the forecheck, which typically opens the slot for quick strike plays.

So, what am I rambling on about exactly? Trap Goals: anytime a puck passes through or in the trapezoid through a player carrying the puck, a rim release (F to weak side or D to back of net), loose puck recovery (LPR), or a pass to weak side or a forecheck, etc, it forces goalies to play on their goal line. This makes it difficult to scan the defensive zone, defenders must spin to get their eyes on the puck while staying aware of their player, opens up the offensive zone and engaging the defence from the blueline creates mismatches and more width and depth concepts. The other aspect I wanted to take into consideration was time. From the time the puck enters & exits the trapezoid area until its direct effect on a goal being scored was 0-5 seconds & 6-9 seconds.

I decided to put my eyes on all goals scored in the first two weeks of the NHL 2021-22 regular season; this meticulous side project and breaking down concisely those 493 total goals required time, a stopwatch, attention to details & lots of coffee. Thank goodness for coffee.

These two charts below represent week 1 & week 2 of the 2021-2022 NHL season. This is a breakdown of goals at varying strengths where at least one goal was scored that met the criteria. Here’s what I found:

Week 1 Trap #s that stick out: total goals scored all strengths 53/203 (26.1%), 5v5 30/125 (24%), 5v4 14/48 (29.2%) & with a smaller sample size, 6v5 6/8 (75%).*

Week 2 Trap #s that stick out: total goals scored all strengths 70/290 (24.1%), 5v5 47/185 (25%), 5v4 19/59 (32.2%) & with a smaller sample size, 6v5 2/3 (66.7%).*

*As of March 2, 2022, there have been 96 goals scored at 6v5 in the 2021-2022 NHL season, which is a much bigger sample size and I will be breaking this down in the near future.

These numbers, in my opinion, can’t be ignored. This can lead to the evolution of a team’s abilities to create scoring during these times where many are screaming “possession, possession, possession.” They develop the ability to support the inside of the ice (close), 1st post relief (mid-range), high support & weak side (far support). 

Some of my takeaways: as coaches sometimes we don’t have to yell what to do during a game or practice. Instead highlighting an under-utilized area, such as the back of the net, might help players not feel as suffocated by defensive schemes. Maybe, just maybe, players will become more comfortable with handling pucks below the goal line and won’t feel the pressure to throw pucks to the slot cause someone yells “PAAAAAASSSSS” without looking and hoping it connects with a teammate. Dare I say we could develop more poise with the puck, which then can increase the quality individual and team offensive zone possession.

For young players, emphasizing loose puck recoveries (LPRS) drills on the forecheck or rebounds in the offensive zone will add some fuel to the race if they understand the possible outcomes their efforts can bring. My last point in terms of development levels, as your defense gets more active and forwards cover you, encourage all to be poised and use skills to execute from anywhere in the offensive zone.

Lastly, if anyone wants to debate the validity of some of these points, or say it’s only for grinders or teams that lack skills, I will point to the recent back-to-back Stanley Cup Champs amongst some of the most consistent teams to implement these strategies.