How do you start the game? How do you start the shift? How do you start a powerplay or a penalty kill? Faceoffs. It takes a lot of practice time to perfect faceoff plays, but it’s a crucial aspect of the game, especially if you are coaching at a level where there is parity. It’s not just the centreman either, it’s a collective of the wingers and the defensemen as well. From the coach’s perspective, it’s as close to a controlled environment we get.

So we’d better have a plan. Have a look at how coach Woodcroft prepares his players for faceoffs.