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Late in games, defensive posture often shifts subtly. Teams stop attacking the game and begin protecting the score. The intent is composure, but the result can be passivity.

In this sequence from Canada vs. Finland (2–2 tying goal), Finland has full defensive-zone structure. All five players are below the top of the circles. On the surface, it looks organized and compact.

But look closer.

When Canada regains possession high in the zone, there is no pressure on the puck. The Canadian defensemen are allowed to walk the blue line uncontested. With no forward challenging high ice, Canada controls the top of the zone comfortably.

Because there is no disruption above the circles, Finland’s defense collapses lower and lower toward the slot. What begins as structure turns into contraction. Sticks and bodies sink toward the net, but the puck remains uncontested above them.

Time and space at the blue line forces defensive layers to compress. Passing lanes widen. Screens establish. Rebounds become more dangerous.

The tying goal is not the result of a single missed assignment. It’s the result of surrendered ice.

When teams play to protect instead of pressure, they trade initiative for containment. And containment without disruption eventually breaks.

The key teaching point: defensive-zone structure must include pressure above the puck. If you allow clean possession in high ice, you are defending on borrowed time.

Playing not to lose often means giving the opponent exactly what they need to win.

 

Low back tightness is becoming increasingly common among hockey players, including younger athletes. With the amount of skating, practices, and games many kids now participate in throughout the year, the lower back often absorbs a significant amount of repetitive stress.

While the issue is sometimes attributed to the spine itself, the source of the tightness is often muscular. One of the most common contributors is the quadratus lumborum, or QL, a deep muscle located along the side of the lower back that helps stabilize the pelvis and spine during movement.

A simple lateral child’s pose variation can be an effective way to restore length through this area and relieve the tension that builds up from repeated skating.

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Why Hockey Players Experience Low Back Tightness

The skating posture requires athletes to spend extended periods in a flexed position while stabilizing the torso against repeated stride forces. Over time, the muscles responsible for stabilizing the pelvis and spine can become overworked.

For many players, especially younger athletes who may not yet have fully developed core strength or mobility, this leads to tightness along the sides of the lower back.

The QL often becomes the primary muscle responsible for maintaining stability in these positions. When it becomes overactive or shortened, athletes commonly experience stiffness or discomfort in the low back.

Addressing the surrounding muscles and restoring length to this area can often relieve that tension quickly.

The Purpose of the Lateral Child’s Pose

Traditional child’s pose provides general decompression through the spine, and when adding a lateral reach it shifts the stretch toward the side of the trunk where the QL and surrounding tissues are located.

This variation helps:

• Lengthen the muscles along the side of the lower back

• Reduce tension in the QL

• Restore movement through the hips and spine

• Improve comfort in skating posture

Because the position is supported and low load, it can be used both during training sessions and throughout the day.

How to Perform the Drill

Setup

• Knees together with shins on the floor

• Sit back so the hips move toward the heels

• Maintain contact between the hips and heels as much as possible

Execution

• Reach both hands forward into a child’s pose position

• Walk the hands as far away from the body as possible

• From there, take several steps with the hands toward one side

• Once you reach your end range, slowly crawl the outside hand toward the opposite hand

Throughout the movement, continue reaching forward with the fingers while sitting the hips back.

Hold the stretched position for about 10 seconds before returning to the center and repeating on the opposite side.

Programming Guidelines

Perform the movement slowly and deliberately.

• Hold each lateral stretch for about 10 seconds

• Repeat 4 to 6 times per side

This drill can be used:

• During warm-ups

• Between training exercises

• After skating sessions

• Throughout the day, when tightness appears

Foam rolling or other soft tissue work can also be used beforehand to enhance the effect.

Final Thoughts

Low back tightness is becoming more common among hockey players, even at young ages, largely due to the volume of skating and time spent in skating posture. Addressing the muscles around the spine, rather than the spine itself, often provides quick relief.

This lateral child’s pose variation helps restore length through the side of the trunk, particularly the QL, which frequently becomes tight from repeated skating.

Used consistently, this simple drill can help athletes move more comfortably, maintain better posture on the ice, and reduce the likelihood of lingering low back discomfort throughout the season.

About the Author

Travis Martell is the founder and head coach of Martell Elite Fitness, specializing in off-ice development for hockey players. 📲 Follow on Instagram: @martell.elite.fitness

Most hockey players don’t plateau because they stop caring.

They plateau because their days aren’t built for development.

I see it constantly with talented players who *want it badly*:

• they wake up and immediately grab their phones
• they rush through their mornings before school or practice
• their focus gets pulled in ten different directions
• they train their body hard but ignore the mental side
• they push constantly but never properly reset or recover
• they end their days mentally drained and frustrated

Over time that cycle quietly "caps a player’s potential".

Because becoming an elite player isn’t just about talent or ice time.

It’s about how you build the athlete behind the performance.

The players who separate themselves don’t just train differently.

They think differently, prepare differently, and live differently.

That’s exactly why I built my 4 Pillar Mental Performance Program, designed specifically for hockey players who want to unlock the next level of their game.

Inside the program we focus on four core areas that drive consistent high performance:

Pillar 1 – Identity Blueprint
Helping players build a strong internal identity so their confidence isn’t dependent on goals, points, or coach feedback. When identity is strong, performance becomes stable.

Pillar 2 – Game Time Confidence System
Tools and routines that help players manage pressure, quiet overthinking, and stay composed when the game speeds up.

Pillar 3 – Pressure Playbook
Strategies for handling mistakes, adversity, and momentum swings so players can respond like elite competitors instead of shrinking under pressure.

Pillar 4 – Pro Habits
The daily routines, preparation habits, and mental disciplines that elite athletes use to build consistency over an entire season.

Because the truth is this:

The best players aren’t just more skilled.

They’re mentally stronger, more prepared, and more intentional about how they show up every day.

If you’re a player or parent who wants to build the mindset that supports elite performance, this program will show you how.

Because in this game — and in life —

Victory Starts in the Mind.🧠🏒

rob@mindsetbodybank.com

 

Hockey has evolved a lot since I was a kid: when I was growing up, we were taught to have the puck around the middle of the blade while shooting, and to push the puck forward in a long, sweeping motion. Nowadays, good shooting technique is completely different: many of the best players in the world now shoot from the toe of the blade. I had to completely remodel my shot, but I'm glad I did, and in this video I'll show you why I think that shooting from the toe of the blade is the way to go! I just wish I had learned how to shoot like this earlier :D

Have fun practicing!

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Dominik Shine just scored his first NHL goal this weekend for the Detroit Red Wings.

He’s 32 years old.

Shine has played 521 AHL games.

Only 14 NHL games.

He was never drafted.

He played junior in the USHL, then four years at Northern Michigan University.

After college he turned pro…
…and waited EIGHT YEARS for his first NHL call-up.

Youth sports today would tell you that if you’re not dominating by 12…
If you’re not on the “right team”…
If you’re not on the “right path”…
Your window is closing.

Dominik Shine’s story is just another example that says otherwise.

Extra skill sessions at 12 didn’t bring him to the NHL.

Character did.
Patience.
Consistency.
Hard work.
Resilience.
Love of the game.

Every athlete's pathway will be different - but it's those characteristics that will help you write your story, not when everything happened.

Development is not linear.

And sometimes the best stories take the longest to write.

How many players do we write off far too early because they were not the best version of themselves at 14?

A few years ago while refereeing an 8u game, I noticed after a play along the boards, these black “things” on the ice.  They looked like plastic, maybe a shaft plug, but no they were rough edge pieces.  

 

I then noticed one young man backing away from every play, and as I looked him over, I saw what appeared to be the toe of a sock sticking out of his left skate!  For those old enough to know the reference, think Goofy in a Mickey Cartoon!

I skated over and pulled the boy to the side and looked down and sure enough, he had completely blown the front toe cap off his skate.  I couldn't believe it!  I had never seen anything like it before.

We skated over to the bench and as he bumped into the boards, you guessed it - he blew the other one out!  2 skates, 2 blowouts, and a lot of blown minds!

Afterwards, I spoke with the boy's parents and they stated they just bought the skates that week from a second-hand shop.

Then lesson here - always check your equipment!

The puck in the offensive zone. It goes up to the point, at the corner of the blue line. There are a lot of options, and the defender with the puck....does nothing. The play dies, the puck gets blocked or just dumped back into the corner. I see a lot of players getting the puck on the blue line and just freezing. We can do better! Get the puck, get moving to the middle along the blue line, and see what options you have. Shot, fake, turn..in this video I show you many options to get moving quickly and deceptively across the blue line! Have fun practicing!

A lot of hockey moves don't just require great stickhandling skills, but need to be combined with great skating skills as well. The Step Fake is one of those moves: sliding on your edge towards your opponent, while faking a shot. This can be extremely effective for opening up a shooting or skating lane to the next for you. In this video, I show you how to learn the move step by step, as well as show you how it can look in a game, and how it looks when I practice it with one of my U17 players! Have fun practicing!

Being able to control the puck on the forehand as well as the backhand is obviously very important for every hockey player. HOWEVER, there are some situations in games, where if the player could just manage to keep the puck on the forehand instead of shifting to the backhand, then they would be able to make a better play. Soft-catching a pass on the forehand and quickly getting a shot off (many players add a stickhandle to the backhand because it feels more comfortable) is just one of many situations that comes to mind, where being able to keep the puck on the forehand could be the difference between scoring or not. A Toe Drag is another frequently seen example where forehand-only skills are key. In this workout video we'll do five drills that will help you keep the puck on the forehand and make you a better player! Have fun practicing!